GSDM Community Bridged Pathways and Advanced Access During 2026 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition
From winning awards to presenting original research, the GSDM community flourished during the 2026 American Dental Education Association Annual (ADEA) Session and Exhibition, held from March 21-24 in Montréal, Canada.
Dr. Afsheen Lakhani, GSDM assistant dean for clinical affairs and clinical professor of general dentistry, said the conference is a yearly reminder and motivator on why dental educational professionals need to be striving towards advancing access through collaboration.
In reflecting on her role as 2025-2026 advisor for ADEA Emerging Leadership Program, Lakhani added that she is looking forward to witnessing continued growth within the organization.
“This year’s ADEA theme, ‘Bridging Pathways, Advancing Access,’ perfectly reflected what our GSDM community accomplished,” Lakhani said. “We came together to learn from one another, support each other’s growth, and create pathways that open doors and expand opportunities for all.”
Read on for some highlights from this year’s event.
GSDM ADEA Chapter Received Gold Award
The GSDM ADEA Chapter received the Gold Award, the highest honor for a student chapter. The ADEA chapter-level designations are awarded to chapters who demonstrate achievement in programmatic impact, community engagement, leadership presence, and visibility.
Nikhil Asapu DMD 27, ADEA chapter president and chapter representative to the ADEA Council of Students, Residents, and Fellows, said receiving the Gold Award has inspired the chapter to elevate and expand their outreach and mentorship initiatives.
“Winning the Gold Award is a tremendous honor and validation of the hard work, creativity, and commitment of our team,” Asapu said. “It shows that our initiatives in leadership, and professional development are truly making a meaningful impact our dental school community.”
GSDM Faculty Member Named 2026 ADEA Chapter Advisor of the Year
Matthew Mara, assistant professor of general dentistry and director of behavioral science education, was named the 2026 ADEA Chapter Advisor of the Year.
Mara said he cherishes the honor, one he would not have received without the hard work of students with whom he works closely.
“Winning this award means so much to me because it really belongs to our amazing student leaders who make the chapter exceptional,” Mara said. “I’m incredibly thankful to get to work with and learn from such passionate, driven students and to have lots of fun along the way.”
GSDM Faculty and Students Presented Across Various Formats*
Eleven GSDM faculty members and two GSDM students presented 13 research presentations across all formats (poster, tech expo, short talks, seminars, workshops, and section presentations) throughout the conference.
- Mary Catherine Carroll DMD 27, Marianne Jurasic, director of the Center for Clinical Research and clinical professor of general dentistry and health policy & health services research, Robert McDonough, assistant professor of health policy & health services research, Matthew Mara: “Enhancing Teaching Assistant Preparedness in Dental Education: Development and Delivery of a Feedback Training Module”
- Pelin Karagoz Motro, clinical associate professor of general dentistry and practice leader for the Predoctoral Patient Treatment Center, Vasiliki Maseli, clinical associate professor of general dentistry and practice leader for the Predoctoral Patient Treatment Center, Afsheen Lakhani, Deema Haidar DMD 27: “Transforming TMD Education: Bridging Pre-clinical Knowledge With Clinical Application via AI”
- Maseli, Lakhani, Motro: “Empowering Future Oral Health Care Providers: Enhancing Confidence and Competence Through AI Tutoring”
- Debashree Saxena, clinical associate professor of general dentistry, Margaret Errante, associate dean for clinical affairs and clinical associate professor of general dentistry: “Integrating Digital Workflow Into Infection Prevention Protocols: Bridging the Gap”
- Noorpreet Kaur, Annetty Soto, Kadambari Rawal, clinical associate professor of general dentistry: “Bridging Technology and Clinical Education: Implementing AI-Driven OSCEs in Dentistry
- Rawal, Lyubov Slashcheva, David Chvartszaid, Roberto Castrejon-Perez: Developing Entrustable Professional Activities in Geriatric Dentistry: Differentiating Clinical Practices of a Specialist”
- Michael Wiseman, Leonardo Marchini, Rawal, Saxena, Dayana Escobar, clinical associate professor of general dentistry: “Oral Health in Palliative Care: Advancing Compassionate, Evidence-Based Education for Inclusive Access”
- Naama Sleiman, Sibel Dincer, Mara, Lakhani: “Breaking Barriers to Transparent Assessments”
- Theodora Danciu, Kelli Christensen, Lakhani: “ADEA Domains of Competence for the General Dentist”
- Lakhani, Carlos Smith, Laura Vannucci: “Best Practices for Submitting for the ADEA Annual Session, Presented By the ADEA ASPC”
- Daniel Sarasin, Richard D’Innocenzo, assistant dean for medical education, clinical professor of general dentistry, and clinical professor of oral & maxillofacial surgery, Brandon Key, Manish Bhagania, clinical associate professor of oral & maxillofacial surgery and director of predoctoral oral & maxillofacial surgery: “Enriching Learning Pathways to Advance Patient Safety”
- Haidar: “Clinical Case Learning with AI-Driven Avatar Patients”
- Maseli: “Implementation of caries risk assessment tool”
*GSDM affiliations will be written on first reference only
GSDM Faculty/Staff/Student Newly Elected, Continue to Serve, and Recently Completed Committees, Sections, and Special Interest Groups Officers Appointments*:
Five GSDM faculty and one student were newly elected to officer appointments for various ADEA committees, sections, and special interest groups, while nine faculty/staff continue to serve or recently completed their ADEA appointments.
New Positions elected at ADEA 2026:
- Charilaos Asikis, clinical associate professor of general dentistry and practice leader for the Predoctoral Patient Treatment Center: Prosthodontics Section Chair Elect
- Rosario Alvarez, clinical assistant professor of general dentistry: Prosthodontics Section Secretary
- Maria Quiroga-Halpin, clinical assistant professor of general dentistry: Teaching and Learning with Emerging Technology Chair Elect
- Emily Chipola DMD 28: Council of Students, Residents and Fellows District 1 Commissioner
- Rawal: Councilor for the ADEA Section on Gerontology and Geriatrics Education
- Mara: Council of Sections Board of Directors
Current Officers serving at ADEA 2026:
- Deeba Kashtwari, chair and clinical professor of oral & maxillofacial radiology and chief radiation safety officer: ADEA Leadership Institute Alumni Association Board
- Escobar: ADEA Section on Gerontology and Geriatrics Education
- Maseli: ADEA Section on Comprehensive Care and General Dentistry
- Anjelica Gil-Levin, clinical assistant professor of general dentistry: ADEA Special Interest Group on Teaching and Learning with Emerging Technology
- Saxena: ADEA Section on Gerontology and Geriatrics Education
- Alisha Marble, Student Affairs program manager: ADEA Section on Student Affairs and Financial Aid
- Mara: ADEA Council of Sections Administrative Board completion
- Mayumi Onoe-Miyamoto, clinical assistant professor of general dentistry: ADEA Section on Prosthodontics three-year term completion
- Bhagania: ADEA Section on Addiction Education three-years term completion
*GSDM affiliations will be written on first reference only
Photos provided by Dr. Afsheen Lakhani, GSDM assistant dean for clinical affairs and clinical professor of general dentistry, and Dr. Kadambari Rawal, clinical associate professor of general dentistry.