Kinjal aims to provide accessible and high-quality dental care to those who need it most, as well as actively engage in outreach programs and volunteer initiatives, crafting smiles, and teaching and mentoring future generations of dental professionals.

Kinjal Mavani has tenaciously charted her own path through her education and career. Despite contrary societal expectations, Kinjal has pursued an ambitious career in dentistry, beginning at Rural Dental College in India where she studied and participated in outreach camps in an underserved rural area. There Kinjal was exposed to profound disparities in access to dental care, as well as the transformative impact of providing essential dental services to marginalized communities. This experience ignited Kinjal’s commitment to leverage her skills and knowledge for the betterment of society. Kinjal pursued her passion for orthodontics at Maratha Mandal Institute of Dental Sciences, where she dedicated three years to rigorous training and found a deep love for creating perfect smiles.

Kinjal’s commitment fueled her determination to pursue an internationally trained dentist program (ITPD) after immigrating to the United States in 2018. Even amidst the challenges of pregnancy, Kinjal stood by her decision to pursue her professional aspirations and moved forward with undertaking her boards. Remarkably, she sat for one of the exams just a day before welcoming her son into the world.

Kinjal’s persistence paid off: she earned acceptance to the highly competitive ITDP at the UM-Ann Arbor School of Dentistry. There, she has excelled even while solo parenting her five-year-old son for a large portion of the program. She is recognized by her professors for her “strength and drive,” “unwavering commitment to her academic pursuits,” and “compassionate nature.” Following her graduation, Kinjal aims to provide accessible and high-quality dental care to those who need it most, as well as actively engage in outreach programs and volunteer initiatives, crafting smiles, and teaching and mentoring future generations of dental professionals.

CEW+ applauds Kinjal’s dedication to furthering her education and making a difference in society through dentistry and names her a Margaret Dow Towsley Scholar.