Delta Dental Scholars Recognized for Commitment to Serve Vulnerable Populations

Philadelphia – Four Penn Dental Medicine students have been named 2025 Delta Dental Community Scholars, each receiving a sizeable scholarship in recognition of their community service and academic achievement during their dental education and their future plans to work with vulnerable populations after graduation. Awarded annually to fourth-year students, the scholarship program was established in 2019 through a $1 million grant from the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of California and affiliates (Delta Dental), which includes Delta Dental of Pennsylvania. Since its inception, the program has awarded scholarships to more than 20 Penn Dental Medicine students who have expressed a commitment to helping expand access to oral healthcare for hard-to-reach populations.

 “The vision of Delta Dental through this scholarship program continues to widen the doors of possibility for those students committed to serving communities in need as they enter professional practice,” says Dr. Mark Wolff, Morton Amsterdam Dean of Penn Dental Medicine.

This year’s recipients — Hind Aljarahi (D’25), Kendra Domotor (D’25), Kaylyn Hudson (D’25), and Allie Schroeder (D’25) — all demonstrate a passion for serving the underserved.

Hind Aljarahi is a National Health Service Corps scholar who has also pursued honors programs in community oral health and vulnerable populations, working at Philadelphia FIGHT Pediatrics and Adolescent Health Center, a federally qualified health center, and caring for refugees and survivors of torture and intimate-partner violence within the School’s Vulnerable Populations Clinic. She also served as co-President of the Community Oral Health Club, which organizes community outreach events and educational programs for underserved communities in Philadelphia. Aljarahi served as co-President of the Community Oral Health Club, which organizes community outreach events and educational programs to bring health education and resources directly to underserved communities in Philadelphia. After graduation, she will be entering the postgraduate pediatrics program at Penn Dental Medicine/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and plans to continue working with vulnerable populations after that.

 Kendra Domotor, a Master of Bioethics and DMD dual-degree candidate, is the Vice President of the Class of 2025 and a National Health Service Corps Scholar. As a 2022 intern and 2023 dental mentor for the Bridging the Gaps Community Health Internship Program, Domotor worked with local families at Smith Memorial Playground, distributed thousands of oral hygiene products for use throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and taught healthcare graduate students from all fields the tenants of oral health and hygiene. She has also been a community oral health honors student from 2023-2025, rotating weekly at Philadelphia FIGHT, serving an often medically complex population.

At Penn Dental Medicine, Kaylyn Hudson has pursued opportunities to bring awareness and dental treatment to persons with disabilities. In her first summer at Penn, she participated in the Bridging the Gaps Community Health Internship Program, working at HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy. As President of Penn Dental Medicine’s chapter of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (2023-current), and Penn Dental Pediatric Dental Association (2024-current), she has focused on creating opportunities for students to engage with patients with special healthcare needs. In Fall 2024, Hudson represented Penn at the International Association for Disability and Oral Health in Seoul Korea.

Allie Schroeder is a National Health Service Corps scholar who is also completing a Master of Public Health dual degree. In addition to working extensively with medically underserved populations, she has been a passionate advocate for oral health policy reform, lobbying at both the state and national levels for expanding Medicaid benefits and improving access to oral health services. Focused on improving care for vulnerable populations, Schroeder led a research project on the oral health practices and purchasing behaviors of Medicaid beneficiaries, with the goal of informing oral health policies.

Along with this scholarship program, the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation has helped to advance other educational and clinical care initiatives at Penn Dental Medicine, including  support to enhance oral care for seniors and for the PennSmiles mobile community care program.

“At Delta Dental of California and affiliates, we’re committed to our purpose of improving health by providing access to quality care. Supporting Penn Dental Medicine through the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation isn’t just about helping people get the care they need today — it’s about investing in the next generation of dentists who will carry this work forward,” said Kenzie Ferguson, vice president of foundation and corporate social responsibility for Delta Dental. “Oral health is the gateway to overall health, and by empowering both current and future dental professionals to serve those most in need, we’re bridging critical gaps in care. This is about more than treatment — it’s about building a healthier future. We are proud to stand with Penn Dental Medicine to make a lasting impact in our communities and beyond.”