Her Story
About Ekta
A general dentist with experience since 2008, I currently practice at Aerial Dental in New Rochelle, New York, while also teaching at NYU one day a week. My educational journey took me from dental school in India to the United States in 2013, where I earned my Master's in Public Health from the University of North Texas, followed by my DDS from NYU after my Indian dental degree was not recognized in the US. In 2024, I completed specialized certification in full mouth rehabilitation from NYU. Beyond clinical practice, I am deeply passionate about mentoring women in dentistry through NYU's Women's Initiative program, where I currently guide two mentees, one in Germany and one in LA, helping them choose their career paths and navigate into leadership positions. I am actively involved with the American Dental Association, holding board positions in my local ADA chapter and aspiring to become an ADA delegate. My main motivation is to ensure that women's voices are heard in dentistry, because even though there are many women in the field, most leadership positions remain male-dominated. As a mother to a little girl, I want to make sure I leave a legacy behind for her and create a better world for our girls.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ekta
01What do you attribute your success to?
I want to say my mother. My mother has a very strong voice, and she always taught me that you have to make sure that you are focused in your career and improve upon it. She made sure that I chose the right career and that I'm not giving up on that while I have family and get distracted. She really instilled in me the importance of staying committed to my professional path even as life brings other responsibilities.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that start early on into leadership roles. Don't wait until you graduate or think you'll do it later. Make sure your voices are heard and whatever you do, start early on. There is always a career lag for women. No matter how much we say it's an equal society and work-life balance, when you have kids and family, you're gonna lose that 4 or 5 years in your career. You can't compare your career track with male peers, so getting that early start in leadership is crucial.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in dentistry right now are insurances and how the system is changing. It's very difficult for patients to afford dental care, and there's a lot of legal and advocacy work going on around how to make it fair. While insurance reimbursements have not gone up for dentists, patient costs have increased, and many patients can't afford to get insurance or have lost their government insurances. The overall situation is not good for either dentists or patients. Insurance companies are making a lot of money, but not the actual consumer and provider, the people doing all the work. Plus, we're running businesses and employee salaries, taxes, and everything else has gone up significantly, especially in New York, compared to what it used to be in 2019 or 2020. It's a sad situation and it's getting worse every coming year.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think spirituality is the most important thing to me in my work. I'm particularly devoted to my faith, and that keeps me grounded, especially when unforeseen circumstances happen or things don't go as I predicted or planned. Having faith in the Almighty is what sustains me through the challenges and uncertainties of both my professional and personal life.
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