Left to right: Bijan Hakimian, DDS, Grace Medical Home’s Volunteer Co-Dental Center Director, and Natalie Bello, University of Central Florida’s Pre-Dental Student Association President and Grace Medical Home Dental Center Intern, care for a patient.
Dr. Bijan Hakimian is no stranger to volunteering at Grace Medical Home. In fact, his arrival at Grace Medical Home is more of a homecoming.
While receiving his undergraduate degree at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Bijan was an active member of UCF Pre-Dental Student Association (PDSA) and served on the Executive Board as Secretary for the club. As a Pre-Dental Student, he volunteered at Harvest Time International and AdventHealth where Michelle Lawton, Grace’s Director of Dental Center Operations, helped create their dental programs. He kept in touch with Michelle while attending dental school. When he returned to Orlando as a licensed provider, it was only natural that he came to Grace as a volunteer provider.
“Dr. Bijan has always been a big hearted and invested human which is what makes him an exceptional Dentist,” shared Michelle. “He has volunteered in some way the entire time I have known him, whether it be for Grace’s Dental Center or other Dental School programs. He has a heart of gold and creating a space where the underserved can be helped is a passion of his.”
Dr. Bijan shared, “As Co-Dental Director, my goal is to continue my outreach to the community, promoting preventive care, and ensuring a supportive and positive environment. I will also bring in more providers to volunteer as needed. Volunteering brings providers a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. Plus, they will be making a positive impact on patient lives and giving back to the community.”
Dr. Bijan will be a tremendous mentor to our young Pre-Dental Students that are now traveling the same journey he did just a short time ago. As a UCF PDSA Alumni, he is able to relate to the journey and the hardships that the students are currently going through and help guide them and give them the encouragement to achieve their career goals. His advice to pre-dental students as they are launch their careers is, “Build strong academics, get involved in the field by volunteering/shadowing, network, and stay motivated.”
In his spare time, Dr. Bijan enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and playing sports in recreational leagues.
