Cleopatra is a Dental Surgeon who holds a master’s in business administration from the National University of Science and Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery from the University of Zimbabwe. Cleopatra has a strong work ethic that has been inspired by a diverse experience from working in sales and marketing since her teen years, dentistry private practice, public service in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Oral Health Services Department and lectureship at the University of Zimbabwe Department of Dentistry; and at the School of Dental Therapy and Technology. At present she is an awardee of the International Dental Federation FDI 2021World Dental Development Fund, and the Zimbabwe Dental Association 2021 Protea Award.

Cleopatra is an advocate for health equity and Oral Health and enjoys oral health research and health administration. She is a Mandela Washington Fellow (2017), she participated in the Civic Leadership Track at Kansas State University of the Young African Leaders Initiative on the merits of practising Dentistry in disadvantaged communities. Exposure from the fellowship, dental missions work and her early career experiences made her appreciate the importance of working in multidisciplinary teams, the impact of health policy and influence of the international community on a country’s healthcare system. This motivated her to pursue studies in global health. Cleopatra aspires to be a Dental Public Health specialist with influence on Global Oral Health.

The scholarship award helped equip her with the skills and knowledge to take her career further. As the gap of oral health inequalities continues to widen in both developed and developing countries. In various parts of the world there is a move to give Global Oral health the attention it deserves and change the conventional approach of curative treatment. Partaking of the Global health studies helped her appreciate that oral health solutions can emanate from anywhere in the world, even in resource constrained countries such as Zimbabwe. Since completion of her studies her professional network has widened internationally, she has been appointed leadership responsibilities in the Zimbabwe Dental Association , is also involved in various regional oral health research projects in the capacity that allows her to apply her acquired competencies. This has allowed her to contribute to the oral health discipline at a higher level, and widen her scope of practice.

She have been assisting and motivating her peers and colleagues aspiring to pursue further studies to engage. She now serves in committees for young professionals development , and continuous professional development for the dentistry profession in her country. She has also been participating in collaborative projects to strengthen relations and capacity building for oral health professionals in the African region.

In line with her passion for Dental Public Health, she carries out outreaches which provide dental care to the disadvantaged and those in very remote parts of Zimbabwe with various organizations. These outreaches enable us to extend oral, maxillofacial and medical care to people who would have otherwise not have accessed it. She is an avid reader with a particular interest in African Literature, Christian literature and World history. She is passionate about developing the character of leaders and young people in high schools and universities, she does this as part of Student Connect Trust (SCOT), an organization that impacts more than 10,000 young leaders in Zimbabwe annually. Travel and museum visits are another favourite past time which afford her the pleasure of learning about various cultures.

“The legacy that Alfred Beit left is the reason we are beneficiaries of this scholarship opportunity. The question to ask oneself is what is the legacy I am willing to leave in my lifetime and beyond. If he and others could do it, then we are also capable of doing it!”.