Hashmani recognized with Procter & Gamble Teaching Excellence Award

Assistant Professor Khairunisa Hashmani, RDH, EdD, of UTHealth School of Dentistry has been named the 2024 recipient of the Procter & Gamble Teaching Excellence Award.

The award is given to a faculty member who demonstrates outstanding teaching skills. Hashmani’s honor was recognized during the 82nd Annual Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association Conference in early February.

“This is a prestigious award for me as I feel it is a testament to the positive impact I’ve had on my profession and community,” said Hashmani. “For me, as an educator, this award is something to look forward to. It’s not something you just win. People actually look at your application, and they look at what kind of impact you are making. I think it’s really nice to showcase the value educators bring to dental hygiene.

“Typically, it’s the clinicians who are working on patients, but it’s the educators who are responsible for shaping and developing future dental hygienists. The role of an educator is demanding but comes with a sense of fulfillment.”

Hashmani became a faculty member at the School of Dentistry in 2019, and since that time, she has gained recognition for her ability to foster a positive learning environment for her students that focuses on the retention of information. Her teaching approach involves integrating constant assessment and reteaching methods to enhance student learning outcomes.

“I administer formative assessments at various points throughout the semester as checkpoints,” she said. “I also ensure to revisit and reteach any crucial concepts, especially if there is a particular aspect that an individual may be struggling with in the clinic.”

As a true ambassador for learning, Hashmani is heavily involved within the Department of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene as well as the School of Dentistry as a whole. She currently serves as the course director for multiple classes, as well as a chair for dental hygiene admissions, first-year clinic coordinator, student chapter advisor, and co-advisor for the women’s faculty forum. She also accompanies and prepares her students for conferences and meetings, such as the recent TDHA conference, where she received her award alongside other awards bestowed to her very own students.

“The annual TDHA conference is a significant statewide meeting, and the School of Dentistry consistently garners respect and recognition, as attendees highly regard our institution. It’s a big, statewide meeting where the School of Dentistry always represents well because people look up to our school. We send off diligent students whose research posters have been supervised and evaluated,” said Hashmani. “They are aware of our institution and recognize the high quality of our school.”

Hashmani earned a bachelor of science in biology at Texas State University and her certificate of dental hygiene at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry. She later received her master of arts in behavioral sciences at the University of Houston – Clear Lake and then her doctor of education degree in professional leadership from the University of Houston.

In 2010, Hashmani also received the Esther Wilkins Award from the Greater Houston Dental Hygienists’ Association, given to individuals based on participation in dental hygiene activities and involvement in community or social service organizations. Taking nothing for granted, she believes that working hard and taking challenges has gotten her to the pristine level of professional achievement that she’s at today.

Prior to joining the School of Dentistry in 2019, Hashmani taught courses at Houston Community College’s Coleman College for Health Sciences and at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, along with 18 years of practicing as a clinical dental hygienist. She has also helped develop the dental hygiene curriculum at the Aga Khan University in Karachi and currently volunteers teaching Dental Hygiene Theory II and IV as well as Community Dental Health.