MEET OUR OFFICERS
Jean Gray – PRESIDENT
Jean is a Junior majoring in dental hygiene on the pre-dental track. “I am a second-degree black belt and instructor in Taekwondo, love pilates, and making new foods”
You might recognize her as she’s also a previous board member! From Outreach chair to now President, Jean has awesome fresh ideas for PDS!
Jean is most looking forward to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment within PDS! She’s excited about the opportunity to introduce new meeting content and collaborate with local dental professionals and other pre-dental groups.
Her favorite memories are from the 4 RAM clinics that she has attended. Jean felt that the experience of each one was totally unique! It’s been fantastic to get to know other PDS members personally while helping patients and expanding her dental knowledge!
Ciera Bay-asen – PRESIDENT
Wait, we have 2 PDS presidents??
Yes! 👍🏼
Due to a very close call during the election (1 vote difference) and a conversation between Jean and Ciera, both members decided to combine forces and become co-presidents of PDS!
Ciera is a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-dental track. You might recognize her (she was the secretary!).
Ciera’s previous board experience and passion for helping her pre-dental peers are what make her special!
Did you also know that she’s been to 24 countries? 😲
She is most looking forward to the pleasure of working so closely with the advisors and other chairs, especially her co-president Jean! Being the two returning board members, Ciera and Jean have overlapping goals and visions for PDS regarding new meeting topics and potential partnerships within the community and other schools
A favorite memory of hers includes the Free Smiles Clinic and getting to do impressions on her friends at the school of dentistry! Ciera also found joy in spending time with the other board members who are guiding her through her pre-dental journey. Whether it was tabling, passing by, or staying after a meeting to talk and hang out
Ankita Kashyab – VICE-PRESIDENT
Ankita is a sophomore majoring in public health and biology while also minoring in Healthcare management!
A fun fact about Ankita is that she enjoys playing tennis and golf! She’s also a tour guide on campus.
She’s excited to start working with the e-board members and hopes to help her peers discover their passion for dentistry.
Favorite memory in PDS included attending a RAM clinic this summer and getting to meet new people alongside PDS members!
Ava Nielsen – SECRETARY
Ava is a Junior majoring in finance.
She plays soccer and likes to read!
Her favorite memories in PDS include meeting new friends who share the same goals as her and learning from each other.
Now, she would like to continue to strengthen PDS while making it a fun place for the members!
Krish Patel – FINANCE CHAIR
Krish is a sophomore with an individualized major.
He also enjoys playing tennis!
He’s most looking forward to working with the e-board members and his favorite PDS memory was the UofL School of Dentistry night that he attended freshmen year!
Andres Cruz- SERVICE CHAIR
Andres is a Junior majoring in Biology.
He was born and raised in Cuba until the age of 8. Enjoys spending time outside and exploring new restaurants.
He’s looking forward to running the Free Smiles Clinics and helping his peers find great volunteering opportunities!
His favorite memory in PDS was the Ram clinic that he attended last spring. Andres loved being in a foreign state to him while helping Dr. Joe take care of patients oral hygiene.
Ghadir Habeeb – OUTREACH CHAIR
Ghadir is a sophomore majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biology. She enjoys creative hobbies like painting and playing instruments.
Ghadir is most excited to collaborate with an amazing group of people this year and finding creative ways to showcase and reach our PDS members!
Her goal with this position is to effectively use our social media accounts in order to share important updates, meeting information and also foster a welcoming community for our club all while highlighting our most dedicated members🫶🏼
Her favorite memory includes volunteering for the first time at the Free Smiles Clinic her freshmen year where she discovered her passion for dentistry service.
Erin Brookshire- APPAREL CHAIR
Erin is a Junior majoring in biology!
She enjoys playing volleyball and tennis!
And during her free time, she enjoys baking.
She’s looking forward to start working with the rest of the e-board members and create some amazing apparel for PDS.
Her favorite PDS memory was when she attended USLD night and got the chance to take real impressions!
Kylie Johnson- DENTAL HYGIENE CHAIR
Kylie is a Junior majoring in Dental hygiene 🪥🦷
She is from Washington state, a dental assistant, and likes to embroider in her spare time!
She’s excited to get her pre-hygiene peers more involved with PDS and service opportunities.
Her favorite memory is of course a fan favorite, the RAM clinics. She had a great time with Dr. Joe and Dr. Ray!
Silvia Zheng- ADVANCEMENT CHAIR
Silvia is a freshman majoring in Biology.
A fun fact about Silvia is that she works at Green Tea!
She’s looking forward to using her customer service skills from her work experience to bring PDS some amazing sponsorships!
Favorite memory in PDS was the Mentor-Mentee night that we hosted in the Fall.
DR. JOE JACOBI – LOUISVILLE DENTAL SOCIETY LIAISON
For the past year he has been working with the UofL PDS as the Liaison to the Louisville Dental Society’s Free Dental Clinic to give PDS students opportunities to learn dental assisting, x ray certification and networking with the dental community. He emphatically believes that PDS students are important members of the dental community and that opportunities and experiences should be made available to them whenever possible. He works closely with the leadership of the PDS, the dental school and the Louisville Dental Society to bring informative topics, speakers and experiences to the group.
Dr. Jacobi is a graduate of Indiana University School of Dentistry. He greatly enjoyed private general practice for 36 years in Jeffersonville, Indiana. His special interest is in esthetics and complex restorative cases frequently involving dental implant prosthetics. He has taken several thousand hours of dental continuing education and awarded status as a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Jacobi is also a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.
He has also been involved in the American Dental Association on the local, state and national level. Dr. Jacobi helped establish a volunteer based dental clinic under the Clark County Board of health for the working poor and has served on many community organizations boards and has been Board Chair of the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana.
After leaving full time clinical practice, he has been deeply committed to the nonprofit, WaterStep, developing and supervising the building of water treatment equipment for the underdeveloped world. He has been on water and dental missions to the Caribbean, Central and South America, India, Africa and the Amazon rainforest.
