March 13, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York[1]) is an internationally known researcher and educator in medicine, focusing on defining the key regulators controlling development, maintenance, and regeneration of dental, oral, and craniofacial tissues.

[1] Dr. Somerman retired as the director of NIDCR on December 31, 2019, serving nine years.

[12] Under this position, Somerman established the Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Tissue Regenerative Consortium (DOCTR-C) to advance research on innate biological mechanisms and pathways that facilitate regeneration and repair of damaged or diseased tissues.

[4] From 2011 until 2021, she was also the Principal Investigator for the Laboratory of Oral Connective Tissue Biology at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).

[4] During her time at the NIAMS, she focused on identifying candidate genes and factors to promote periodontal regeneration.