Member Spotlight
Celebrating AGD’s 2024 Faculty Advisor of the Year: Dr. Sophia Khan
Volunteering at TeamSmile with Devan Cruz and Elle Bertuccelli.
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GD student chapter faculty advisors play vital roles in the future of both the organization and the profession of general dentistry. They serve as the first introduction of AGD to dental students, letting them know how the organization can help them through dental school and after they’ve graduated. As mentors, faculty advisors also help guide the educational and career paths of their students, helping them figure out which options appeal most to them and where their clinical passions lie. The Faculty Advisor of the Year Award honors one AGD student chapter faculty advisor who provides their chapter with the best overall support and guidance. This year’s recipient, Sophia Khan, DDS, MS, is the director of student affairs and professionalism, an associate professor, and the AGD student chapter faculty advisor at the University of Colorado (CU) School of Dental Medicine as well as president of the Colorado AGD. In their nomination for Khan, CU dental students Elle Bertuccelli and Devan Cruz said: “Dr. Khan’s mentoring went beyond the classroom when she resurrected the student chapter at the University of
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AGD IMPACT
AUGUST 2024
Colorado School of Dental Medicine. It has been 2.5 years since then, and she has garnered support and enthusiasm not only for the area of general dentistry, but also for the value of belonging to a national organization. With her full-time commitment to the dental school as an associate professor and the director of student affairs, as well as being a single mother of two children, president of the Colorado AGD and student chapter faculty advisor, she makes it a point to stay engaged with her students. She keeps us on task and gives us autonomy to make the club our own. Her energy is infectious and pushes us to do more and be more.” AGD Impact spoke with Khan about her own path to becoming a dentist as well as her advice, both for fellow mentors and for new dentists. AGD Impact: What inspired you to become a dentist?
Khan: Science runs in my blood — both of my parents are doctors — so healthcare was a natural path. My father, an orthopedic surgeon, navigated me toward dentistry because he felt my personality
was suited to creating long-lasting relationships with my patients. My passion for science, helping others and working with my hands were all things I wanted to carry through my career. Lastly, the work-life balance would suit me in the future when I had a family, as he saw how much I enjoyed cooking and spending time with my family. What led you to focus your dental career on the academic field?
It was pure happenstance! I thought I was done with school and was going to have a career in private practice. I was asked to teach at New York University (NYU), my alma mater, shortly after I graduated, and my mentors took me under their wings to “teach [me] how to teach.” I realized how much I enjoyed the interaction of discussing cases, being around my colleagues and mentoring students. I was also able to follow my passion of service through the various charitable organizations NYU worked with. It fulfilled me as a person. What started off as a part-time endeavor set me on a trajectory into a full-time career here at the CU School of Dental Medicine.