Dr. Shah is a board‑certified general dentist and public health advocate. She earned a DDS and an advanced certificate in public health from New York University College of Dentistry, following a bachelor’s in neurobiology and physiology from the University of Maryland. She brings over five years of admissions committee experience to her role, including serving as an admissions ambassador at the NYU College of Dentistry.
Dr. Shah advocates for legislation to improve oral health care accessibility for all patients and breaks down barriers for underrepresented minorities who want to pursue dentistry. She mentored pre-dental students through the Bringing Smiles Dental Education Program at the NYU College of Dentistry. This program involved pre-dental students working with dental students to provide seamless dental care to children at a public school affiliated with a homeless shelter.
During college, Dr. Shah received multiple awards, including the Delegate and Senatorial Scholarship, the Greater Baltimore Temple Scholarship, and scholarships from her middle school and community improvement association. She stayed involved on campus through Delta Epsilon Mu, the Student Health Advisory Committee, the Student Government Association Health & Wellness Committee, and other organizations.
During her time at New York University College of Dentistry, Dr. Shah served as a subject matter tutor for the underclassmen and served as an admissions ambassador for the dental school. Additionally, she served as the trustee for her district in the American Student Dental Association (ASDA). Since graduating from dental school, she has remained active on the local, state, and national levels of the American Dental Association (ADA). She was also awarded a Health Resources and Services Administration grant for her advanced certificate in public health.
Dr. Shah’s most prized role is serving as the Give Kids a Smile Chair (GKAS) for the state of Maryland. She reinvigorated the program years ago and executes dozens of events ranging from oral health education fairs to providing free dental care for children in Maryland. For Dr. Shah, the best part of serving as GKAS Chair has been getting to work with pre-dental and dental students and seeing them grow into excellent clinicians. She enjoys being a listening ear for pre-dental and dental students, providing advice and encouragement, and acting as a resource to connect pre-dental students to research, shadowing, and volunteer opportunities.
Dr. Shah’s strength as a mentor is her ability to pinpoint what makes the applicant “click” and focus on how to highlight this to admissions committees. Dr. Shah sees her sessions as flexible, goal-guided discussions. She loves to spend time helping students understand who they are as a whole person. This starts with guiding the student in practices of reflection and then applying these lessons from life experiences to become a better dentist. She also knows how to flip the script about deficiencies in an application and how to use them to the applicant’s advantage.
Dr. Shah is well-versed in document review not only for admissions but also for dental malpractice claims, which she reviews remotely for a dental malpractice insurance company. Dr. Shah also serves on the Advisory Committee for the Community College of Baltimore County Dental Hygiene program. She deeply understands dental school admissions processes, what programs look for when developing their incoming class, and how programs attract the best students.
Dr. Shah is dedicated to being a lifelong learner and is committed to earning her fellowship and mastership through the Academy of General Dentistry. She has learned from some of the most brilliant minds in dentistry and taken over 500 hours of continuing education courses in just five years. She also plans on returning to school to finish the remaining credits for a Master’s degree in public health.
As a dentist, Dr. Shah is dedicated to educating patients on the importance of optimizing their oral health and preventing disease. She is also known for her gentle touch and for providing painless anesthesia. Currently, she is providing mobile dentistry services to the children in the Baltimore City school system. Dr. Shah is a proud Marylander and “Baltimoron,” and loves being able to use her skills to give back to her community, primarily to children whose families are on Medicaid.
In her free time, Dr. Shah enjoys hiking in national and state parks with her friends, spending time with her parents, reviewing diverse restaurants as a Yelp Elite, and travelling with her boyfriend, who is an anesthesiology resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is also an avid sports fan, rooting for the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Maryland Terrapins.
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