University of Michigan School of Dentistry student elected President-elect of Student National Dental Association3 min read
Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 6, 2024 – As she begins her third-year as a student at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Brhan Eskinder has added some national responsibilities to her regular classroom and clinic schedule.
In July, Eskinder was elected President-elect of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA) for the 2024-25 academic year, which means she will move into the role of President of the national organization in 2025-26. She had already been elected president of the U-M chapter of SNDA earlier this year, so now she has two leadership roles with the organization.
SNDA and its university chapters promote and support the academic and social environment of historically underrepresented students in dental schools while advocating for diversity in the dentistry profession. SNDA, which is affiliated with the National Dental Association (NDA), establishes opportunities for members to develop a sense of community, to explore leadership opportunities and to serve disadvantaged communities. The national organization has about 600 active members, including 75 in the U-M chapter.
Eskinder has served in multiple capacities on the local and national level of SNDA since her first year at the dental school, including Fundraising Chair for the U-M chapter and National Corresponding Secretary for the 2023-24 school year.
“I have been wholeheartedly invested in SNDA since I started dental school,” she said. “Even before I got my acceptance into the U-M dental school, I remember SNDA students constantly checking on me and supporting me through the application cycle.” She wants to pay that assistance forward by using her position with the national organization to advocate for increased communication and “building more bridges of mentorship” with pre-dental students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
“I am so excited to step into this role as the new President-Elect because I am passionate about creating supportive and welcoming spaces for dental students of underrepresented backgrounds,” Eskinder said. “I love SNDA and I’ll always be here to pour my time and energy into the organization and its members because they are my home away from home.”
Eskinder is originally from Los Angeles, California. Her undergraduate degree is from Spelman College, an HBCU in Atlanta, Georgia. Before entering dental school, she was a fifth-grade math teacher for five years.
Adding the national role to the U-M chapter responsibilities, plus her dental school requirements, will be demanding, she said, “but I love SNDA so it’s all a labor of love for me!”
Eskinder will be the second U-M dental school student in the last five years to be national president of SNDA when she assumes the role next year. Dr. Carla Jones, who earned her DDS in 2021 and her master’s degree in pediatric dentistry in 2023, was national president in 2021.
In addition to Eskinder, five other current U-M dental students were also elected to national positions with SNDA during the national convention in July. They are:
• Aysiah Kirk (third-year DDS student) – 2024-25 Corporate Roundtable
• Jordan DeVoe (third-year DDS student) – Representative to the NDA House of Delegates
• James Bennett (third-year DDS student) – Representative to the NDA Board of Trustees
• Gregory Crump (third-year DDS student) – National Recording Secretary
• Cheyenne Love (second-year DDS student) – Director of Regional Communications
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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral healthcare education, research, patient care and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu. Contact: Lynn Monson, associate director of communications, at [email protected], or (734) 615-1971.