Solidarity Speaks – Voices for Change | Launching Summer 2025
Our Inaugural Blog
At the heart of global health lies a truth too often overlooked: oral health is essential health. Yet, around the world, dental care continues to be marginalized, underfunded, and inaccessible to those who need it most. This is not just a policy gap—it’s a justice issue.
With the launch of Solidarity Speaks, we bring forward the voices of those shaping a different narrative: students, board members, community partners, and educators committed to oral health equity. This series begins with reflections from the founding team at the Solidarity Dental Foundation—a collective grounded in lived experience, service, and the belief that change is fostered through solidarity.
“Dental care often lingers on the periphery of global health discussions,” writes Greg Krupa, co-founder of Solidarity. “Yet, as anyone who has experienced a toothache can attest, oral health is not just a luxury—it’s essential to overall well-being.”
Greg’s journey began in Ecuador, where three out of four people lack access to adequate oral healthcare. There, he launched Novulis, a for-profit social enterprise that delivers care to rural and low-income families through a mobile clinic model. From farms to construction sites, Novulis met people where they worked, removing cost and distance as barriers.
When the pandemic hit, Greg and his team pivoted quickly. Innovative financing structures, such as social impact incentives, helped sustain Novulis’s mission through the crisis. However, they recognized that the ecosystem wasn’t complete. That’s when Greg partnered with Priyanka Gudsoorkar to drive the Solidarity Dental Foundation, expanding the vision beyond service delivery to research, education, and global coalition-building.
Fielding Dupuy, a founding Board Member, reflects on this expanded vision:
“Access to dental care remains a distant ideal in many rural communities, exacerbated by a lack of prevention and awareness. At Solidarity, we’re not just filling a gap—we’re working to shift the frame entirely.”
That shift is now being primarily led by youth. Jessica Klabak, who joined as a board member and currently serves as Executive Director, views this transformation as central to Solidarity’s ethos.
“Our strength lies in elevating often-overlooked voices, especially students and early-career advocates who are already shaping the future. Solidarity isn’t a tagline—it’s a practice.”
Sujay Mehta, Director of Global Health Education, is one of those advocates.
“Global health education should not only prepare students to serve—but to question, innovate, and lead,” Sujay shares. “Gen Z isn’t waiting. They’re here, asking the right questions—and challenging us to do better.”
That challenge is embraced fully by our student volunteers and team contributors. Anay Dudhbhate, who supported our field operations, reflects:
“Volunteering with Solidarity taught me what textbooks couldn’t. It grounded my understanding of health equity—not as an abstract goal but a daily commitment.”
For Karem Manresa, now a research associate and social media liaison, the experience has been transformative.
“As a student, I never expected to find a role that blended research, advocacy, and creative storytelling. But that’s what Solidarity does—it allows us to lead now.”
This is just the beginning. As Solidarity Speaks unfolds through the Summer of 2025, we will continue to amplify the voices of those reimagining oral health as a matter of justice, inclusion, and community. We are building something different: interactive student classrooms and international symposia from Ecuador to Tanzania to India.
Join us. Read. Share. Contribute.
Let’s redefine what’s possible in global health—together.
Authored: Priyanka Gudsoorkar