Rate My Professor Lara Friedlander

Professor Lara Friedlander is Professor and Discipline Head for Endodontics in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago. She holds the qualifications BDS, MDS, and PhD from the University of Otago, as well as fellowships FRACDS, FICD, and FPFA. A registered and practicing specialist endodontist, she has particular interests in dental trauma, vital pulp treatment, and systemic disease. In her role as Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies), she oversees the Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Oral Health, and Bachelor of Dental Technology programmes. She also leads the postgraduate Clinical Doctorate in Endodontics (DClinDent Endodontics). Recently promoted to Professor, her career includes substantial contributions to dental education, postgraduate supervision, and clinical practice.

Friedlander's research specializations encompass endodontics, immunopathology, pulp biology and systemic disease, clinical endodontics, practice-based research, and dental education. As Deputy Director of the Molecular and Immunopathology Research Group in the Sir John Walsh Research Institute, she has supervised multiple undergraduate, Clinical Doctorate, and PhD students. She engages in practice-based research with clinicians, contributing to the development of a national clinical guideline for managing patients with deep caries. Friedlander serves as an international reviewer for peer-reviewed journals and research funding applications, and holds memberships on the New Zealand Dental Research Foundation Board, the New Zealand Ministry of Health Oral Health Research Fund, and the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons Research Panel. She is Chief Examiner for the Final examination for Fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. Her awards include the 2024 University of Otago Teaching Excellence Award and the 2018 Faculty Award for outstanding postgraduate supervision. Key publications include 'Differential expressions of inflammatory, dentinogenic, regulatory, proliferative and stemness genes in non-carious and carious human dental pulp tissues: An ex vivo proof-of-concept study' (International Endodontic Journal, 2026), 'Endodontic complexity: A scoping review of case difficulty assessment tools and indices' (International Endodontic Journal, 2026), 'Root canal treatment for older adults: New Zealand dentists' experiences and approach to practice' (Australian Dental Journal, 2026), and 'A critical review of in vitro methodologies for studying inflammatory responses in human dental pulp cell cultures' (International Endodontic Journal, 2025). She maintains ongoing national and international collaborations and has received competitive grant funding.