Texas A&M University College of Dentistry in Dallas recently named Dr. Heather Koroma the 2025 Texas A&M University College of Dentistry Outstanding Young Alumnus Award recipient. The award celebrates alumni who are 10 years or less out of dental college and making an impact on the profession, the community and A&M Dentistry. 

Koroma, a 2018 dental alumna practicing in Lake Charles, Louisiana, works as a certified correctional health professional and a National Commission on Correctional Health Care surveyor, where she helps uphold and advance standards in correctional health care. Koroma said she’s driven by a sense of purpose and responsibility. 

“Working with Medicaid pediatric populations and in correctional health has given me a front-row seat to the real barriers families face. I feel called to use my skills to close those gaps and build trust,” Koroma said. 

She founded Inspire Timbuktu in 2025, a nonprofit focused on youth development and leadership.  

“We focus on cultural education, confidence-building and legacy work because those are protective factors that follow children into every part of life,” Koroma said. 

Through partnerships with organizations such as Jack and Jill of America, Inspire Timbuktu is establishing programs such as Little Dentists of the Bayou to foster early exposure to the industry and Dream Smiles Dental Leadership Institute, which is scheduled to launch in 2027 to serve as a pipeline for high school and college students to the dental industry.  

The goal is not only to introduce dentistry, but it’s to help young people see possibilities and feel supported as they move into professional spaces. 

She’s built a career that bridges clinical excellence, public health leadership and community service.  

“My professional activities reflect a commitment to advancing health equity, mentoring future leaders and using my skills to uplift underserved communities,” Koroma said.  

She received the NCCHC Young Professional of the Year Award in 2024 and is a 2025 graduate of the American Dental Association Institute for Diversity in Leadership. In addition, Koroma is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists. 

Dr. William R. Phillips, Class of 1997 and president-elect of Texas A&M University College of Dentistry Alumni Association’s board, said Koroma’s career reflects both compassion and service. 

“Dr. Koroma sees a need, and she’s willing put forth extra effort and time to improve the lives of others beyond providing healthier teeth and gums,” said Phillips, an oral maxillofacial surgeon at Park Cities Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates in Dallas. “That’s true Aggie spirit.” 

Koroma said she maintains a supportive connection to A&M Dentistry and the alumni association, serving as an example of the leadership, service and professional impact cultivated by the college. 

“My fondest memories are the friendships and experiences that shaped my perspective on service,” she said. “I formed lifelong relationships with classmates who continue to inspire me in dentistry, and I participated in an interprofessional mission trip to Quesimpuco, Bolivia, in the summer of 2017, which deepened my understanding of global health and community-centered care.”