Interdisciplinary care from the medical student perspective

Both medicine and dentistry are aimed at preventing deleterious health conditions, addressing and tackling health disparities, educating communities and patients about taking charge of their health, and diagnosing and treating malformations and diseases. Yet how often do doctors and dentists — better yet, medical students and dental students — work together? How can we learn from each other and, ultimately, work as a cohesive team?

Poetry in motion

Anacristina Chapa is more than just a dental student. She is also a poet — and a well-recognized one at that. She was named the 2016 Poetry Slam Champ of Laredo BorderSlam and has competed in various regional competitions. Last year, she was a member of Houston’s Write About Now poetry team and competed in the National Poetry Slam competition in Denver. She has received media attention for her work illustrating modern life, especially for college-age students and Latinos.

Fighting cancer in dental school

Cancer Pre-OPThis article originally appeared in the fall 2013 issue of Mouth and is written by Dr. Josh Nardone, Colorado ’14. To read more from the “Trials and Triumphs” issue of Mouth, click here.

Imagine you’re in the most demanding semester of dental school. At the University of Colorado, that’s the fall semester of second year. Now picture yourself holding a cast with your first RPD design, complaining about the impossible demands of your lab work and studies. Your bald classmate recovering from chemotherapy says, “Come on, guys. It isn’t so bad.”

Suddenly there’s little to complain about.

Actress goes to dental school

Screen shot 2015-04-26 at 10.37.57 AM“What made you want to become a dentist?” It’s the question we all get asked. My path to a career in dentistry was a bit unusual but it was lovely and adventurous and full of life experience.

I grew up in a dental office. My mother, Dr. Linda Kay Nichols is a dentist, and while I loved spending time in her office when I was young, it never occurred to me that I would follow in her footsteps. My original passion was in the creative arts. I grew up doing ballet and jazz dance. I moved to Los Angeles and studied at Cal. State University Northridge. I graduated with a B.A. in Theatre Arts. Learn more about Alisha’s path to dental school…

Common STEMs: Dentistry & Miss America

Miss MassachusettsMuch like Miss America, I’ve had people ask me if Girl Scouting is still relevant in today’s day and age… both are now two of the largest proponents for women to enter STEM fields in our nation! Why is it important to get young girls interested in math and science? It’s all about open doors, and open doors lead to passion, stability in a career, and self-sufficiency and fulfillment. I’m not arguing that every young woman needs to pursue a career in one of these fields, but they need to at least be on her radar! I do hope that all young people will keep an open mind and be sure to cross these options of their list before proceeding to their passion in life.

Ninja dentist in training

IMG_4344Believing that dentistry was my dream job, I knew that I needed to discipline myself to maintain a healthy lifestyle by training my mind and body. Staying fit wasn’t just about succeeding in dental school. I viewed every workout session as a personal battle and challenge to endure, persevere and test my limits. As I began to improve and see results, I wanted to challenge myself further. I decided to try out for American Ninja Warrior.