Jessica Zachar

Jessica is a General Dental Practitioner who graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Dental Science. She is a Lecturer and Senior Dental Officer at the UQ Oral Health Centre. Jessica has previously worked as an Dental Officer at Nepean Hospital and as a Dental Officer at Westmead Hospital. Jessica has completed further studies including a Bachelor of Science (Honours), Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, a Graduate Diploma in Clinical Dentistry (Surgical Dentistry) and a Master of Clinical Dentistry (Oral Surgery). She is presently a PhD Candidate, focusing on the therapeutic efficacy of dental analgesia using a polychromatic light-emitting diode for dental procedures.

She has received numerous research publications, grants and awards including 1st Prize at the IADR Unilever Hatton Competition and IADR ANZ Colgate Research Poster Competition. She teaches and supervises the discipline of oral surgery and general medicine to the undergraduate dental students. In 2020, Jessica received a Commendation for Substantive Contributions to Student Learning and in 2022, she led the Clinical Simulation team to win an Excellence in Clinical and Professional Skills Education Award by HaBS. In 2022, she recieved a Commendation in Teaching Excellence award for Programs that Enhance Learning by UQ and was part of the winning team from Dentistry for UQ teaching excellence award in 2023. In 2024, she recieved a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning by HaBS.

She has also been awarded a Membership of the Faculty of Dental Trainers of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy due to her commitment to dental education. Her teaching philosophy revolves around providing stimulating learning environments so that her students can develop into well rounded health professionals who can become leaders within the profession and local community, delivering optimum health care.