DDS students join expanded Leaders for Social Change program

Two DDS students are part of a six-month cohort aimed at fostering leadership, social responsibility and change for the future.

Yu Sun, DDS ’27, and Simbiat Taiwo, DDS ’28, are part of the 2026 American Dental Education Association’s Student Leaders for Social Change, “a hybrid, six-month, cohort-based program designed to cultivate a new generation of oral health student leaders committed to leadership and social responsibility in their communities and the profession.”

The program allows dental school deans to nominate up to two students in the second and third year of their program for participation. Participants engage in in-person sessions, online instruction and independent learning in the newly-expanded program model, which kicked off at the ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition and continues through August.

Yu Sun sees being a leader who is committed to social change as “essential in dentistry, because oral health is never separated from the realities of people’s lives,” she said. “Access to care, trust in the health care system, financial barriers, education, language and community support all influence whether patients are able to receive treatment and maintain their health. As future dentists, we cannot ignore those realities.”

Sun looks forward to advocating for her patients and for all voices, while also supporting the growth of those around her. “I think if we can bring these values into student spaces and into dental education, that impact can extend far beyond the patients we personally treat.”

Sun was encouraged and excited by the kick-off to the cohort event at ADEA, calling it “one of the most inspiring and insightful experiences I have had.” She left committed to making meaningful, lasting change, and to “moving from awareness to action.”

“Social change is not just about having the right message or identifying inequities,” she explained. “It takes leadership, collaboration, persistence and the willingness to keep showing up even when progress feels slow, when leadership feels lonely or when there is resistance. The program reminded me that if we want change to happen, someone has to be willing to step in and help move it forward.”

What Sun appreciated most about the program is that it was rooted in reality. “It did not present leadership or social change as easy work,” she explained. “Instead, it acknowledged that meaningful change often takes time, repeated effort and resilience.”

But the strong support system, the tools for change and the opportunities to come left Sun “feeling both encouraged and challenged: encouraged by the people I met and the conversations we had, and challenged to think more seriously about the kind of leader I want to become.” She’ll continue through the program bolstered by the connections she made and prepared to do the hard work of leading for change.

Simbiat Taiwo sees her role as a leader for social change as an individual who starts conversations and keeps difficult, but important, topics at the forefront. “From there, I hope to advocate for ways we can better integrate these ideas into our training and curriculum,” she says. “I really believe staying engaged, encouraging others to do the same and helping create an environment where these conversations continue to grow goes a long way.”

Taiwo considers the kickoff to the program to be “a defining moment in my predoctoral academic career.”

“It pushed me to think about how I can contribute to positive change in dentistry right now, not just in the future, and how I can better serve my patients as an individual provider.” From conversations with students from across the country to panel presentations from leaders in the field, Taiwo enjoyed the opportunity to think deeply about policy, access and advocacy.

“What I hope to bring back to school is that same mindset of  being more engaged,” she explained. “It can be easy to lose sight of our broader social responsibilities as providers with the fast pace of school. It’s important that we don’t forget or become desensitized from our patients’ lived experiences.”

Over the next few months, Taiwo looks forward to continuing these conversations in the classroom and within the program, so she can become even more equipped to make real, lasting change.

Taiwo and Sun will continue to participate in virtual aspects of the program, culminating with a second in-person experience in August.