DrSmitha Sukumar

Smitha is a clinical educator and academic whose teaching draws on currency in practice as well as a decade as a successful full time general practitioner in Australia. She has taught for over 20 years in undergraduate and graduate dental programs in dental schools in Australia and overseas including Adelaide Dental School and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Queen Mary in London. 

She  is a nationally recognised education researcher and curriculum leader, with active scholarship in health profession education. Her research focuses on clinical reasoning, integrated curriculum design, and assessment for learning, particularly how dental students develop holistic, patient‑centred decision‑making. Smitha leads Treatment Planning, as a vertically integrated discipline across DMD1–4, including a clinical mentorship program for third year students as they transition to patient clinics. Her focus on assessment innovation within Sydney Dental School is evidenced by the integrated authentic assessments she has created in DMD 3 and 4. She actively collaborates within the Faculty and nationally with academic and clinical colleagues in research to understand how assessment can inform improved learning outcomes.