Students Honored for Excellence in Preventive Dentistry

Philadelphia – Two fourth-year Penn Dental Medicine students — Hind Aljarahi (D’25) and Kendra Domotor (D’25) – have been recognized for their academic excellence in preventive dentistry as recipients of the 2024–2025 ADEA/Haleon Preventive Dentistry Scholarships. The scholarships are presented annually to 12 predoctoral dental students from U.S. or Canadians schools.

“Hind and Kendra are both so deserving of this recognition,” says Dr. Joan Gluch, Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health. “Their passion for serving the community through their preventive dentistry activities has been exceptional.”

Hind Aljarahi (D’25)

Hind Aljarahi (D’25) is a National Health Service Corps scholar. Among her many community health activities, she participated in the Bridging the Gaps Community Health Internship Program and pursued honors programs in both community oral health and the vulnerable populations clinic. As part of the community honors program, she worked at Philadelphia FIGHT Pediatrics and Adolescent Health Center, a federally qualified health center. During the vulnerable populations clinic honors program, she provided trauma-informed care to refugees, survivors of torture, asylum seekers, and survivors of intimate partner violence.

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 advanced dental education program in pediatric dentistry at Penn Dental Medicine/The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and plans to continue working with vulnerable populations after graduation. “I believe I can make a meaningful impact, ensuring that every individual, regardless of background, has access to the tools and resources necessary for a healthy future,” she says.

Kendra Domotor (D’25)

Kendra Domotor (D’25), 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 children and families at Smith Memorial Playground, distributed thousands of oral hygiene products for use throughout the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and taught healthcare graduate students from all fields the basic principles  of oral health and preventive dentistry.

As a community oral health honors student from 2023-2025, she rotates weekly at Philadelphia FIGHT, serving medically complex patients of all ages. She provides comprehensive dental care alongside pediatricians in the integrated medical and dental practice at Philadelphia FIGHT Pediatrics.  Domotor’s additional experiences working with young patients at Penn Dental Medicine’s pediatric specialty clinic, and patients with disabilities in the Personalized Care Suite have inspired her to pursue advanced dental  training in pediatric dentistry.  She will begin a residency at Children’s Hospital of Colorado in Aurora, Colorado after graduation.

The scholarship awards were presented as part of the 2025 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition, March 8–11, 2025, in National Harbor, MD.