June 2026

Initially, my interest in oral health was sparked by my own extensive experience with my pediatric dentist and orthodontist. I have always been drawn to science, but I also appreciated that dentistry is very hands on. One of my favorite parts about dentistry is that as providers, we are able to often see the results of our work come to fruition quickly-sometimes even within a single appointment. Knowing that we can help relieve patients of their pain or dissatisfaction quickly is a very gratifying aspect of dentistry.

I first became involved with PCOH when Helen Hawkey came to visit my school as a guest lecturer. At the time, I was working alone on a project about the role dental providers have in identifying abuse at the head and neck level and supporting these patients. I reached out to Helen to see if she could provide any specific statistics in PA about oral health services for patients of intimate partner violence (IPV). Helen and I realized there is a gap in dental practitioners understanding the importance of their role in identifying IPV and many providers are unaware of how to support these patients. Consequently, we began working on a more expansive project to make separate patient and provider focused brochures about the role of dental practitioners in supporting patients experiencing IPV. I also had the honor of speaking about this project at the 2025 Oral Health Summit and was able to speak to many other attendees about their work and how it could relate to my project.

Oftentimes, oral health is seen as a separate field outside the rest of medicine and it’s hard for other professionals and patients to not view the oral cavity as a separate entity. For this reason, it can be difficult to stress the importance of proper oral health to patients and it can also be challenging to encourage other healthcare professionals to educate themselves about the connections between the oral cavity and other conditions (diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, for example).

Increased access to quality dental coverage for everyone and increased access to preventive dental care.

On a more individual level, being able to speak to patients and understand the effect that a simple dental procedure will have on their life is very inspiring. On a broader scale, seeing the amazing work everyone else is doing to champion oral health causes also reminds me that there is a network of people who are passionate about service.

Working out is a big outlet for my stress, whether that is weightlifting or swimming. I also love a good book or slam poetry performance, as well as spending time with my friends and family.