Entering the Dragon’s Den – A Student Presenter Perspective

In March 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the 2025 Global Oral Health Symposium: Advancing the Global Oral Health Agenda hosted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Solidarity Dental Foundation. It was an exciting opportunity, especially as an early career professional trying to gain experience, to present an abstract as part of the Dragon’s Den Presentations and also learn from the interdisciplinary speakers and attendees.

Going into the conference, I was nervous to present during the Dragon’s Den segment but was also not sure how I would fit in at an oral health conference given my education had not previously included oral health perspectives. As the conference progressed, my eyes were opened to the diverse perspectives and opportunity for collaboration across disciplines in progressing oral health globally. It became clear that a variety in perspective meant more well-rounded discussions and included in that was an emphasis on early career professionals.

My experience presenting an abstract as a student and early career professional in the Dragon’s Den was a positive experience. My confidence after the Dragon’s Den presentation event grew dramatically because of the encouraging response of the room. Dr. Emilia Istrate was the moderator for the Dragon’s Den and facilitated with an enthusiastic and uplifting tone for the participants, judges, and attendees, all while maintaining the strict timeline of each presentation. Dr. Martha Mutis, Dr. Ramprasad Vasthare, Dr. Abiola Adeniyi, Dr. Elham Kateeb, and Dr. Faeq Ali Quadri were the judges and provided invaluable advice for the next steps, but further, provided feedback in an encouraging yet direct way. Once the presentation was over, I had many attendees and presenters come up to me to provide more ideas on how to expand on my abstract. Even during the second day of the conference, attendees continued to engage with me regarding my abstract, but significantly I also felt more comfortable to inquire about their work. The conference facilitated mentorship from not only those organizing, but also professionals in attendance who were excited to engage in new ideas, including my abstract regarding the environment and oral health. This intimidating room of professionals became an approachable place to ask questions and gain guidance from interdisciplinary perspectives. Included is an image of my presentation during the conference, which I am glad did not show my nervousness. My hands went from shaking with pre-presentation nerves to shaking hands after an insightful conversation with the same previously intimidating professionals.

Using the feedback and support from the judges and other conference attendees, I have continued to work on developing my abstract. Dr. Martha Mutis, a judge on the panel, continued to offer mentorship in developing my abstract beyond the conference, which was something I had not expected but am incredibly grateful for. To experience when established professionals have excitement to engage in ideas presented by early career professionals was encouraging for not only my own work, but to other students who attended the conference who mentioned to me that they would want to participate in future opportunities because of the genuine and encouraging responses. The level of care and insight to each Dragon’s Den presenter exceeded my expectations and has motivated my interest in pursuing work within oral health.

Photo Credit: Meena Joshi

At times, from a student perspective, it can feel hard to get your foot in the door and be heard. The 2025 Global Oral Health Conference emphasized hearing from unexpected voices, and Dr. Sujay Mehta and Dr. Priyanka Gudsoorkar took the time to not only share the value of early career perspectives, but facilitate an opportunity through the Dragon’s Den event. To be given a chance to bring my perspective to the table, and not only be heard but to be uplifted, was an incredible experience that I hope to see more of. Based on this experience, I can only encourage all established professionals to consider how mentorship can transform a students' experience and build on new perspectives to expand the understanding of what oral health is.

The 2025 Global Oral Health Symposium was a unique opportunity for a student to gain experience, feedback, and mentorship from professionals around the world. Diversifying perspectives made for a well-rounded conference, and provided an encouraging environment for early career professionals, as the conference centred the importance of interdisciplinary solidarity in advocacy-driven work.

Authored: Marina Nevison