Congratulations to Abbas Jessani, MSc 2014; PhD 2019, who received a 2024-25 Alumni Builder Award!

Dr. Abbas Jessani has been awarded the Alumni Builder Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to oral health education, research and community service.

Dr. Jessani’s research focuses on barriers to accessing oral healthcare in marginalized communities, such as individuals living with HIV, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, high-risk youth, and other minority populations. He has led many community-based participatory research projects—where researchers collaborate with community members and other stakeholders in the research process—to ensure community empowerment and person-centred care.

He has also successfully implemented community-based outreach initiatives in Southwestern Ontario to address unmet oral health needs. On a global scale, Dr. Jessani has investigated the oral health quality of life among adolescents in Lesotho, Southern Africa, and established partnership programs in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya to study oral healthcare disparities in high-risk populations.

Follow Dr. Jessani’s journey and insights on X and LinkedIn to stay updated on his impactful work in oral health and community advocacy.

Learn more about Dr. Jessani and all of our esteemed Alumni Builder Award recipients.