21
Volume2 Issue8
|
I
ssues and
P
eople
Tell usaboutyourbackground.
I’moriginally from Iran, and that’swhere I didmyclinical training.Myhusbandand Imoved to
Canada in2000 toachieveabetter qualityof life. After landing inVancouver, I soonmetwonderful
peopleat theUniversityof BritishColumbia, includingDr. RosamundHarrison. That’swhere I
completedmypost-graduate studies.
I’mcurrentlyanassociateprofessor anddivisionheadof pediatricdentistryat theUniversityof
Alberta,where I’mheavily involved in teaching, research, administrationandcommunity services.
What’syourultimategoal asa researcher?
Iwould like to say
eliminating
, but inamore realisticworld
reducing
oral health inequalities and
improvingchildren’soral healthandqualityof life.
Howdoyouapproachyour researchwork?
I focuson thepsychosocial determinantsof oral healthand thebarriers todental care for children
amongvulnerablepopulations.Workingwithpediatricpatients, I’vewitnessed thedevastating
impact of earlychildhoodcaries (ECC) onnot only the kids and their families, but also thecare
providers.
ToovercomeECC,which isdisproportionatelyprevalent indisadvantagedchildren,wemust
addressboth thebiological andnon-biological risk factors. I’m trying tobetter understandECC
from the families’ perspective. I lookat howpeople feel about oral health, how theyvalueoral
healthandmore specifically that of their children,what they thinkare thecausesof theproblem
and thebarriers to solving it, etc. I also focuson the structural barriers that prevent parents from
providingoptimumoral care to their children.
Whodoyoucollaboratewith?
Thenatureofmywork,which is community-basedparticipatory research, requires
the involvement ofmany stakeholders. I collaboratewithnon-profit community
organizations, healthcareproviders, andpolicymakers. I stronglybelieve in
multidisciplinary teamworkand I collaboratewith researchers fromfields suchas
publichealth, psychology, sociology, nursingandmedicine.
Collaborations shouldnot be limited toproducing knowledge. Theyalso facilitate
the translationof knowledge topracticeandpolicy.
Dr.MaryamAmindedicates her career to improving the oral health ofCanada’s vulnerable
populations, and especially that of children. She strongly believes that by formingallianceswithkey
stakeholders inside and outside the dental community, dentistry canhave ameaningful and lasting
impact on people’s overall healthandquality of life.
This edition of
CDAEssentials
also includes a summary ofDr.Amin’s research onbarriers to
utilization of dental services among children in low income families inAlberta.
CDAConversations:
DR.MARYAMAMIN
MaryamS.Amin
