Meet Dr. Ayesha Waseer: $10,000 MHA New Student Scholarship Recipient, Summer 2026

The Executive Programs Office in Health Policy and Management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health is thrilled to announce Ayesha R. Waseer, DDS, as the latest recipient of the $10,000 MHA New Student Scholarship. Dr. Waseer is the definition of a “True Bruin”—she is a graduate of the UCLA School of Dentistry (Class of 2011), earned her AEGD here in 2012, and even served as a faculty lecturer in 2013. For the past 13 years, she has been on the front lines of community health, providing vital dental care to underserved populations at Clinicas del Camino Real, Inc. in Ventura County.

With a unique global perspective that began with her first dental degree at the University of the Punjab in Pakistan, Dr. Waseer is now returning to her alma mater to pivot into healthcare administration and advocacy. As a full-time working mother of three—who is currently balancing college and law school tuition for her daughters—this scholarship provides critical financial relief, empowering her to tackle complex fiscal and policy challenges facing community safety-net clinics.

We sat down with Dr. Waseer just one day after she received the exciting news to discuss her return to UCLA, her passion for health equity, and her vision for the future of community healthcare delivery.

You have a deep and multi-faceted history with UCLA—as a School of Dentistry alumna, an AEGD graduate, and a former lecturer. What inspired you to return to your Bruin roots to pursue an MHA at the Fielding School, and how do you see this degree expanding your impact in the healthcare sector?

The academically rich and rewarding experience I had at the UCLA School of Dentistry left me with a strong desire to return to my alma mater. My initial plan was to pursue my postgraduate studies in prosthodontics after spending a few years practicing general dentistry. Somewhere between raising three children, paying off student loans, and immersing myself in delivering oral healthcare, my postgraduate plans got delayed. Now, with over a decade of public service at my disposal, I am ready to pivot towards leadership and health care management by pursuing a Masters in Health Administration from UCLA. I am confident that pursuing this degree at UCLA will equip me with the skills I need to lead and manage an efficient and quality-oriented healthcare center, and also strengthen my contributions to the healthcare community as a whole.

For nearly 13 years, you have provided care at Clinicas del Camino Real, Inc., an organization with a rich history of serving Ventura County through primary and preventative care. How has your extensive experience on the front lines of community health shaped your perspective on healthcare delivery, and what administrative challenges are you most eager to tackle?

Serving the mission of a safety-net health center like Clinicas has given me a profound sense of self-worth and gratitude and also helped me realize the critical role of non-profit, community clinics in providing comprehensive medical, dental, optical, and mental healthcare services under one roof to low-income and marginalized communities. Clinicas provides an effective, culturally-competent, and inclusive healthcare delivery system, but FQHC’s like Clinicas are under tremendous fiscal challenges. There is a potential risk that they might have to significantly reduce healthcare services, or close down altogether, due to the Medicaid cuts under H.R.1. Consequently, as an MHA student, I will be focused on learning financial management skills alongside strengthening my policy and advocacy practices in community health.

Your dental education began at the University of the Punjab before you came to UCLA to earn your DDS and AEGD. How has having both an international foundation in dentistry and over a decade of experience in California’s community health system shaped your unique perspective on patient care and health equity?

Having pursued my educational and career objectives in two entirely different countries, I know first-hand that healthcare disparities are universal. In a developing country like Pakistan, preventive health and healthcare awareness is significantly lacking at the grassroots level. Especially in rural communities, most people seek healthcare only when experiencing significant pain or a life-threatening emergency. And while the United States is a leader in healthcare resources, research, and technologies, healthcare costs are a massive barrier to care for lower and middle-income families. Now, many California residents are expected to lose healthcare coverage due to Medicaid cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” further straining our nation’s healthcare apparatus. My perspective on patient care and health equity is informed by the disparities and inequities I have seen in both Pakistan and the United States. As such, I am driven by the goal of improving healthcare equity and accessibility not just in the United States, but around the globe.

You just found out yesterday that you were awarded the $10,000 MHA New Student Scholarship. How did it feel to get that news, and what does this investment from the UCLA Fielding community mean to you as you begin this next chapter?

The MHA New Student Scholarship award is a big source of financial relief as I take on this next step in my education and career. I am both honored and excited to be accepted into the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, but at the same time, I am cognizant of the financial implications of this big decision. One of my daughters is already attending college and the other is about to start law school. As a full-time, working mother of three, my financial responsibilities made my decision to pursue this program seem daunting at first. However, with this $10,000 scholarship, I now feel empowered to take this opportunity and confident in my ability to tackle everything else while I am in the program. I look forward to contributing, once again, to this incredible academic community!