Meet the woman leading AAWD’s global growth

Dr. Roya Zandparsa has spent her career opening doors for women in dentistry. As the president of the American Association of Women Dentists, she is pushing the organization beyond its long-standing borders, building global chapters and strengthening the network that supports women at every stage of their careers. Her path started with a simple invitation to advise a student chapter, but it grew into a mission centered on mentorship, leadership and unity in the profession.

Here, she shares why the future is bright, where gaps remain and how collaboration can move the field forward.

—Interview by Carrie Pallardy, edited by Bianca Prieto

How did you first decide that you wanted to pursue a leadership role with AAWD?

My journey with AAWD started much longer before I imagined that I would be the president. I started teaching at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 2001. I was a student and faculty at the same time. I got an invitation from the dean's office. They asked me if I would serve as the faculty advisor for the AAWD. I said yes, and that actually lasted 14 years.  

A thing that I really love about the vision and mission of the AAWD is its goal to support women in dentistry while maintaining unity within the profession. They want women to have a voice and network and the confidence to be able to lead.  

When the opportunity came to serve as a president-elect in 2023–the term is two years–that was a continuation of the same mission that I had been living for many years.

 Can you share insight into your vision and goals for AAWD over the next year?

The AAWD has always been within the U.S. Since I took over, we are going global. We’ve started global chapters in different countries. 

As I said, the core value and the mission of the AAWD has been advancing, connecting and empowering women in the profession. We have 42 active student chapters currently, and we have 10 local and international chapters. It's expanding more globally. We have chapters in Canada, Colombia and UAE that I just added this year. We have new ones forming around the world. These chapters are truly the heart and soul of AAWD. They are where mentorship happens, when friendships really form and when women find a place to connect and inspire one another. 

I'm also focusing on wellness and work-life balance because really being a dentist today, it means juggling a lot. We are introducing more programs around stress management, mental health and holistic well-being to help women truly thrive personally and professionally. 

How do you view the future for women in the dental profession? What do you see as some of the biggest challenges to overcome? What are you most excited about? 

I'm the dean of admissions at Boston University. In the last cycle, we had 74% female dentists entering into the class. I am still a faculty lecturer at Tufts and Harvard, and both schools are around 70% female. The majority or a large number of the classes nowadays in many states are women. That's an incredible shift, even from a few decades ago.  I think the future for women dentists has never looked brighter or more exciting. 

There are still challenges that we need to address. Women remain underrepresented in the top leadership roles, not only in academia, but also in organized dentistry. Pay disparity still exists. Women are often the one balancing career, growth with family responsibility and caregiving with parents, kids and other personal demands. I see that in many of my colleagues. 

I want to ask any women dentists to really get involved. Become a member or attend our event or join our mentorship and leadership program. There is a lot of room to collaborate and work together. When you're working together and you collaborate, we are advancing dentistry, empowering ourselves, empowering other women and building a future that is bold and inspiring.  

This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

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Dental Bite is curated and written by Carrie Pallardy and edited by Lesley McKenzie.