Three Columbia Dental Students Awarded DTA Foundation Scholarships for Community Service

Three Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) students—Roxana Garcia, '27, Harsh Chheda, '27, and Chloe Stacks, '28—have been awarded prestigious Dental Trade Alliance (DTA) Foundation Scholarships, which recognize dental students in the second half of their education who demonstrate a commitment to community service and have financial need. The recognition marks a remarkable accomplishment, with three students from a single institution receiving the scholarship in the same year.

Community service has long been a defining part of the educational experience at CDM, whose students demonstrate an exceptional level of engagement with the communities they serve. This year’s recipients distinguish themselves within that culture through the breadth and depth of their service.

Meet the 2026 DTA Foundation Scholarship Awardees

Chloe Stacks

Growing up with a mother who spent more than 30 years as a social worker serving people with disabilities, Chloe Stacks developed a deep appreciation for compassionate, individualized care. She now brings that same perspective to dentistry. "I am able to carry on the values and passion that my mom instilled in me," she said.

Over the past two years, she has volunteered with CDM's student-run free dental clinic, CHHMP, where she has cared for uninsured patients navigating financial hardship, dental anxiety, and barriers to care. She recalls one patient who had recently lost his home. Rather than focusing only on his dental needs, she connected him with the clinic's social worker for counseling, the medical team for immediate care, and arranged a dental screening and referral for long-term treatment. The experience reinforced the integrated approach she has learned at CDM. "It is extremely gratifying and meaningful to put person-centered, integrated care that we learn about extensively in didactic courses into practice at CHHMP," she said.

One of her most meaningful experiences during dental school has been volunteering with Columbia's chapter of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD), where she works with adults with special needs and children on the autism spectrum. She tailors educational activities to the strengths of each group she works with. For children with autism, she created a "Tooth Trivia" game that plays to their memorizing abilities, creating an environment where every child can participate. By the end of each round, "the children are jumping out of their chairs to participate, and they are learning vital facts about how to take care of themselves."

This spring, Stacks launched a partnership with Children's Aid, bringing a group of volunteers to three Head Start sites across New York City. Together, they taught young children about brushing techniques through songs, hands-on demonstrations, and interactive activities. Reflecting on the experience, she said, "As I left each school, I proudly watched the students smile and practice brushing, and I was grateful to be a part of the beginning of their oral health journeys."

CDM's integrated medical and dental curriculum has shaped how she approaches patient care. Beyond developing strong clinical skills, she said the program has taught her to recognize the social, medical, and mental health challenges that often accompany oral disease. This holistic approach inspired her to pursue research examining the psychiatric comorbidities of dental anxiety and reinforced her commitment to serving underserved communities through CDM's mobile dental clinic and clinical programs.

Receiving the DTA Foundation Scholarship is another step toward achieving her goals. After completing a pediatric dentistry residency, she hopes to work at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) while continuing to volunteer through mobile dental clinics, Head Start programs, and community outreach. She also intends to earn a Master of Public Health and join a dental school faculty, where she can integrate public health dentistry into pediatric education while inspiring future dentists to embrace community service.

"I want my legacy to not only be delivering equitable, affordable dental care, but I also want to teach the next generation of dentists and ignite the passion that I have for community dentistry within them as well."

Harsh Chheda

Community service will remain a defining part of Harsh Chheda's career long after graduation. One of his long-term goals is to return regularly to rural villages in India, including the community where his grandparents grew up, to participate in dental outreach efforts. Receiving the DTA Foundation Scholarship affirmed the values that have guided him throughout dental school. "The scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me because it supports many of the values that first drew me to dentistry, especially service, prevention, and improving access to care," he said.

Throughout dental school, Chheda has worked to expand access to oral health resources through Smile Squad, helping organize hygiene drives and distribute dental supply kits to underserved communities, including homeless shelters in New York and Chicago. He has also participated in outreach through the American Student Dental Association (ASDA), Races for Faces, and other volunteer initiatives, experiences that reinforced his belief that meaningful service can take many forms.

Mentorship has become another important part of that commitment. Through Molar Mentors, Chheda has volunteered his time to give presentations and guide pre-dental students through the application process, particularly those who may not have easy access to mentorship or professional resources. "These opportunities have shown me the importance of giving back as I am able to make a difference on an individual and community level," he said.

Caring for patients from diverse backgrounds through clinical training, community outreach, and CDM's mobile dental clinic and service-learning rotations has given him a deeper understanding of the barriers many patients face when seeking dental care and the importance of making care accessible within the community.

The scholarship will help ease the financial burden of completing his final year at Columbia while supporting his goal of pursuing residency training in orthodontics. Looking ahead, Chheda hopes to combine clinical practice with community outreach by organizing donation drives, educational events, and volunteer initiatives while continuing to serve underserved communities in the United States and abroad.

Roxana Garcia

After immigrating to the United States at a young age, Roxana Garcia remained focused on her dream of becoming a dentist, persevering through the challenges she encountered along the way. "Receiving this scholarship is incredibly meaningful because it recognizes the years of hard work and perseverance that brought me to this point," she said.

Throughout dental school, service has become one of the most rewarding parts of Garcia's education. One experience that left a lasting impression was a five-day outreach trip to La Romana, Dominican Republic, with World of Smiles. Working alongside fellow volunteers, she helped provide a wide range of care, from treating pediatric patients to taking impressions for complete dentures, while caring for individuals with limited access to dental services. Beyond strengthening her clinical skills, the experience reinforced the impact dentistry can have beyond the dental chair. "It reminded me that dentistry has the power to restore confidence, relieve pain, and make a meaningful difference in people's lives," she said.

That commitment to service continued back on campus through the Columbia-Harlem Homeless Medical Partnership (CHHMP), where Garcia serves as co-president of the student-run free clinic. In addition to helping organize twice-monthly screening events for members of the Harlem community, she coordinates biannual oral cancer screening events at the New York Common Pantry, helping connect underserved New Yorkers with preventive care and treatment referrals. The leadership role has strengthened her appreciation for patient-centered care. Through her work in the community,  she learned that "providing compassionate care begins with listening, building trust, and meeting patients where they are."

The scholarship will help ease the financial burden of applying to orthodontic residency, covering application fees and interview travel expenses as she works toward becoming an orthodontist. Looking ahead, Garcia hopes to combine clinical practice with a lifelong commitment to improving access to quality dental care for underserved communities.

She also hopes to become a source of encouragement for future generations of dentists, particularly immigrant students who may wonder whether their own goals are attainable.

"I hope my journey demonstrates that, despite financial and personal obstacles, perseverance can turn a dream into reality."