My cousin was born with a short penile frenulum attaching his tongue to the base of his mouth: and no one realized it until he was taken to a pediatric dentist at the age of 4, who performed a Frenuloplasty. Doctors, including his father, thought he was having developmental issues, so he was not speaking. This was perhaps my childhood's most significant single event, leaving me convinced very early on that pediatric dentists were nothing short of superheroes. My second major inspiration for a career as a pediatric dentist was from my volunteer work in high school in Iran, tutoring orphans. These children's acute need struck me for oral health care, some already with well-advanced tooth decay.
Born and raised in Iran, it was in this orphanage during high school that inspired me to commit to a career helping underserved people, those without access to oral health care. I moved to Canada at the age of 16. I finished high school, completing my undergraduate studies in Kinesiology at the university, and I have now been living in New York for the past four years. The challenges that I have faced have made me a strong woman, earning my DDS Degree at NYU and now giving my all to a one-year GPR.
I took multiple psychology courses as an undergrad, which I believe helped me to be a better dentist. I hope to specialize in behavioral management as a pediatric dentist, perhaps even publishing in this area. I want to give back to the community by caring for patients with special needs, complex medical problems, or those whose life is challenged by cancer or congenital defects, and children from low-income families with little-to-no access to dental care. I also look forward to teaching Pediatric Dentistry sometime in my career.
I want to become a state-of-the-art pediatric dentist to make the greatest possible contribution to my society and community in my newly adopted homeland. During my GP residency so far, I have not only developed broad exposure to the management of pediatric patients but also thrived with the additional autonomy granted to me as a resident. I look forward to the most rigorous training in a challenging Pediatric Dentistry residency program.
I have experience advocating for underprivileged children and even helping to lobby for their causes in Washington, DC. Multiculturalism is critically important to me, and I could not have been happier to study and practice dentistry in an environment with such diversity as NYU. I also completed a 3-month rotation in Gouverneur Hospital while still a student at NYU because I asked the director to be placed in the pediatric clinic where I could actively treat pediatric patients under the supervision of Dr. Brown.
Throughout my DDS program, I was very active with the American Student Dental Association (ASDA). In 2019, we went to Washington to lobby for the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA) Act, which sought to ensure that children suffering from congenital anomalies and birth defects can receive the treatment they need to be covered by insurance. I will never forget personally talking to members of Congress in support of ELSA.
I have a lot of leadership experience, working for the government of Canada, for example, as an executive member of Leave the Pack Behind. During dental school, I was involved in multiple organizations to develop my leadership skills, especially regarding the pediatric population. As part of the Ortho Club, I learned much about the scope of a pediatric dentist’s field of practice concerning Orthodontics.
Participating in different specialty clubs taught me the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to team building and networking when referring the patient to another specialty. As an executive member of the ASDA at NYU and District 2 level, I also gained extensive additional experience in Teledentistry. Our organization would go to health centers in elementary schools to provide dental care for students free of charge.
Thank you for considering my application.