Global Oral Health Education- UCSF

‘Amani’ means ‘Peace’ in Swahili. The mission of Kithoka Amani Children’s Home is to keep orphaned and vulnerable children in the community where they grew up, which preserves a child’s network and support. Thank you to the Kithoka Amani Children’s Home for your hospitality! We are so impressed with all of you and feel so lucky to have visited! We hope you learned a lot and that you put those toothbrushes to good use PC: Denis Kimathi . .... . . . . . #ucsf #oralhealth #dentistry #cdaproud #dentalstudents #research #globaloralhealth #studyabroad #kenya #sanfrancisco #oralhygieneinstructions #outreach #peace @ Meru, Kenya See more

Get to know Sheela, one of our D3 fellows! What drew you towards applying to this fellowship? When I heard that the Global Oral Health Team was making an inaugural visit to Kenya I was so excited at the prospect of returning to a country that helped shaped my path to dentistry. I promised myself that the next time I returned, it would be as a dental professional and that I’d be doing more sustainable and impactful work. This fellowship presented that perfect combination ...research and service. Tell us about your experiences so far in being part of this program. Lots of careful planning is happening to ensure we have a productive, safe, and fun trip. In terms of project planning, my cohort recently completed a focus group guide to help with evaluating an adult oral health brochure. On the side, I’ve also taken on the task of applying for 1,000+ oral health kit donations from various companies. What do you intend to achieve towards the end of this fellowship? Since this is the program’s inaugural visit, adapting to unexpected changes will be the true test of personal and professional growth. In addition, here are a few other personal goals: Getting my feet wet completing a research project from scratch. Developing great relationships with my teammates and those we meet along the way Seeing a baby giraffe If you were to describe this fellowship in one line to your fellow UCSF students, what would it be? An enriching experience to grow personally and professionally! #ucsf #oralhealth #dentistry #cdaproud #dentalstudents #research #globaloralhealth #studyabroad #kenya #sanfrancisco

Oh, the toothpaste you’ll find! Project Spotlight! Our team members are interested in looking at fluoride content in commercial toothpaste sold in Kenyan grocery stores as well as fluoride concentration in water from local drinking water sources! . .... . . . . . . #ucsf #oralhealth #dentistry #cdaproud #dentalstudents #research #globaloralhealth #studyabroad #kenya #sanfrancisco @ Meru, Kenya See more

The UCSF and University of Nairobi team spent the past week in Meru, a small town nestled near Mount Kenya. Located ~6hrs away from Nairobi by car, we gladly traded the crazy traffic and hustle and bustle of the big city for the peaceful, small-town feel of Meru. Check out the next few posts to see what we did while we were there! . . . .... . . . . #educationalcollaboration #ucsf #uon #nairobi #meru #dentistry #research #teamwork #dentalstudents #dental #service @ Meru, Kenya See more

We hope the University of Nairobi students and faculty like their new UCSF swag! Also, a big ASANTE SANA to the students who helped us collect data for our environmental scan of the sugary beverage and oral hygiene product landscape in Nairobi!! We couldn’t have done it without you! . .... . . . . . Allison Jan Claire Skach Sheela Lewis Vandan Kasar Punam Patel Deepika Ramachandran

Spent the day at the wonderful University of Nairobi School of Dental Sciences! We had the pleasure of meeting faculty and students, touring the campus and hearing from our very own Dr. Chaffee and Dr. Kapila speak about CAMBRA and interdisciplinary dental care! We are looking forward to many more years of collaboration with UoN! #ucsf #oralhealth #dentistry #cdaproud #dentalstudents #research #globaloralhealth #studyabroad #kenya #sanfrancisco #collaboration #education #CAMBRA #interdisciplinaryeducation @ University of Nairobi

T-Minus 1 Day until we leave for Kenya! Get to know Allison , one of our D3 fellows! 1. What drew you towards applying to this fellowship?... I believe that global oral health knowledge is key to becoming an exceptional, cognizant, and empathic dentist. Dentistry extends far beyond the walls of the UCSF Dental Clinic and it is this realization that prompted me to apply to the Global Oral Health Fellowship. I feel that it is my duty as a future health care provider to educate myself about the global oral health statuses of other countries so that I may not only apply my knowledge and experience when treating my own patients, but also try to make a small positive impact on people in countries with less dental infrastructure. 2. Tell us about your experiences so far in being part of this program? Thus far this program has has been fun, rewarding, challenging and undoubtedly one of the best experiences I have had at UCSF. Bi-monthly meetings,research project trial runs, and zoom conferences have culminated in some wonderful friendships as well as two artfully crafted and creative research projects. I have learned so much about research methodology, spearheading a pilot program, and international travel and cannot wait to continue learning throughout the trip! 3. What do you intend to achieve towards the end of this fellowship? I hope to: 1. Learn more about the sugary beverage industry in third world countries 2. Better understand Kenyan’s oral health literacy and learn more about current oral health practices. 3. Create a sustainable and long lasting relationship with the University of Nairobi and local schools. 4. Come back with new insights and ideas for future projects! 5. See some animals 4. If you were to describe this fellowship in one line to your fellow UCSF students, what would it be? An opportunity to grow as an oral healthcare provider and enrich your student career at UCSF! . . . . . . . . . #ucsf #oralhealth #dentistry #cdaproud #dentalstudents #research #globaloralhealth #studyabroad #kenya #sanfrancisco

Thank you to Dr. Yarborough and the International College of Dentists (ICD) for their generous support! #ucsf #oralhealth #ICD #dentistry #cdaproud #dentalstudents #research #globaloralhealth #studyabroad #kenya #sanfrancisco

Thank you Terri Hunter-Davis manager, communications and content department for writing such a wonderful article about our fellowship and getting the word out in the community. https://dentistry.ucsf.edu//research-project-takes-student

Global Oral Health Fellowship Cohort travelling to Kenya! Sheela Lewis Claire Skach Deepika Ramachandran Allison Jan Vandan Kasar Punam Patel

Meet with one of our Fellows: Deepika Ramachandran 1. What drew you towards applying for this fellowship? Research has played a major role in my academic life since my Bachelor’s in Dental Sciences. It continuously stimulates my mind to find answers to the unknowns in the field of dentistry, satisfies my thirst and feeds my curiosity. After my MPH, coming to UCSF I have always looked out for such opportunities. By applying to this fellowship, I knew it would be a great platf...orm for me to learn and put forth my analytical skills and further enhance my career in dentistry. 2. Tell us about your experiences so far in being part of this program? Being the first, one of a kind international fellowship in the history of UCSF dental school, it’s been an exciting ride. Being the pilot group visiting Kenya, we had to prepare for both known and unknown circumstances. We had monthly meetings, brainstorming several issues including the feasibility of our projects in terms of data collection, measurable outcomes, language barriers to transportation and lodging. Working under esteemed guidance of Dr. Sunil Kapila and Dr. Benjamin Chaffee along with the fellows have been a great learning experience. Time management, team work and openness to new ideas are some factors that I had improved upon by being part of this great program. 3. What do you intend to achieve towards the end of this fellowship? My project aims at assessing the acceptability and reliability of oral health educational brochure by conducting focus group sessions. In order to evaluate the face and content validity of the brochure, questions in relation to visual appeal, layout, vocabulary, and reading level will be asked during these sessions. This project will provide me a first-hand experience to directly interact with people in Kenya. Having their views and opinions regarding the content’s usefulness and suitability will also help us to identify their new pressing needs and I am highly looking forward to it. 4. If you were to describe this fellowship in one line to your fellow UCSF students, what would it be? Prepares you to be culturally competent, to face challenges and enhances your ability to come up with effective solutions.

GOH fellows, Claire Skach and Vandan Kasar, and Allison Jan are designing a project to determine affordability and availability of different ready- to-drink beverages and oral hygiene products are in the Kenyan Capitol Nairobi, and a smaller town of Meru. Pictured is a selfie of one of many project brainstorm sessions and then photos taken at a local San Francisco corner market during a data collection trial run earlier this year. They are excited to start collecting real data and seeing the fruits of their design efforts!

Meet with one of our fellow: Claire Skach 1. What drew you towards applying for this fellowship? I have always been interested in learning more about oral health in other cultures. While in undergrad, the experince of working in a dental research lab sparked a desire to seek out future research experiences, however I wanted to expand the scope of my studies. When I heard about the GOH fellowship I saw it as a great opportunity for growth and enrichment in dental school and... therefore eagerly applied. 2. Tell us about your experiences so far in being part of this program? So far, this program has been a whirlwind of challenges! Because it is UCSF’s pioneer year traveling to Kenya, projects have had to be changed and tweaked many times in order to prepare for any number of situations that might occur in-country. I have learned to adapt my work, go with the flow, and plan for many unforeseen challenges. It has been wonderful to get to know the other five fellows on a more personal level and to work closely with our two primary faculty mentors: Dr. Benjamin Chaffee and Dr. Sunil Kapila. 3. What do you intend to achieve towards the end of this fellowship? After all of the pre-trip preparation work I am eager to complete our data collation and begin to analyze results. This is my favorite part of research because I find it fascinating to draw conclusions from a study. My project is focused on oral health supplies and ready to drink beverages. We plan to assess how available and affordable these supplies are to locals and compare them within the capitol city and in a smaller town. I am also looking forward to increasing my knowledge of analysis software and procedures as the fellowship progresses with mentorship from both peers and faculty. 4. If you were to describe this fellowship in one line to your fellow UCSF students, what would it be? An opportunity for growth in your dental education through research, collaboration, outreach, and travel.