International Community Feature: Dr. Jason Cummins

For our final installment of the International Community Feature this semester, we are honored to be spotlighting Dr. Jason Cummins DMD, a Tufts University School of Dental Medicine alum and current faculty member in the Department of Public Health and Community Service – Division of Inclusive Excellence at TUSDM.   

From a young age, Jason knew he was headed towards a career in dentistry. Growing up in Barbados, he would spend days helping out in his father’s general dentistry practice, watching him treat patients and imagining the day he’d have his chance to do the same. When it came time to attend college, Jason made the decision to come stateside and enrolled at Claflin University in South Carolina. There he earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. As he began visiting dental schools around the country, he was connected to Dr. Jeanette Sabir-Holloway who currently serves as Assistant Professor, Public Health and Community Service and Assistant Dean for Inclusive Excellence, Dental School Administration at Tufts – he soon realized the next phase of his academic career would be taking him to Boston.    

Jason quickly embraced life at TUSDM where he sat on the curriculum committee, was a TA for many courses, and even did some volunteer work with the Admissions Office talking to prospective students. After graduating in 2022 and joining Aspen Dental, he was offered the opportunity to return to Tufts as Clinical Instructor in the Department of Public Health and Community Service – Division of Inclusive Excellence. There he teaches the Intercultural Competence for Oral Health Providers Course which, as he puts it “is focused on bringing humanity into being a dentist.” A central goal of the course is helping students learn how to interact with different patient populations and cultivate sensitivity to their backgrounds – it’s about developing cultural humility, not competence. Finally, last summer Jason was the Program Lead for a five-day University College Mini Dental School session – he worked with 44 high rising high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates to introduce them to the field of dentistry.    

As he reflected on his academic and professional journeys since leaving Barbados, Jason shared that he didn’t necessarily imagine he’d be building a life in the US. He assumed he’d follow in his father’s footsteps and return once earning his degree stateside. But because he stayed open to the new, evolving experiences he was a part of as an undergrad and then in dental school, he discovered a love for academia and a desire to teach and mentor future generations of students here. Though his parents now live in Massachusetts, most of his extended family is still back in Barbados which will always have a special place in his heart. The beaches, steel pan music, and local delicacies like fish cakes, fresh golden apple juice, macaroni pie, and flying fish are all things he tries to soak up whenever he goes back to visit. In undergrad when his homesickness was stronger, he made a point of seeking out other students with Caribbean backgrounds. He was also put in touch with the daughter of a woman in his church growing up in Barbados who was living in SC who provided a home away from home for him. And along the way he’s connected with more extended family living in the US, who’ve been a great support to him. And though they’re not the warm beaches of Barbados, Jason has embraced the colder shores of New England, siting Duxbury, Carson in South Boston, Nantasket in Hull, and Singing Beach in Manchester as a few favorites where he can get in some sun and relaxation! 

Jason describes his time at Tufts as transformative and is overflowing with gratitude for his experiences here. Some of the advice he offers to students considering a similar path to his is to immerse yourself and get involved as much as possible, be open to new people and experiences, step up for leadership positions, and give back. He also emphasizes how critical it is to seek out mentorship which can lead to surprising connections and guidance. Don’t go it alone and be strategic getting help and advice. For instance, when it came to identifying scholarship opportunities, he leaned on faculty and staff in various offices at TUSDM. He’s eternally grateful to all those who helped shape him and is leading by example to give back to the next generation of dentists at Tufts.    

–by Julia Keith 

(Photo courtesy of Jason Cummins)