Malek Mahmoud spends a lot of time in the Faculty of Dentistry, but he鈥檚 not a dental student. At least, not yet.听
But Malek, now in his third year of a bachelor of science degree in microbiology and immunology, is confident that鈥檚 what his future holds.
"Growing up as a kid, I always knew I wanted to be involved in health care," he explains. Both his parents are medical doctors and his older sister is a pharmacist, so the idea of "carving out a career that was my own" appealed to him, as did the ability to enjoy a profession that he could balance with hobbies and a family. He also had positive experiences with oral health care providers growing up. By his final year of high school, he knew he wanted to be a dentist.听
Malek has lived in Halifax since he was five, but he was born in Saudi Arabia and his family is from Egypt. His father continues to work as a doctor in Saudi Arabia, commuting home every few months to see his family, whereas his mother gave up her profession to care for Malek and his two older siblings. Malek speaks highly of his parents鈥� dedication to their family.
How the body works
Malek鈥檚 biggest interest and hobby growing up was soccer. He has played his entire life 鈥撯�� including for Dunbrack and Halifax City 鈥� and he and his brother are avid fans, particularly of the Premier League in the UK. He has also boxed, is a certified lifeguard, and has a black belt in Taekwondo.
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Physical education classes at Gorsebrook Junior High School in Halifax were an obvious favourite for him, but he also developed a passion for math and science, particularly biology, which he pursued more extensively as a student at Citadel High School.
I was really interested in knowing how my own body work
"I was really interested in knowing how my own body works," Malek explains. "It was interesting because it was extremely relatable."
PLANS for the future
It was at Citadel that Malek became involved in the听听at Dal.
"It was a really good mentorship program," he says. "We were able to experience a lot of different science fields, including dentistry, which I knew I wanted to go into by that point."听
The PLANS sessions enabled Malek to meet some of the professors who were leading it, including Dentistry's Dr. Tanya Cook (DDS鈥�00). When he asked her about volunteering opportunities and part-time jobs, she suggested that he volunteer at upcoming PLANS camps.
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Now, Malek volunteers with PLANS most semesters, helping with activities like tooth filling and making plaster models. Further introductions led Malek to take on a part-time job in the dental lab with Bruce Friis, which includes pouring the models that students use in their labs. He鈥檚 learned a lot, plus it鈥檚 helped him to build relationships with current dentistry students who answer his questions and tell him about their studies.
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Malek has also been able to dip his toes into dentistry research with an听, which was him do work in听听on materials that can be used to mimic the structure of tissues in the human body, such as skin, muscles, and even dental tissues.
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The results of Malek's research will be published in an upcoming paper.
Real-life experience
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In the first year of his degree, Malek connected with Dr. Sura Hadad (DDS鈥�03) and was able to shadow her at her Clayton Park dental practice.听
"That gave me real experience of what the job is like on a day-to-day basis," he says. "She would explain to me everything she did with a patient."听
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Armed with all the necessary prerequisites after the third year of his undergrad degree, Malek has taken the bold step of applying for admission to dental school in September 2025.
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"I feel like I could have a chance of getting in," says Mahmoud. "The students I鈥檝e met through my work in the Faculty have given me a lot of advice and tell me I have a lot of good experience that I can talk about if I get an interview."
It鈥檚 an amazing community to be around听
If it doesn鈥檛 work, he鈥檒l complete his BSc and apply again in 2026. What he has discovered through his experiences in the Faculty so far is that he likes the atmosphere and he likes the people.听
"Everyone knows each other well and the staff and the students are very connected," he says. "It鈥檚 an amazing community to be around."
