GSDM Installs Inaugural Professor for Dr. Donald F. Booth Professorship in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Pushkar Mehra DMD 95 OMFS 99, chair and professor of oral & maxillofacial surgery, was installed as the inaugural professor for the GSDM Donald F. Booth Professorship in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in January 2025.
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Ana Zea Unanimously Elected for 2026 Hispanic Dental Association President
Dr. Ana Zea SPH 20, clinical associate professor of general dentistry and director of community-based education, was unanimously elected in December 2024 as Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) president-elect for 2025. Following her year as president-elect, she will serve as president (2026) and past president (2027) with the HDA National Executive Committee.
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Belinda Borrelli appointed to National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council
Dr. Belinda Borrelli, professor of health policy & health services research and director of the Center for Behavioral Sciences Research, was appointed in January 2025 to serve a three-year term on the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council (NADCR).
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Raul Garcia elected for IADR vice president
Dr. Raul Garcia, professor and chair of health policy & health services research, was elected vice-president of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR), effective June 2025. He is the first GSDM faculty member to hold this position.
GSDM Community Makes Lasting Impressions at 2025 Yankee Dental Congress
Members of the GSDM community connected with friends and colleagues, learned from innovative speakers, and expanded their industry knowledge at this year’s Yankee Dental Congress, held from January 30 to February 1 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Faculty Spotlight: GSDM faculty member wins 2025 ADEA Dr. Jeanne C. Sinkford Leadership Award
Dr. Kadambari Rawal AGED 10 DPH 18, clinical associate professor of general dentistry, was awarded the 2025 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Dr. Jeanne C. Sinkford Faculty Leadership award, the first GSDM faculty member to receive this award.
GSDM Chapter of American Association of Women Dentists Win National Awards
The GSDM chapter of the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) secured two major national awards in 2024, including being named Student Chapter of the Year, the first time in the history of the GSDM chapter that it has won this award. The chapter’s president, Aisha Amel M. Daigle DMD 25, was also selected as Student Leader of the Year.
Research Spotlight: Study Finds that Oral Health Text Messages can Improve Dental Caries Behaviors
A parent-targeted oral health text (OHT) messaging program improved preventive dental caries behaviors among a population of underserved children and their caregivers, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open in January 2025.
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Xiaofei Zhu ENDO 21 Receives Endodontic Educator Fellowship
Dr. Xiaofei Zhu ENDO 21, assistant professor and research director of endodontics, is the first GSDM faculty member to be awarded the AAE Foundation for Endodontics’ Endodontic Educator Fellowship.
Eight GSDM Community Member Join New Massachusetts Special Commission on Oral Health
Eight GSDM community members were appointed to the newly established Massachusetts Special Commission on Oral Health earlier this year.