AADOCR NSRG Councilor Candidate 2024-2025
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
Philadelphia, PA
Graduation Date: 2024 (Undergraduate at Princeton, but visiting scholar affiliation at UPenn Dental)
Reasons for Running
I am interested in serving as an AADOCR National Student Research Group Officer, with the position of Councilor, and am able to attend all meetings listed. With dentistry, many people go directly into private practice as opposed to maintaining a lab, for example. Engaging and supporting dental student’s research is one of the most important aspects to increase academic and research participation. Research is vital as it is only through research that dental professionals can effectively practice; it acts as the long-term solution to combating oral health inequities and appropriate patient care. As an NSRG officer, I would be honored to be a part of a team dedicated to increasing research engagement among dental students and professionals, while also advocating for diverse representation in dental research. Through various research and professional experiences, I have strengthened skills that are necessary to be an effective Councilor: reliability, teamwork, perseverance, creativity, advocacy, open-mindedness, communication, resourcefulness, and acute attention to detail. In this, I am eager to collaborate with other NSRG officers, report actions from the AADOCR Council, organize meetings, and meaningfully contribute to our team.
Research Conducted:
I have co-authored 12 publications and have presented at 7 conferences. Being a research investigator at IMDEA Materials Institute, Scripps Research Institute, Penn Dental Medicine, UCLA School of Dentistry, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Princeton University, and the University of Berkeley’s School of Public Health has introduced me to various fields of medical research. To discuss a few, at UPenn Dental, I have determined appropriate fluoride treatments to increase teeth hardness levels in cancer patients (Mante Lab), optimized plant growth and target protein expression to create plant-based chewing gums for oral drug delivery to treat hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic diseases (Daniell Lab), and explored the role of dendritic cells and wound healing in mice (Graves Lab). At Berkeley, I performed cross-cultural analyses to expose links between oral health and malnutrition in children and mothers (Sokal-Gutierrez Group).
Moreover, my work with non-profit organizations has allowed me to connect with local and global populations and try to address unmet needs in areas such as oral hygiene. With Christ Church’s Refugee Ministry and Hearts & Homes for Refugees I have provided consultations to Afghani refugees on oral health and nutrition and developed personalized plans and teachings aligned with cultural concerns.
