PhD graduate breaks through the competitive dental public health market with faculty appointment
Few dental professionals choose a path focused on population health, research and
community-based prevention. For Dr. Rohit Balasundaram, that specialized focus has
already opened doors to a faculty career at one of the nation's newest dental schools.
As a recent PhD graduate from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine's Public Health program at UNT Health Fort Worth, Balasundaram was appointed assistant professor at Texas Tech University’s Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine following the successful defense of his dissertation in August.
He received the offer just days before defending his dissertation, “Examining factors associated with dental utilization among older adults: A longitudinal study.”
Soon after, he and his family relocated to El Paso, Texas, where he now teaches research and service courses to dental students. In his new role, he plans to expand his research into the oral health of people living with dementia, as well as the caregivers who support them.
Balasundaram’s faculty position in Texas Tech’s Department of Dental Public Health was a competitive target, and rare opportunity, as it is not common for a dental school to offer curriculum in public health. As defined by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, dental public health is the science and art of preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting dental health through organized community efforts. As of 2026, there are 12 schools in the United States that offer a dental public health curriculum, and Texas Tech is one of only three schools with this curriculum in the state of Texas.
Balasundaram moved to the United States from Chennai, India for his master’s in epidemiology program at the Colorado School of Public Health with hopes of launching his return to the dental field. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Balasundaram worked for a year at the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment where he managed data and served as a liaison for local health departments. As an epidemiologist, he was responsible for the transfer of COVID-19 data in the Colorado region.
The then MPH student also worked in numerous assisted living facilities, ensuring proper COVID-19 protocols were in place while managing the tracing numbers to ensure their accuracy. These are the official numbers the community was presented. Balasundaram’s wife, also a UNT Health epidemiology alumna, completed her MPH program during this time.
As a newer resident of the El Paso community he is thrilled for his return to the dental sector.
“I’m excited to offer dental students a more diverse perspective as the program is highly community-focused,” Balasundaram said. “I’m grateful to be a part of it all.”
The UNT Health alumnus is grateful for the support of Dr. Uyen-Sa D. T. Nguyen who served as his mentor and faculty advisor for four years.
“Dr. Balasundaram will bring rigorous research methods and quantitative skill sets to the Dental Public Health program at Texas Tech University,” Nguyen said. “I am grateful to our department chair, Dr. Lisako Jones-McKyer, and Dr. Balasundaram’s dissertation committee members for helping prepare him for this next phase of his academic journey.”
“He has always had high motivation to thrive in statistical methodologies while embracing all the machine learning technologies over the years,” said Dr. Zhengyang Zhou, public health associate professor at UNT Health. “The dental public health intersection was always his end goal, so it is nice to see him finally break into that sector.”
Balasundaram received his doctoral hood and crossed the stage at UNT Health’s 2026 commencement ceremony last month.