Solidarity Dental

I had an incredible time at The Johns Hopkins University last week, learning from an inspiring line up of speakers from around the world! A big highlight was presenting the global health innovation I’m developing with Kathryn Carrier and Aoife Cummins to the Dragons Dens panel. I left the 2025 Global Oral Health Symposium feeling inspired and motivated by the impactful discussions and new connections! Thank you Sujay Mehta, Priyanka Gudsoorkar, Solidarity Dental, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health for inviting us!

Last week, I had the honour of attending the Global Oral Health Symposium at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The event organized and hosted by Solidarity Dental, featured many amazing key presentations from professionals in the field of oral health from all across the world, truly shedding light on the importance of global oral health. I was able to assist with some of the work behind the scenes as well as having the opportunity to give a short talk on how to improve oral health outcomes in areas of humanitarian crisis. A huge thanks to Sujay Mehta, Priyanka Gudsoorkar, Jessica Klabak, DDS, MPH, and Karem Manresa-Cumarin MD, MPH of Solidarity Dental for giving me this opportunity to help out and attend this event, as well as all of the other professionals and individuals that I was able to learn so much from. McMaster Article Link: https://lnkd.in/gqYcgkAa

On behalf of AAPHD, congratulations to the Maryland Dental Action Coalition, recipient of the 2025 AAPHD Public Service Award. #nohc #aaphd #nationaloralhealthconference #aaphdfoundation #orlando #americanassociationofpublichealthdentistry #dentists   #schoolofdentistry

Dear all, Warm greetings!! Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at Baltimore, Maryland, USA recently hosted the Global Oral Health in Person Symposium 2025 – March 27th – 28th with the theme of Advancing the Global Oral Health Agenda, in alliance with Solidarity Dental Foundation, a nonprofit organization working towards integrating oral health care, research and education for all, and Johns Hopkins Oral Health Society, featuring speakers from various public health centers passionate in advancing collaborations with oral health at the Feinstone Hall.. It was a pleasure to judge the Early Career Professional Presentations with other faculty, where Early Career Professionals presented their research topics with renewed interest. This session was well moderated by Dr Emilia Istrate , Senior Vice President, Policy and Education Research, American Dental Education Association.  I was also a panelist on the session, Lessons for the Global North from Resource Limited regions , where I presented on the topic – Interprofessional Collaboration for enhanced Community oral health along with Dr Abiola Adenyl, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Vancouver, Canada and Dr Olayinka Adekugbe, Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health , USA. Interprofessional Education, Collaboration and Practice in the diverse disciplines of oral health needs to be nurtured proactively for enhanced and optimum oral health services to the patient. Communities respond better and favorably when they understand the effort being put in and the reason for the effort...adds strength to the networking and information pool available for better collective decisions and treatment. My sincere acknowledgements to Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal and Manipal FAIMER Institute for all related foundation work and support.. It was a privilege and honor to visit the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health – all thanks to Solidarity Dental Foundation - Dr Sujay Mehta and Dr Priyanka Gudsoorkar and team who left no stone unturned to make the event a very cordial, well hosted, well attended event. I truly appreciate the support received in terms of event management, information, support and comfort. Awesome !!! I am also truly grateful to Dr. Ekpa Eyoma, Ms. Meagan Harrison, Research Associate and Mrs Meena Joshi, for their cordial cheerful support throughout. What fascinated me about this wonderful symposium was the opportunity and platform created to look at oral health initiatives from different perspectives and work together to find the right support in order to advance the global oral health agenda…Very well intended, memorable and truly inspiring !!! A visit to the Homewood campus, George Peabody Library, and the nearby First Dental College in the world, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, that was started in 1840 made the visit, unforgettable and special !!! World Health Day 2025 Greetings!! to all… Warm regards.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗕𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲! 🔍 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄? India is witnessing an unprecedented rise in health-tech innovations and patent filings, with a surge in indigenous prototypes transforming the landscape of healthcare and dentistry. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗶’𝘀 𝗔𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗿𝗯𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝗕𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, we’ve created and fostered an ecosystem of innovation - a platform that empowers researchers, startups, and students to bring their breakthrough ideas to life. This vision came alive through the Innovation Exhibit & Cave segment - Creative Arena for Visionary Entrepreneurs, at the Global Conclave on Oral Health Innovation and Research (GCOHIR 2025) - organized by IDA on 15 - 16 February in New Delhi. From AI-driven dental tools to sustainable oral health solutions, this space showcased innovations that are defining tomorrow’s healthcare - made for Bharat, by Bharat. 🎥 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁 & 𝗖𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁. Dr. Ashok Dhoble, Dr Rajiv K. Chugh, Enzo Bondioni, Steve Mason, Manav Rachana Dental College, Sibar Institute of Dental Sciences, Sharda University, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Vishnu Dental College, Bheemavaram, CDACINDIA , Healyantra, Haleon, Prevest DenPro Limited, Group Pharma, Aman Bandvi, The Bone Bank, sarvamangal healthcare, Dr. Lalita Poonia, Dr Kartavya Agravat, Dr Bharat Agravat, Roots to Cusps Private Limited, Varun Prabhuji, Dr Shanmuga Sundaram D, Dontin, Dr.Anjali Mishra, Roomani Srivastava, Dr.Mansa Das, Dr.Archi Rai Dr. Abhishek Nagaraj, Dr. Tulsi Tarase, Baswa raj, Atul Modi, Sai Kalyan Surapaneni, Laxmikant P S., Dr. Vidhi Bhanushali, Ajo Babu George, Dakshita Pohane, DJ Group of Institutions, Bharati Vidyapeeth's Dental College and Hospital, Lakshmi Balraj #GCOHIR2025 #InnovationNexus #IDAIndia #OralHealthInnovation #HealthcareSummit #AtmanirbharBharat #MadeForBharat #HealthTechIndia #StartupIndia #DigitalDentistry #MedTechInnovation #VisionaryEntrepreneurs #StudentInnovators #ResearchToReality #FutureOfHealthcare #DisruptToImpact #IdeasToAction #HealthcareReimagined #SmilesOfTomorrow #InnovateForIndia

It's not every day you attend an oral public health conference and get to hear perspective from a nephrologist. This is basic training in Hospital Dentistry residency programs. I am grateful for my teachers and attending like Dr Kanchan Ganda from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Dr Eric Sung from UCLA School of Dentistry for laying the foundation so many years ago. This panel session challenged stereotypes of how you define oral health featuring a dentist/professor speaking about emergency room data; a hygienist/professor teaching us about maternal health; and a nephrologist/professor on oral mucosal and osseous tissue health in the maxillofacial complex; all at a school of public health - because there is no health without oral health. With thanks and appreciation to Dr. C. Elena Cervantes from the Department of Nephrology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Hospital; Dr. Elías Morón from Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine; and Katy Battani, RDH, MS from the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center at Georgetown University, DrPH student at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Governing Councillor at the APHA Oral Health Section. Thank you to Eric Sung, Martha Mutis EdD MPH cMBA, and Elías Morón from the American Association of Hospital Dentistry, part of the Special Care Dentistry Association, for their assistance in organizing this panel; Maureen Henley from the Johns Hopkins Hospital for moderating this truly interprofessional education session; and thank you to Prakash Gudsoorkar MD, FISN, FASN, FNKF for making introductions and encouraging collaborations with the American Society of Nephrology. It truly takes a village to raise a small, poorly funded, customized practicum project for an MPH degree into a small, still poorly funded, mom & pop run 2-day symposium. Thank you all for you help in bringing attention to neglected discussions for a public health audience. https://lnkd.in/g5yiXRNE #HopkinsGOH2025

Honored to have been a part of this event, even from afar! Congratulations to Sujay Mehta on a hugely successful symposium—well done!

On day 2 Friday March 28, 2025 at the Johns Hopkins Global Oral Health Symposium we started off the day with The Ethical Responsibility of Oral Health: Oral Health & Humanitarian Health. I have always wondered about why we do not study or collect data on the widest scope of oral health and oral diseases in people suffering the greatest atrocities humans have inflicted on each other. There must be a battery of insults to the greater oral and maxillofacial complex that does not get reported because it is simply not considered a priority. With thanks to Ekpa Eyoma, DDS MPH from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry for expertly moderating and personalizing these difficult sessions first thing in the morning. Medeical anthropologist Dr. Sarah Raskin, Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs started us off with a background on Humanitarian Oral Health Campaigns. Dr. Elham Kateeb, Professor of Dental Public Health & Dean of Scientific Research from Al-Quds University & Council member for FDI World Dental Federation presented her talk on Oral Health in Humanitarian Crises: An Overlooked Priority for Global Health Agendas. Dr. Khaleda Zaheer, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of the Refugee Crisis Foundation, presented her work on Oral Healthcare in Refugee Camps. Thank you to our amazing guests and speakers who presented a very important session for many of the most neglected and forgotten people around the world. A topic that is much needed in public health education and befitting a course offered at the #1 school of public health in the US. #HopkinsGOH2025

I was really excited to bring needed attention to the new speciality of Orofacial Pain and the Patient Safety world to a public health audience. Dra Eka Perez-Franco from Panama City and President of the Latinoamericana de Dolor Facial, Trastornos Temporomandibulares y del Sueño (ALDOTS) was our final surprise guest of the 2025 Johns Hopkins Global Oral Health Symposium. Dra Perez-Franco gave us a glimpse into the importance of access to care, diagnosis, appropriate treatment and management options for complex acute and chronic orofacial pains. I reviewed introduced some basics on the challenge to defining pain and Orofacial pain in particular, and then introduced our Johns Hopkins faculty speakers. Dr. Shannon Cole, senior medical writer and editor for the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at the The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, presented a talk with the original working title of Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in the Care of Musculoskeletal Orofacial Pain, which evolved into the alternative title of Why Does My Face Hurt and Why is it So Hard to Figure Out What to do About it? Dr. Cole took us on his own personal journey mapping consultations, opinions, diagnoses over 7 years in 7 minutes. He wore both a patient hat and was able to also eloquently comment from his expertise as a patient safety academic. Dr Albert Wu, Professor & Director of Strategic Collaboration at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality affiliated with the The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, reviewed the history and viewpoints of patient safety and encouraged dentistry and oral health to foster a culture of patient safety through education and training. Thank you Eka, Shanon and Albert for making this dream panel and session a reality. #HopkinsGOH2025

Congratulations to Amisha Parmar, MSc candidate at McMaster University who presented Oral health Inequities in Crisis-Affected Populations. Thank you for submitting, participating and presenting at our first Dragon's Den Early Career Professional Presentations at the 2025 Johns Hopkins Global Oral Health Symposium. In the spirit to lift up we wanted to end the day focused on the next generation of thinkers, dreamers and doers. Solidarity Dental embraces this idea of reverse mentoring where the establishment learns from students and those early in their careers. Thank you for teaching us. We all look forward to following your career, encourage you to continue working hard and dream big! #HopkinsGOH2025