A Professor Emerita and Her Husband Give Back

As a professor, Kanchan Ganda, J00P, M04P, kept a cabinet and fridge stocked full of food in her office. She knew students sometimes went hungry to afford tuition, and she wanted to help. “I’d insist that they take whatever they wanted,” said Ganda, professor emerita and former head of the Division of Medicine at the School of Dental Medicine. 

Known for holding her students to the highest standards, Ganda also was a beloved faculty member. Alumni still name her as their favorite teacher—while admitting hers was their hardest class. 

Now retired, Ganda—alongside her physician husband, Om Ganda, J00P, M04P—has established a scholarship to continue caring for students in need. The Gandas recently spoke with One Tufts about their gift for first-year students in the predoctoral dental program and the enduring impact they hope it will have.

What prompted you to establish the Kanchan M. Ganda, M.D., and Om P. Ganda, M.D., Scholarship Fund? 

Kanchan Ganda: My parents volunteered every week at an orphanage in Mumbai, India, bringing me and my siblings along. Om’s family believed that sharing is caring. In my more than 40 years at Tufts dental school, it hit home when I saw how hard it could be for students from less-privileged backgrounds. This fund felt like a natural extension of our commitment to health care and to caring for others. 

What makes tufts meaningful to you? 

Kanchan Ganda: Tufts gave me freedom to build what was needed: the medicine-in-dentistry program, medical consults for complex dental patients, domestic violence education and care, HIV education programs, and a clinic for the underserved. Mainly, I cared deeply about my students and pushed them hard. I told them, ‘You might hate me now, but my goal is to make you the best dentists possible, ready to care for even the most complex patients.’

Om, how does supporting tufts students reflect the shared philosophy you and Kanchan live by? 

Om Ganda: We always felt that our giving should directly help people in need. Supporting students at Tufts was a natural choice, given our family’s ties: Both daughters went to the university, one as an undergrad and one as a medical student, and my first jobs in the United States were at Tufts-affiliated hospitals. 

What do you both hope this gift achieves? 

Kanchan Ganda: Ideally, it will allow recipients—especially first-generation college students—to focus on learning and on caring for their patients. Maybe it also will inspire them to pay it forward in the future. We hope it inspires others in the Tufts community to give too; supporting education of the underserved gives all students a chance to excel.