Dr. Nyla Balakrishnan will join Pitt Dental Medicine in the Department of Public Health and contribute to a variety of subjects in the preclinical curriculum, as well as the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Comprehensive Care. She completed her bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) from Pondicherry University Mahatma Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences, in India, in 2010. In 2013 she earned a master of public health degree at Texas A&M University School of Public Health. She worked as a research data coordinator at MD Anderson Cancer Research Center on various clinical trials and was a mentor to students and post-docs. In 2015, she joined The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics to pursue a masters in Dental Public Health, and worked on various independent projects including one with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other collaborative projects like the Iowa Fluoride Study and Pittsburgh Orofacial Cleft Studies. She also has a grant from the Delta Dental Foundation that explores the importance or oral health literacy on the elderly population. During her time at the University of Iowa, she was involved in teaching predoctoral dental students in the clinical simulation labs and clinics. Apart from teaching and training students, Dr. Balakrishnan’s interests include oral healthcare research in areas such as oral health disparities, oral health in the elderly, oral health literacy, dental-medical integration, and oral health workforce issues. Please welcome her as she joins the Pitt Dental Medicine family and expands opportunities for our students.