• Contact Information
• Educational and Professional Background
• Research/Creative Activities
• Patient Care Activities
• Professional Memberships and Activities
• Recent Publications

Educational and Professional Background

1989-1994 BS UCLA Biochemistry
1994-1995 MS UCLA Biochemistry
1995-2000 PhD UCLA Oral Biology and Medicine
1995-2001 DDS UCLA Dentistry
2001-2003 Cert. UCLA Endodontics

Dr. Kang is Associate Professor in the Section of Endodontics at UCLA. He finished his DDS-PhD combined degree program in 2001 and postgraduate training in Endodontics at UCLA in 2003. He is a fellow of the Endodontics Educator Program of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE). Dr. Kang is also the recipient of the first-place IADR Hatton Awards in both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral categories; as well as the first-place J. Morita Junior Investigator Awards in Geriatric Oral Research. 

Research/Creative Activities

Dr. Kang’s research has continuously been funded by the National Institutes of Health.   His research interest lies in the mechanisms of oral mucosal diseases, such as oral cancer and radiation- or chemical-induced oral mucositis. 

Patient Care Activities

Dr. Kang is practicing Endodontics at the UCLA Faculty Dental Group Practice.

Professional memberships and activities:

American Association for Cancer Research
International Association for Dental Research
American Association of Endodontists
UCLA Dental Research Institute
Jonsson  Comprehensive Cancer Center

Recent Publications

Kang MK, Kim RH, Kim SG, Yip FK, Dimri G, Shin K-H, Christensen R, and Park N-H: Elevated Bmi-1 expression is associated with dysplastic cell transformation during oral carcinogenesis and is required for cancer cell replication and survival.   British Journal of Cancer, 96:126-133, 2007.

Kim RH,Kang MK*, Shin K-H, Oo ZM, Han T, Baluda MA, and Park N-H: Bmi-1 cooperates with human papillomavirus type 16 E6 to immortalize normal human oral keratinocytes.   Experimental Cell Research, 313:462-472, 2007.

Shin K-H, Kim RH, and Kang MK, and Park N-H: p53 enhances the fidelity of DNA end joining activity through heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G.   DNA Repair, 6: 830-840, 2007.

Kang MK and Park N-H: Extension of cell life span by exogenous telomerase. Methods in Molecular Biology, 371:151-165, 2007.

Shin K-H, Ahn JH, Kang MK, Lim PK  , Yip FJ, Baluda MA, and Park N-H: HPV-16 E6 oncoprotein impairs the fidelity of DNA double-strand break repair via p53-dependent and –independent pathways. International Journal of Oncology, 28:209-215, 2006. 

Shin K-H, Kang MK, Lim PK  , Yochim JM, Dicterow E, Baluda MA, and Park N-H: Abnormal DNA end-joining activity in human head and neck cancer. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 17:917-924, 2006.

Shin K-H, Kang MK* , Kim RH, Christensen R, and Park N-H: Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G demonstrates tumor suppressive effect in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Clinical Cancer Research, 12:3222-3228, 2006. 

Kang MK, Shin K-H, Yip FK, and Park N-H: Normal human oral keratinocytes demonstrate abnormal non-homologous end joining activity during replicative senescence. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 126:475-479, 2005.

Kang MK, Kim RH, Shin K-H, Zhong W, Faull KF, and Park N-H: Senescence-associated decline in the intranuclear accumulation of hOGG1α and impaired 8-oxo-dG repair activity in senescing normal human oral keratinocytes in vivo.  Experimental Cell Research, 310: 186-195, 2005. 

Shin K-H, Kang MK, Dicterow E, Kameta A, Baluda MA, and Park N-H:  Introduction of human telomerase reverse transcriptase in normal human fibroblasts enhances DNA repair.  Clinical Cancer Research 10:2551-2560, 2004.

Kang MK, Kameta A, Shin K.-H, Baluda MA, and Park N.-H:   Replicative senescence of normal human oral keratinocytes is associated with loss of telomerase activity and hTERT expression followed by limited telomere shortening.  Journal of Cellular Physiology, 199:364-370, 2004.

Kang MK, Kameta A, Baluda MA, and Park N-H:   Telomere shortening does not occur during postmaturational aging in situ in normal human oral fibroblasts. Mechanism of Ageing and Development, 124:873 – 879, 2003.

Shin K-H, Kang MK, Dicterow E, Baluda MA, and Park N.-H: Hypermethylation of the hTERT gene promoter in normal oral fibroblasts and senescent normal oral keratinocytes.  British Journal of Cancer, 89:1473-1478, 2003.

*Shared first authorship.