Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships

What Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships does

Mentorships in Dentistry, Inc. (MIND) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, founded in 2018 by dental professionals including CEO and founder Laila Hishaw. The organization addresses gaps in mentorship access and representation in the U.S. dental profession by connecting aspiring dental students, particularly those from underrepresented and underserved communities, with experienced oral health professionals. Its core program is the MIND Mentorship Platform, supported by Pre-Dental and Dental Student Scholarship programs, a Find a Mentor / Become a Mentor matching service, Youth Summits hosted at universities, and educational resources for mentees and mentors.

The organization's technology infrastructure consists of the third-party MentorCity platform, which provides mentorship matching and management functionality, and a content-focused website serving as the primary digital presence. There are no proprietary AI/ML systems, mobile applications, or API-based products. MIND operates a community-led go-to-market model, relying on educational summits, school district partnerships (such as with Kansas City Public Schools), and word-of-mouth referrals within the dental education community to reach students.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, MIND is funded entirely through charitable donations and corporate sponsorships rather than fees or product revenue. All services are provided free of charge to mentees, while mentors volunteer their time. Named corporate sponsors include Delta Dental Institute (via the Future Workforce initiative), Benco Family Foundation, and GEHA Solutions. The organization also maintains a strategic partnership with the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the recognized voice of U.S. dental education, providing structural integration into the formal dental education pipeline.

Name

Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships

Legal name

Mentorships in Dentistry, Inc.

Website

https://diversityindentistry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects aspiring dental students from underrepresented communities with experienced oral health professionals through mentorship, scholarships, and youth summits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Mentorships in Dentistry Inc. is funded primarily through charitable donations and corporate sponsorships. All sponsorship and affiliate revenues directly fund the development of programs and resources for mentors and mentees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mentorships in Dentistry, Inc. (MIND) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects aspiring dental students (mentees) with experienced oral health professionals (mentors) for career-pathway mentorship in dentistry. The organization also operates youth summits, educational events, and scholarship programs (Pre-Dental Student Scholarship and Dental Student Scholarship) that provide financial support and exposure to oral health careers, especially for students from underserved communities.

Product overview

Mentorships in Dentistry, Inc. (MIND) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a single, unified mentorship platform focused on advancing the oral health profession. The core offering is the MIND Mentorship Program, which connects aspiring students (school-aged children and undergraduates) with experienced oral health professionals. Supporting modules include Pre-Dental and Dental Student Scholarships providing financial assistance, the Find a Mentor and Become a Mentor matching services, Youth Summit events for early exposure to dentistry careers, and Resources including news, educational materials, and forms. The organization also partners with MentorCity for mentorship platform functionality. All programs are designed to build a dental workforce that reflects the communities it serves.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MIND Mentorship Program Primary mentorship program that brings together aspiring students and oral health professionals to foster community, share knowledge, and offer meaningful mentorship supporting career development in dentistry. Designed for school-aged children, undergraduates, and pre-dental students, especially those with limited opportunities or exposure to oral health careers.
• Find a Mentor Service Service connecting aspiring dental students with experienced mentors in the oral health profession for guidance and career support. Accessible through the MIND website and powered by the MentorCity platform.
• Become a Mentor Program Program enabling experienced dental professionals to volunteer as mentors for aspiring students in the dental field. Provides a structured pathway for oral health professionals to give back to the profession and address gaps in representation.
• Pre-Dental Student Scholarship Scholarship program providing financial support and mentorship to non-traditional and traditional pre-dental students to help progress their journey to dentistry. Scholarship winners are affiliated with ADEA programs.
• Dental Student Scholarship Scholarship program providing financial support to dental students to cover residency application fees and interview travel expenses, along with mentorship and community benefits. Affiliated with ADEA programs.
• Youth Summit Events Educational summit events (such as the Summit at UMKC) providing school-aged youth with access, exposure, and hands-on learning experiences in the field of dentistry, hosted in partnership with universities and school districts such as Kansas City Public Schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Building a dental workforce that reflects the communities it serves
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ADEA (American Dental Education Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADEA, The Voice of Dental Education, is a strategic partner. Scholarship winners are affiliated with ADEA programs. Partnership supports dental education and workforce development initiatives.
• MentorCitycoreTechnology or IntegrationMentorCity provides the mentorship matching platform for MIND. The partnership enables digital mentorship connections between oral health professionals and aspiring dental students.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Tour for Diversity in Medicine: Mobile mentorship initiative that brings minority health professionals to colleges and high schools to expose underrepresented students to health careers. Strongly comparable in event- and exposure-based workforce pipeline work, though broader than dentistry alone.
• INROADS: Nonprofit workforce development organization providing career coaching, internships, and mentorship to underrepresented talent across industries including healthcare. Comparable in mentorship-led career-pathway delivery, though broader than dental.

Direct peers

• National Dental Association: The U.S.'s oldest and largest association for minority dental professionals, with a parallel mission to increase representation, mentorship, and equity in dentistry. It directly overlaps with MIND's pipeline-building focus but operates at a larger, more institutional scale.
• Society of American Indian Dentists: Membership organization dedicated to American Indian/Alaska Native representation in dentistry, with mentorship and student-support programs. Closely comparable niche and program design to MIND.
• National Medical Fellowships: Nonprofit that provides scholarships and mentorship to underrepresented medical students. Although its focus is medicine rather than dentistry, its scholarship-plus-mentorship model and underrepresented-in-healthcare mission are directly analogous to MIND's.
• Hispanic Dental Association: National association promoting Hispanic representation in oral health through scholarships, mentorship, and student outreach. Highly comparable to MIND in both the diversity-in-dentistry mission and the scholarship/mentorship program model.

Broad incumbents

• American Dental Association: The largest U.S. dental professional association. Acts as a MIND partner/funder (via ADEA-adjacent ecosystem) but is a broad incumbent whose portfolio encompasses advocacy, education, insurance, and product lines well beyond MIND's mentorship niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/diversitydental
• Facebookfacebook.com/diversityindentistrymentorships
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diversity-in-dentistry-mentorships

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships