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Research Areas:

Dental Hygiene Education; Educational Research, Development and Curriculum; Community, Preventive, and Public Health Dentistry; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning with Emerging Technology; Comprehensive Care and General Dentistry; Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Care.

Teaching Areas:

Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice and Pre-Clinical Simulation Practice

Salima Alibhai received her Master's in Public Health and Community Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from the University of Washington, where she also completed a fellowship in Special Care Dentistry through the University of Washington's Dental Education and Care for the Disabled (DECoD) program. Following her training, she held Joint Faculty appointments with Seattle Colleges and the University of Washington, in addition to working in private practice and the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. She also contributed to community outreach initiatives through the University of Washington's Oral Health Collaborative (UWC). From 2015 to 2017, Salima volunteered to establish the first dental hygiene program at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, the first of its kind in the developing world and subsequently served as program director from 2018 to 2023. In her current role as Program Director and Assistant Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia's Dental Hygiene Degree Program, she oversees program administration, operations, faculty supervision, evaluation, and curriculum renewal. She is the recipient of the University of Washington School of Public Health's 50 Changemaker of Public Health Award, the FDI World Dental Federation's Global Award for Best Campaign by a Dental Clinic, the Aga Khan University Award for Innovation in Teaching and Education, the HuFriedy Golden Scaler Award for Excellence in Oral Health Promotion, and the Achievement Award from the American Academy of Dentistry for Persons with Disabilities. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and an inaugural member of the Aga Khan University's Teachers Academy. She also completed the American Dental Education Association's (ADEA) Allied Dental Faculty Leadership Development Program in 2021 and is currently a member of the University of British Columbia's Academic Leadership Development Program.