11 June 2025

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Passion for public health leads grad to advance global oral health equity

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Dental public health graduate, Nithya Ramesh, DMSc25, spent her residency immersed in projects that advance equitable access to dental care. Her interest in dental public health was first sparked by an experience working with perinatal women with a history of substance use disorder. 

“Hearing their stories—how they struggled to find providers willing to treat them, and how Medicaid coverage often only extended to extractions—was a pivotal moment for me,” said Ramesh. “It brought home the systemic barriers people face in accessing dental care and deepened my commitment to addressing oral health disparities at the population level.”

While at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), Ramesh worked closely with Dr. Brittany Seymour, associate dean for Faculty Affairs and associate professor of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, and got involved in a project with the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), to establish an online training program for community health workers (CHWs) in Kenya. 

Known as mOral Health, the program addresses critical oral health challenges in the African region, worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project aims to build the capacity of primary care workers in oral health promotion, and oral disease prevention and control, to better address the unmet demand for oral health services and strengthen oral health care systems.

Ramesh helped lead the first phase of the online health training program implementation and evaluation. Nearly 800 health workers and 40 designated trainers completed the training, with the potential to impact close to 80,000 households as each CWH is responsible for 100 households.

She also had the opportunity to travel to Kenya to observe the training program firsthand and conduct interviews with community health workers. Reflecting on the experience, Ramesh emphasized that while a solid foundation in research methods is essential, effective global health work demands more. It calls for humility, cultural sensitivity, and a commitment to learning alongside the communities we seek to support.

“I was especially inspired by the dedication of the community health workers. I vividly remember asking them how we could improve the training program, fully expecting requests for financial incentives, given that many CHWs are volunteers and minimally compensated,” said Ramesh. “Instead, they selflessly asked for more resources for their communities. Their commitment rekindled my own sense of purpose and reinforced why community-centered public health work is so meaningful.”

With the first phase completed, Ramesh looks forward to what is next for the program. There are plans to scale the program to additional counties in Kenya and eventually to other countries in the sub-Saharan African region. The program also plans to have Kenya include an oral health question for the first time in the national CHW intake form.

“A project like this reminds us that people are our greatest asset,” said Seymour. “Nithya has taught us how partnership, humility, and resilience lead to real success. I could not be more excited for her future ahead.”

After graduation, Ramesh will serve as a faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology and director of Online Master’s Programs at Brown University School of Public Health. 

“As the only dentist on the faculty, I hope to raise the visibility of oral health issues and promote the integration of oral health within broader public health discourse, research, and practice. I am excited to contribute to a more holistic view of health that includes the mouth as a vital part of the body.”

Ramesh reflects on the journey that brought her from Boston to communities around the globe. 

“HSDM taught me not just how to conduct high-quality research but also how to be a strong advocate and leader for oral health,” she said. “From serving as Chief Resident to now being the Governing Councilor for the Oral Health Section of the American Public Health Association, I carry the lessons of leadership, service, and community forward with me.”

Source: https://www.hsdm.harvard.edu/