The IADR invites you to the next Ask Me Anything Event on February 5 at 1 p.m. ET, exclusively available in the IADR Community.
What is an Ask Me Anything (AMA) event? A live, text-based, one-hour virtual event where IADR Community members can interact through online discussion with an expert in dental, oral and craniofacial research.
· This event will take place on this thread in the IADR Member Discussion Open Forum.
· Select the star next to "Follow" above to get real time notifications on the full AMA discussion.
Topic: Community Service Learning and Expanding Care for Minority Populations
Expert: Dr. @Abbas Ali Jessani is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Dental Public Health and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University in Ontario, Canada
Introduction:
Dr. Abbas Jessani is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Division of Dental Public Health and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, with interdisciplinary expertise in dental care access and minority health. He leads the Community Service-Learning (CSL) program at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, funded through his competitive grants. The CSL program offers free dental care to minority and equity-deserving populations—such as individuals with low socioeconomic status, people living with HIV, and 2SLGBTQ+ community members, refugees and new immigrants—while providing experiential learning for undergraduate dental students.
Dr. Jessani’s research focuses on healthcare access barriers and utilization patterns among minority and underserved populations, emphasizing capacity building, community empowerment, and advocacy. In global health, he is pursuing community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects to investigate the prevalence of oral diseases among vulnerable groups in East Africa—including transgender and gender-diverse individuals, fisherfolk, and commercial sex workers—while developing experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students.
He has received multiple awards for excellence in teaching and research and is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Dr. Jessani also holds leadership roles in several organizations, including the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry, the Behavioral, Epidemiologic, and Health Services Research (BESHR) Group of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), and the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Uganda.
Event Instructions:
Reply directly to the thread with your questions. The thread will open at 1:00 p.m. ET on February 5, 2025.
Use @mentions when responding to Dr. Abbas Jessani
Note: There is not a video component to the event
Can't make the event? Email your questions to me at communityadmin@iadr.org and I will post them on your behalf during the event.