Four Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) students have been awarded Harvard Presidential Scholarships for the 2022-2023 academic year. The full-tuition scholarship provides support to individuals committed to careers in public service or academia. Recipients must be currently pursuing a DMSc degree in an Advanced Graduate Education program or are predoctoral HSDM students with intentions to apply for a DMSc program at the School. This year’s talented recipients’ interests range from academic dentistry and research, to improving access to oral health care.
HSDM’s 2022-23 Presidential Scholars are:
Michael Chen, DMD23, plans to pursue a DMSc in periodontology after graduation. During his predoctoral program he has participated in several teaching opportunities, including serving as a lecturer for Introduction to Dentistry, a guest speaker for Oral System Science and a guest lecturer for the D.E.L.T.A. Mini Residency which is part of the Dental Education Learning & Teaching Academy at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Chen has engaged in numerous research projects including working in the Giannobile Lab exploring new treatments for alveolar bone loss in dental implant reconstruction and working with Dr. Tien Ha-Ngoc Jiang, instructor in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology to develop and publish the Resource Library for the Integration of Oral Health and Medicine.
Shaida Parsaei, DMD23, plans to pursue a DMSc in endodontics after graduation. Parsaei is a first-generation college student who came to the U.S. from Iran as an immigrant when she was a child. While at HSDM, she has served as the coordinator for the Action for Children and Teenagers in Oral Health Needs program—a volunteer-based pediatric dental clinic offered on Saturdays at the Windsor Clinic in Cambridge. She has also engaged in research in dental education, stem cell biology and biomaterials, and has had work published in ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, and the Journal of Prosthodontics.
Nithya Ramesh, DMSc25, a candidate in the dental public health (DPH) program, is passionate about improving access to dental health and eliminating the divide between oral and systemic health. Ramesh has conducted research and served in leadership roles at American Institute of Dental Public Health in San Antonio, TX where she served as a research analyst; the Dartmouth Hitchcock Addiction Center in Lebanon, NH, where served as a program development coordinator for the “Moms in Recovery” program; and the Rhode Island State Department of Health where she worked as a research assistant promoting access to dental care.
Ridhima Seth, DMSc24, a candidate in the Research Academy at HSDM and Forsyth Institute, is working in the Baron/Gori lab studying the role of PTH receptors in cathepsin K expressing periosteal stem cells and dental stem cells. Seth has been published in the Journal of Dentistry and Oral Science, the International Journal of Contemporary Dental and Medical Reviews, and the International Journal of Current Research. Upon completion of her DMSc program, Seth plans to pursue a career in academia.
