‘And that’s the tooth’: Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences offers education, research pathways to dental school

Purdue University biomedical health sciences students Jasmine Zidan, left and president of the Purdue Pre-Dental Club, and Yvana Naveda, middle, along with nutrition science first-year student Joseph Chen are brushing up on their biology, chemistry and nutrition education in the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences before attending dental school.(Tim Brouk)

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu

At his Arkansas high school, now Purdue University first-year student Joseph Chen excelled in science classes, namely biology and anatomy. He easily envisioned a career in health care.

During a two-week health ministry mission trip to Brazil, Chen was placed alongside a dentist to observe him performing root canals, restorations and extractions to dozens of men, women and children, most of whom lived in impoverished villages. Chen witnessed extreme tooth decay simply from the lack of health care in these rural settings.

Chen, right, assisted dentists during a high school mission trip to Brazil.(Photo provided)

“For many of them, it was their first time seeing a dentist,” Chen remembered. “Obviously their teeth conditions were pretty horrific. I’ve never seen anything like it. … I think the issue there is there’s no one to teach them.”

Chen returned from international travel with a more focused career goal: pre-dentistry. His career journey next brought him to Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS). Chen is majoring in nutrition science, a program with a strong grounding in core prerequisites for dental school such as biology and chemistry. An avid cook who likes to work with his hands, the pre-dental nutrition track was a natural choice. The major also gives an in-depth understanding of how diet and nutrition influence oral health.

The Purdue School of Health Sciences is another pre-dental pathway. It’s biomedical health sciences program has a pre-dentistry concentration with biology, physiology and chemistry coursework required for dental school admission.

Some HHS alumnae and older students shared their academic journeys to dental school to inspire future dental students like Chen.

From henna designs to hemisections

Zidan(Tim Brouk)

Like Chen, Jasmine Zidan was inspired to pursue dentistry because of global oral health disparity.

Zidan’s father spoke of how oral health care wasn’t taught, and how visiting the dentist wasn’t common or affordable where he grew up in upper Egypt. Regretfully, there was little importance on maintaining oral health in his family, which led to health complications. Unfortunately, the Zidan family was not unique. Millions around the world have barriers to accessing dental health.

“This experience has ignited a spark in me to dive deeper and find ways I can make an impact in underserved communities and help prevent health disparities.” Zidan said.

Born and raised in the United States, Zidan said she never saw a dentist or medical doctor that looked like her who wears the hijab. She wants to change that. She envisions brightening smiles for everyone and showing others they belong.

Zidan has spent her summer as a dental scholar in the Summer Health Professions Education Program at the University of Louisville and was selected for the Next Generation Dental Program at Indiana University School of Dentistry. She is currently the president of the Purdue Pre-Dental Club.

The young student also loves the hands-on nature of dentistry. Zidan’s passion for drawing and applying intricate henna designs on herself and community built up impressive manual dexterity required for the profession. This passion has grown after each semester in the Purdue School of Health Sciences.

“What stood out to me about health sciences at Purdue is the emphasis on patient-centered care and community health, along with the rigorous science curriculum, which better prepares me for dental school and a future in healthcare,” Zidan stated. “Dentistry is more than just treating teeth, it’s about understanding and caring for the whole person. Health Sciences does a great job of this by combining the sciences with a human-focused approach.”

Bracing for success

Dr. Tasha Hall(Photo provided)

Dr. Tasha Hall (BS ’07) has owned her own orthodontics practice, Hallmark Orthodontics, since 2015. Her focus has been orthodontics since dental school at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio. But before that move to Cleveland, it was in West Lafayette where she found her passion for the dental field.

Hall was weighing medical or dental school possibilities during her first year in the Purdue School of Health Sciences. Eventually she chose dentistry, and she credits her years in HHS for getting her through dental school as well as her orthodontic residency at Indiana University Indianapolis and additional specialized training through a craniofacial, surgical and special care orthodontic fellowship at Case Western Reserve. 

“Purdue helped develop my critical thinking abilities and time management skills,” said Hall, now based in Indianapolis. “As a large university, Purdue required me to learn early how to navigate my schedule and curriculum load to succeed. The coursework challenged me to think analytically and encouraged me to utilize resources outside of the classroom.”

Hall took advantage of much of Purdue’s STEM prowess. She enrolled in classes beyond her health sciences requirements.

“Given Purdue’s strength in engineering, I was able to take courses that provided a unique perspective on biomechanics and physics — knowledge that became particularly useful during dental school and my orthodontic training,” Hall recalled.

Such opportunities brought success as Hall has worked as an orthodontia associate, faculty member at universities and hospitals, and finally as a practice owner.

‘Part of my patients’ lives’

Kate Beckemeier when she was a senior in the Department of Nutrition Science.(Tim Brouk)

Kate Beckemeier (BS ’25) combined her love for health care with her passion for eating healthy when she arrived in Purdue’s Department of Nutrition Science. She ultimately chose a pre-dental focus over pre-med, in turn learning about proper nutrition’s role in maintaining healthy teeth.

“In medical or dental school, you really don’t get that (nutrition) education,” said Beckemeier, who started at the University of Illinois-Chicago College of Dentistry this fall.

Now into her first month of dental school, Beckemeier is getting use to the rigors of her next major hurdle before her career.

“I was nervous before starting dental school to say the least,” said Beckemeier, who documents her dental school journey on Instagram. “However, I also feel that I thrive off of having a strict schedule and that the rigor of my nutrition science major courses prepared me well. My major introduced me to hard classes and taught me how to study, work well in groups, and pivot when things go wrong under pressure.”

The young dental student wants to eventually buy into a practice or start her own in the Chicago area.

“Ultimately, I wanted to be a part of my patients’ lives,” Beckemeier said. “I want to be the dentist to patients and their spouses and their kids and maybe even their grandkids. I want to stay up to date on Sarah’s’ wedding and Jimmy’s soccer season. I have always been a people person, and this is where I feel fulfilled in life.

Eliminate barriers

Naveda(Tim Brouk)

Born and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Yvana Naveda found the promise of the hands-on education and research in Purdue’s School of Health Sciences was enough for her to drive past her hometown’s Oklahoma State University in favor of West Lafayette.

Interested in a career in health care since her teen years, Naveda focused on dentistry because her mother had limited access to oral health growing up. Her mother is still affected by the negative health outcomes that come with poor dental health. Naveda wants to eliminate barriers for those in need of such health care.

“This experience showed me how much oral health influences overall well-being and confidence,” Naveda explained.

After shadowing several Greater Lafayette dentists, Naveda, now a senior, has the goal of being a versatile general dentist. These dentists must know how to do just about every dental procedure.

“They can perform root canals like an endodontist, extractions or Botox injections like an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and craft dentures or partials like a prosthodontist,” she said. “I like that kind of balance and variety, and I could definitely see myself happy in general practice.”

Naveda gained research experience working on the Purdue Puentes Project, a public health and Department of Human Development and Family Science research project that studies health care access and outcomes in Latino migrant families. This gave more purpose to her dentistry ambitions.

“It strengthened my awareness of the importance of culturally competent, accessible dental care, which I plan to carry into my future dental career,” Naveda said.