AIDPH announced the winners and honorable mentions of its second annual awards during the final day of the 2025 Virtual Colloquium, “Dental Care as a Human Right: Oral Health Justice Through Community Empowerment.”
Learn about the 2024 Award Winners
The awards honor rising and established talent in dental public health, representing some of the brightest and most dedicated individuals and organizations in the field. This year’s winners will be celebrated formally at a cocktail reception sponsored by Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation and CareQuest Institute for Oral Health on April 7 in Orlando, Florida, in concert with the 2025 National Oral Health Conference.
As we reflect on the accomplishments of the winners and nominees of our Community Champion, Equity Student Research, and Visionary Leadership awards, we encourage the dental community to follow their example in their dogged pursuit of excellence.
We’ll have information later in the year on how you can submit a nomination for the 2026 awards.
Community Champion Awards
Celebrating individuals and organizations committed to championing the whole-person oral health needs of communities needing support.
Dr. Apeksha Phulgirkar
WINNER: Dr. Apeksha Pulgirkar
Dr. Apeksha Phulgirkar exemplifies a steadfast commitment to justice, equity, and inclusion in oral healthcare through initiatives addressing disparities in access for marginalized populations. During her internship with the New York State Dental Foundation, Dr. Phulgirkar used ArcGIS and Tableau to analyze service gaps for vulnerable groups, including individuals with disabilities and nursing home residents. Her findings informed a mobile dental van initiative, identifying areas of need and contributing to grant proposals to secure funding for the future. She also volunteered at a mobile dental clinic in Troy, New York, assisting underserved patients after local practice closures. Dr. Phulgirkar also reviewed over 600 nursing homes to evaluate in-house dental services, informing future initiatives to address care gaps. As a Lefkowitz Cohort Fellow at the Tennessee Justice Center, she conducted research and provided policy recommendations to promote health equity for quality maternal healthcare in Tennessee.
Equity Trailblazer Student Research Awards
Honoring students creating or contributing to impactful, change-driven dental public health research.
Tooka Zokaie
WINNER: Tooka Zokaie
Tooka Zokaie is the daughter of Iranian refugees who were denied dental care for many of their early years in America. She originally planned to become a dentist, until she volunteered at a Give Kids a Smile event and saw how many individuals came to the dental office with dental needs that were neglected by society. She did not want to work in a system that denied some people care and gave others access, and wanted to transform the system. Often the youngest, or only, woman of color in the room, Ms. Zokaie continued to speak up to make oral health more inclusive, for both dental professionals themselves, and more broadly in public health and policy. Her professional experiences as a woman and racial minority have shaped her approach to research to be more diverse by using any platform she has to center historically-excluded experiences.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Guillermo Enrique Tamayo Cabeza, Fatemeh Pour, and Krisha Shah
Guillermo Enrique Tamayo Cabeza is a research assistant at Indiana University School of Dentistry, whose research efforts are focused on promoting equity in oral health, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community, involving peers, faculty, and community organizations.
Fatemah Pour is a dental assistant in Texas whose work with the Sexual & Gender Minority Scientific Interest Group at NIH was instrumental in accurately categorizing the diverse spectrum of the SGM population.
Krisha Shah is a Dental Public Health Resident at the University of Rochester whose research centers on the intersection of mental health and oral health disparities.
Visionary Leadership Award
Acknowledging people or organizations leading by example in representing the values of a dental public health system designed to serve everyone fairly and equally.
Dr. Arlet Arratoonian
WINNER: Dr. Arlet Arratoonian
In 2012, Dr. Arlet Arratoonian transitioned from her career as a dental CEO to pursue her passions for community and public health dentistry, guided by her lived experience as a member of an immigrant family dealing with food insecurity and health access challenges. As a Dental Director at Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles (FHCCGLA), she has played a critical role in integrating inclusive dental services for LGBTQ+ individuals and immunocompromised individuals/HIV patients. She has been at the forefront of advocating for comprehensive screenings for social determinants of health, particularly food insecurity. Beyond direct patient care, Dr. Arratoonian actively advocates for systemic change in oral healthcare. As a NNOHA Advocacy & Policy Committee member, she has worked to expand dental therapy, increase funding for community health centers, and improve access for veterans and LGBTQ+ populations.
HONORABLE MENTION: Douglas W. Cross
Dr. Douglas W. Cross is the Dental Director at EXCELth, Inc. and the site director for NYU Langone Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Residency Program. Dr. Cross has dedicated his professional career to serving marginalized populations since his graduation from dental school.
Thanking Our Sponsors
AIDPH extends our sincere gratitude to Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation and CareQuest Institute for Oral Health for generously sponsoring the 2025 Colloquium Awards. We value their initiative in recognizing deserving industry talent, and look forward to future partnerships with them.