I hope to be selected for your distinguished, advanced training program in Endodontics at XXXX University out of consideration for diversity since I am a Black dentist born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. However, I also hope to be chosen based on my long-term goal in dentistry, starting a dental clinic for the underserved members of that community.
I look forward to discussions of some of the unique issues in Endodontics - and dentistry, generally speaking - that tend to arise in an inner-city context. My mother raised six children alone while battling the unforgiving constraints of rheumatoid arthritis. I saw little of my father as a child since he gave his life to being a Black Muslim until the LAPD murdered him. My mother and her older sister had been active members of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black Panther Party of Self-Defense in the late sixties and early seventies. By the time I arrived, however, in the wake of my older brother, she had lost interest in politics and struggled each day to put food on the table.
My mother’s slow deterioration and father's sudden death inspired me to reach beyond my circumstances. I became the first male in my family to earn a college degree. Since graduating from dental school, I have completed two hospital-based general practice residencies and work as a general practitioner. My interest in Endodontics has matured into a great passion throughout my training. I have excelled clinically in third molar extractions (simple and surgical), non-surgical molar endodontics, anterior retreats, draining fascial space infections, and the management of minor odontogenic trauma. I am the only dentist at my clinic that does molar Endodontics. I am extremely excited about current regenerative endodontics studies and apical microsurgeries. I have taken numerous continuing education courses, attended AAE conferences, and am a member of the American Dental Association and the American Association of Endodontists. I have focused my training on root canal therapy and look forward to many decades on the forefront of Endodontics, enabling patients to maintain their natural dentition.
My mother took me to church growing up, and I continue to attend church as it fortifies me, especially in my service to others as a dentist. As a dental student at Howard University, I was actively engaged with Campus Ministries. I attend The Father's House in Rochester, NY, a nondenominational, multi-cultural, multi-generational church. We like to think of ourselves as placed on this earth to serve God, and I understand that my service to him is through dentistry. Some of my most excellent volunteering experiences have been with a non-profit organization called Project Hospitality. I help homeless people, substance abusers, and people with HIV/AIDS. I mentor young boys with Big Brothers of America and hang drywall with Habitat for Humanity.
I look forward to a very high-energy environment in your Endodontics program, and I am ready to hit the ground running, especially because of my experience as a GPR resident at XXXX General Hospital, where I very much enjoyed the unpredictability of an intense emergency rotation with the hefty call schedule. I found it exciting to enter the exam room, not knowing exactly what to expect. Collecting patient medical histories, evaluating symptoms, and determining the proper diagnosis has always been a gratifying challenge, the continuum of intellectual stimulation upon which I thrive.
Thank you for considering my application.
Endodontics Residency South Central LA Mobile Clinic
