Bulela Vava
President, Public Oral Health Forum
@RuraldentistSA
Biography
Dr Bulela Vava presently serves as a registrar in the Department of Community Dentistry at Wits. Dr Vava holds a bachelor’s degree and a postgraduate diploma in Community Dentistry, both acquired from the University of Pretoria.
Dr Vava has extensive experience and exposure in the public oral health sector, having worked in poorly-resourced environments for nearly a decade.
His experience in leadership and management, coupled with his hands-on clinical experience, has given him a strategic outlook into the future and an intimate understanding of the challenges faced in providing oral care at the coalface.
Dr Vava has been actively involved in various organisations, including serving as a student liaison for the Rural Doctors Association, Vice-President of the SADA YDC, and currently volunteering for Special Olympics Special Smiles. He is also a Global Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in South Africa and founded and leads the Public Oral Health Forum as its President. It is here that he has honed and built his reputation as a staunch advocate for access to health, in particular, oral health.
Dr Vava is fervent about enhancing access to oral healthcare for the most vulnerable in society. He has endeavoured to collaborate with key stakeholders in the private, civil society, and government sectors to ensure the realisation of his organisation’s vision for equitable oral health, and restored dignity and well-being for all.