Her passion for mentoring and supporting white-collar professionals also reflects her commitment to sharing her skills to promote success and growth within the health care industry.
PALOS PARK, IL, September 26, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Albana Gjeka-Sgouridis, DDS, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis is recognized for her leadership and expertise as a broker with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, The Pietsch Financial Group. Since 2021, she has been instrumental in assisting white-collar professionals with financial products and services, including college funding, life policies, disability insurance and retirement planning.
Before pivoting into the insurance sector, Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis enjoyed a tenured career in dentistry. From 2002 to 2004, she was a general dentist at Klinika e Lagjes Nr.8. She then founded Alba Dental Care, where she practiced between 2004 and 2007. Her dedication to dental care continued as she worked as a dental assistant for Dr. Eric N. Bloom and Dr. Robert Deaver in 2010, followed by a role with Dr. Robert E. Rada in 2014 and Family Dental Care from 2014 to 2017. In addition to her clinical roles, Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis was an educational assistant teacher at Harry S. Truman College from 2008 to 2009, demonstrating her commitment to education and mentorship.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis made significant contributions through creative projects and publications. She was a journalist and reporter for Intervista from 2002 to 2006 and continues writing on various health care and finance topics.
Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis recently established Expert Solutions Center LLC, a small business in Palos Park, Illinois, focusing on general management, scientific, and technical expertise. She looks forward to continually growing the business and offering superior products and services to her clients.
Highly educated, Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis received a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Tirana in 2002. She later graduated in the top 1% of her class with a Master of Health Administration from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in 2021. Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis is preparing for her future by studying to take state exams in dentistry and finance.
She entered the U.S. as a foreign graduate dentist, initially on a prospective student/working visa while transitioning to attend the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, which at the time was the only institution accepting international graduate dentists on students on a visa to do the residency and the two year program. However, due to the lengthy evaluation process, she relocated to Chicago and attended city colleges to save money as a foreign student. In one month in the U.S., she applied to and was accepted at Truman College and exchanged her B1/B2 visa to a F1 visa to Truman College. She was on a student visa for a while (2-3 years). Six months later, she received her Social Security from Truman College and worked as assistant teacher (physical science department-chemistry) with the goals of transition to an H1-working visa. She was placed in 200 and above classes (201 chemistry, 234 microbiology and math, and speech 101), and worked on improving her English writing. However, Truman couldn't guarantee $50,000 yearly and she had to wait.
Unfortunately, to practice dentistry in Illinois, she needed a green card. At the same time, her husband was working as a manager for Fitch Ratings at their Chicago branch and was unable to relocate. This led her to change her goals and focus on building a life in the U.S.
She and her family purchased a house in 2018. They then established Expert Solutions Center LLC where she operates as the CEO and also does consulting work.
Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis's professional journey is marked by numerous accolades, including being nominated as one of the Doctor-to-Doctor World's Top 100 at the Demo Global Summit in 2021. She also received several scholarships, including the Sol Price School of Public Policy in Leadership and Management Fellowship Award and the William & Eva Dimas Scholarship Award. She received the former award after writing a compelling essay on the significance of leadership and management. Leadership has always been a defining trait for her, deeply rooted in her family's legacy of leadership in Albania. This scholarship, along with other scholarships and support, was crucial in helping her pay for her education while managing a demanding schedule that included studying for 12 hours a day for challenging programs such as the EMHA master's program and the boards of dentistry, all of which she successfully accomplished.
Maintaining membership in several prestigious organizations, Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis has been active in AdvisoryCloud, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Chicago Healthcare Executive Forum, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Civically, she has been affiliated with the Albanian American Community and the Chicago Mountain Bike Riders.
As she prepares for future endeavors, Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis aims to become a health care chief executive officer, driving change management to enhance quality and reduce costs while fostering enduring partnerships with health care professionals based on mutual respect. Her passion for mentoring and supporting white-collar professionals also reflects her commitment to sharing her skills to promote success and growth within the health care industry.
She enjoys a wonderful life with her family, husband of 15 years and 12-year-old daughter, Sophia. Their support brings joy and a positive, energetic approach to her work. They worked hard together, doing their best to achieve their dreams. Dr. Gjeka-Sgouridis, now an American citizen and in good standing according to the Illinois department of the Secretary of State, is proud of their journey.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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