Back to DPA Annual Conference 2026 - Shifting Perception
Speaker
Dr Bulela Vava
Dental public health specialist, researcher at Solve4Health Consulting, POHF & SOSA
About
Dr Bulela Vava is a South African dental public health specialist, researcher, health advocate and social entrepreneur committed to advancing equitable, people-centred oral healthcare. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Public Oral Health Forum (POHF), a civil society organisation working across advocacy, research and policy, community engagement, education and health-system strengthening to elevate oral health within the broader public health agenda.
Dr Vava completed his Master of Dentistry in Community Dentistry at the University of the Witwatersrand, with research examining the rural–urban migration of oral health professionals in South Africa.
His broader work spans oral health workforce development, health equity, disability inclusion, non-communicable disease integration, patient safety, environmental sustainability in dentistry, community participation and access to appropriate oral healthcare.
He is also the Founder and Managing Director of Solve4Health Consulting, a health systems and innovation consultancy focused on developing practical solutions for health challenges in the Global South.
A Global Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity through Tekano, Dr Vava was named among the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in 2025. His work is grounded in the belief that oral health is inseparable from dignity, equity, social justice and the right of communities to shape the health systems that serve them.
Dr Vava completed his Master of Dentistry in Community Dentistry at the University of the Witwatersrand, with research examining the rural–urban migration of oral health professionals in South Africa.
His broader work spans oral health workforce development, health equity, disability inclusion, non-communicable disease integration, patient safety, environmental sustainability in dentistry, community participation and access to appropriate oral healthcare.
He is also the Founder and Managing Director of Solve4Health Consulting, a health systems and innovation consultancy focused on developing practical solutions for health challenges in the Global South.
A Global Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity through Tekano, Dr Vava was named among the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in 2025. His work is grounded in the belief that oral health is inseparable from dignity, equity, social justice and the right of communities to shape the health systems that serve them.