Kiran Nagdeo, BDS
After eight years of experience in dentistry, Kiran Nagdeo, BDS, realized she could have a greater impact on patient care if she pivoted toward a career in public health. In the following Q&A, Dr. Nagdeo, who received a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Global Health (Epidemiology and Biostatistics) from Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, reveals how she is gaining the skills and experiences she will need to make a transformative difference in health care.
Why an MPH?
I began my career as a clinically oriented dentist in India, finding fulfillment in my work. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic served as a pivotal moment for me. During this challenging time, I came to appreciate the need for broader, more impactful interventions beyond the confines of individual patient care. While my focus had always been one-on-one relationships with patients, I realized there was the potential, with the right resources, to make a difference on a larger scale. This made me pivot toward a career in public health.
Even with this shift, I still have a passion for dentistry and oral health, and I actively seek out avenues to stay engaged in this field. However, I have observed a notable lack of emphasis on oral health within the public health sector, with only a select few professionals—often with dental backgrounds—contributing to dental public health initiatives. My goal is to bridge the gap between oral health and public health, particularly by advancing maternal and child health initiatives.
How Did You Excel at Mount Sinai?
I had many milestones, which include authoring two full-text publications. My first-ever publication was in collaboration with the World Federation of Public Health Associations for creating a protocol for a scoping review on maternal tobacco cessation and prevention, focusing specifically on international and national frameworks, guidelines, recommendations, and strategies. The second publication explored the association between prenatal metal exposures, childhood gut microbial signatures, and depression score in late childhood from the PROGRESS cohort. Several more are currently under review, and I have additional works in progress.
I also attended six conferences, where I gave more than a dozen presentations, and participated in a global health summer research program offered by Mount Sinai, which involved shadowing both dental and medical complex care services teams at Rikers Island. I also took part in community-based participatory research under Luz Guel, Director of Community Engagement and Environmental Justice at the Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Climate Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tackling air pollution, odor, and dust problems faced by New York City residents. I was recognized with four awards for my contributions and inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society.
Within the realm of research, I am ever so grateful to have contributed to the Microbial Exposomics lab under the leadership of Vishal Midya, PhD, a biostatistician and environment epidemiologist in the Environmental Medicine and Climate Science Department at Icahn Mount Sinai, and Shoshannah Eggers, PhD, in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa, where I continue to learn the intricacies of research.
In addition to my academic pursuits, I remain actively involved with the World Federation of Public Health Associations, where I credit all my achievements to Hyewon Lee, DMD, MPH, DrPH, Chair of the Oral Health Workgroup (OHWG). Dr. Lee has not only mentored and supported my professional development but has also invested in my personal growth. I hold the position of Vice Chair within the OHWG, working closely under Dr. Lee’s guidance and leadership.
What Are You Doing Now?
I am a PhD student in the Epidemiology program at the New York University (NYU) School of Global Public Health under the esteemed mentorship of Andrea Deierlein, PhD, MPH. This opportunity allows me to further my passion for oral health through collaboration with Fernando Hugo, DDS, MSc, PhD, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion at NYU School of Dentistry. I am also very excited and grateful to embark on my first project as a PhD student under the mentorship of the world renowned, Habib Benzian, DDS, MScDPH, PhD, Co-Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Quality-Improvement and Evidence-Based Dentistry, NYU Dentistry, and someone who continues to inspire me with his significant contributions to the field of global oral health.
How Are These Experiences Helping Shape Your New Career Goals?
My path has been one of continuous growth and dedication, and I am committed to advancing the integration of oral health into public health frameworks. With the skills and experiences I gained through my MPH degree, and all the new experiences I am having in my PhD studies, I know I will have the capability to drive impactful health initiatives that will ultimately improve maternal and child oral health outcomes on a global scale.