Meet our team

In her free time, Dr. Ashok enjoys cooking and exploring the outdoors with her husband and daughter. "My passion for dentistry began in my childhood because of the inspiration from my father, a dedicated dental surgeon and Professor of Periodontology in India. I loved working with my father in his dental clinic during high school. He used to take me to the clinic on the weekends, where I greeted patients and helped by filing the medical records. I was inspired by the way he helped create beautiful smiles for patients experiencing dental concerns. This inspiration led me to pursue my undergraduate studies in dental surgery. During my 10 years as a dental student, I saw how my academic coursework has supported and inspired many of my extracurricular activities and research endeavors. My interest in endodontics grew during the final year of the undergraduate program in dental surgery. I went on to pursue graduate studies in conservative dentistry and endodontics. I have performed 400+ endodontic procedures, inlays, post-core cases, crowns, and endodontic surgery, and performed cosmetic dentistry during my training, graduating with the highest distinction from the university. My graduate thesis explored the microflora of root carious lesions in people of different age groups, and the findings were published in the European Journal of General Dentistry. Presenting my research at conferences and publishing it in refereed journals cemented research as a primary goal for my future in dentistry. I also served as a research assistant for my advisor, Dr. Hegde. I worked in an interdisciplinary research team to evaluate the total antioxidant capacity of saliva and serum in dental caries patients. The research published in the Indian Journal of Dental Research received the Best Publication Award from the Indian Society of Dental Research. This was challenging at times because our research team was very diverse, comprised of students and faculty with backgrounds in dentistry and microbiology. Nevertheless, it has been exceptionally beneficial because I have learned more about effectively communicating with people from different disciplines, organizing and leading meetings, and teaching others how to gather and analyze data. I was inspired by this work to actively seek ways to enrich my academic experience through tutoring, research, and membership in professional societies. I also had an opportunity to work with researchers at Clemson University in the United States on using telemedicine systems for the care process, which was a rewarding experience. I was able to understand how health information technology systems were built. I contributed to the design and development of the system as a subject matter expert."