“I have always believed the concept that individuals are created to carry certain messages to evoke change in the world. I believe that I was created to change the health behaviour of the community by raising peoples’ awareness, knowledge, screenings, research and health promotion. The Bseisu Foundation scholarship will assist me to reach my endeavours in an experience that will be hard to match for the rest of my life.”

Meet Raghad…

Raghad is originally from the town al-Faluja in Palestine, where her grandparents were forcibly displaced in the 1948 catastrophe to live in Hebron.

She grew up in Hebron city and has always been interested in impacting her community and the world. She has been involved since freshman year at Al-Quds University through voluntary work and during her time at dental school, increased her interest in community work and research; making it her dream to become a researcher and a Surgeon. She graduated with a high cumulative average, 5 research papers and an extraordinary journey with the dental associations locally and internationally. Raghad believes that dentists are not only doctors but lifesavers and supporters to their communities.

Raghad is studying MSc Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at UCL. At 24, she is the first and youngest Palestinian female dentist to be accepted by Eastman Dental Institute, the most prestigious and well-known dental institute in the world. This course fits Raghad’s ambitions within this field and fulfils her deep desire to discover a variety of surgical treatments with the latest technologies. 

Raghad feels that as UCL is ranked among the top universities in the world for postgraduate degrees in dentistry, it gives the opportunity for practical experience to develop needed surgical skills and is the absolute place to pursue a master’s degree. Studying at UCL will help Raghad extend her experience and create innovative solutions for oral and general health in Palestine. “One of my research papers was added to the global literature of COVID-19 in the World Health Organization (WHO). Being a Palestinian who contributed to the global history, I believe that the exceptional paths as Bseisu and Chevening scholar will bring exceptional international achievements.”

For her future plans, Raghad’s goal is to work on one-of-a-kind technology that will offer new approaches for preventing and easing dental care for the first time. Implementing innovation and her degree from UCL will help Raghad in obtaining a PhD degree and to launch this idea into a research institution as well.