Saskhia Dieudonné
Saskhia Dieudonné is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Dental Medicine (DMD) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. In May 2018, she graduated from Tufts University with a double major in Child Studies and Human Development and Community Health. While at Tufts, she participated in many clubs and activities, including being a student teacher for Breakthrough Greater Boston. She spent her time with low-income, minority, or first-generation middle school-aged youth teaching science after school to encourage them to pursue higher education. In addition, she also spent her summers volunteering at Double H Ranch Camp working with adolescents who possessed a wide range of chronic diseases such as spina bifida, hemophilia, and sickle cell anemia. These experiences, and more, turned her attention to public health dentistry and dentistry in community setting.
As a SUMR scholar, Dieudonné worked alongside Dr. Salama Freed, PhD and Dr. Kristen Feemster, MD, MPH, MSHPR, FAAP on two separate projects. With Dr. Freed, she looked at the Medicaid expansion via the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that sought to increase older adults’ access to dental care. She worked closely with her mentor to identity the effect this new expansion had on low-income, elderly individuals seeking dental care. With Dr. Feemster and Safa Browne, she worked on a travel safety study that evaluated travelers’ thoughts on travel health precautions and helped coordinate the educational travel information the team placed around the airport. She used the KAP survey to interview both international and domestic travelers at Philadelphia International Airport.
Overall, Dieudonné was honored to be a part of the LDI SUMR Scholar program as it celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019. Outside of LDI, she enjoys reading, babysitting, cooking, and baking, along with spending time with family and friends.