Alumni Spotlight: GSDM alum named Iowa New Dentist of the Year
Alyssa Darling DMD 16 was named the Iowa Dental Association 2025 New Dentist of the Year.
“There’s so many dentists that advocate for our profession and I’m honored to be thought of as one in the hundreds of others that do the same thing that I do,” Darling said. “I’m honored and just humbled. It was very thoughtful to be considered.”
Darling is currently serving as the Iowa Dental Association (IDA) New Dentist Committee co-chair and is a voting member of the IDA Board of Trustees. She is also a general dentist at the River Hills Community Health Center in Ottumwa, Iowa, and works closely with a diverse, underserved patient population including adult patients with disabilities.
According to Darling, her passion for organized dentistry and finding opportunities for early-career dentists to contribute to change stemmed her experience with the GSDM chapter of American Student Dental Association (ASDA)–specifically her trip to Washington D.C. as part of ASDA Lobby Day.
“It’s super intimidating as a dentist to be the youngest one in a room talking with these really smart older dentists and trying to give your input,” Darling said. “I try to help coach and help the younger dentist by [saying] ‘Don’t be scared. Just do it.’”
Receiving this honor has fueled Darling’s desire to be a public health advocate and champion for early-career dentists, she said.
“It has only made me more motivated to get more involved,” Darling said. “When you start acknowledging young dentists with awards like this, it makes them feel good. It makes me feel nice and makes [them] want to give back more to your dental society and do even more work because it’s nice to be acknowledged for the work that you do.”