University of Alabama at Birmingham, passed away at 7:37AM on October 6 th , 2020 .
Sonia was born in Montgomery, AL on July 17, 1974 as the youngest daughter of Dr. Suraj Makhija and
Nina Makhija. Sonia’s parents instilled in her at a very early age the value of a good education and the
importance of striving for success. Throughout her life she consistently developed life long friendships
and impacted numerous lives all the while achieving the highest level of success in any academic or
professional endeavor she undertook.
Sonia graduated from LAMP High School in Montgomery, AL in 1992. She then attended the University
of Missouri - Kansas City with a BA degree in Biology and DDS degree from the School of Dentistry in
1998.
Following a period in private practice of general dentistry in Montgomery, AL, Sonia moved to UAB and
earned her MPH degree from the School of Public Health and completed a three-year research
fellowship. In 2002 she joined the faculty at the UAB School of Dentistry and quickly rose through the
ranks and was recently promoted to Full Professor.
Always helpful and kind, Dr. Mak, as she was sometimes lovingly known, was active in numerous
committees within UAB, as well as at the national and international levels, including being elected in
2019 as Director of the Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, and Health Services Research Group of the
International Association for Dental Research. She also served as Director of Communications and
Dissemination for the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Having obtained international
recognition for her clinical research and academic expertise, she was named a Fellow of the
International College of Dentists in 2019.
Sonia was widely loved for her collegial attitude and immensely respected for her expertise in clinical,
research, teaching, and administrative matters, yet she always considered her proudest achievement
and success to be her twins, Maks and Bella, whom she loves immeasurably and eternally.
Sonia is survived by her loving husband, Grant Briggs, two beloved children, Bella and Maks, as well as
her mother, Nina Makhija, her sister, Dr. Sharmila Makhija, her brother, Dr. Ajay Makhija, her
sister-in-law Dr. Laura Tuttle, nieces Emily and Kate, mother-in-law Marlene Mitchell and many dear
friends. She was preceded in death by her father, Dr. Suraj Makhija. In lieu of flowers or donations, the
family kindly asks that you honor Sonia’s memory by living life to its fullest potential, letting those you
cherish know how much you love them and by bringing more good into the world than you take away
from it.
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