I could not be more passionate and excited about being selected for a residency position in Periodontology. It would be a special honor for me to be chosen to serve at the VA XXXX Medical Center as I am most attracted to the state-of-the-art treatment provided, the high volume of patients, and the broad range of procedures routinely performed at VA New Jersey. A particular highlight of my professional life was completing an externship at Philadelphia VA Medical Center while a dental student at the University of XXXX. I appreciate how busy it was there, and I received so much knowledge and vastly improved my surgical skills throughout those several weeks.
I was proud of delivering the best care to veterans who served their country for many years. I was most favorably impressed with the excellent care provided to veterans and the top-notch resources available. VA XXXX Medical Center is one of the leading institutes in the country, offering research excellence across various fields. I find state-of-the-art research and technology fascinating, especially in Perio. I keenly look forward to a whole immersion experience in period disease and treatment. I see Drs. XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX are among the leading experts worldwide. I was especially impressed by Dr. XXXX’s work on periodontal disease features for smokers and people with Diabetes Mellitus. I am experienced in performing student research from my days in dental school in Belarus, where I researched the epidemiology of caries and gum disease.
I am especially looking forward to the collaboration between prosthodontics and periodontics specialty residents, an exceptional multidisciplinary strength of the program. The coexistence of a resident training program in prosthodontics affords another opportunity for interdisciplinary learning. I most enjoyed this type of multidisciplinary interaction during my externship. Prosthodontics and Perio, especially implant dentistry, stand at the center of my professional world.
As a member of the student surgical society in dental school in Belarus, I attended numerous international scientific conferences and seminars. I did a lot of research, for example, concerning the prevalence of gum recession in young populations and connections between risk factors and gum recession (smoking, inflammation, malocclusion, etc.). For example, I researched and spent many hours assisting with general surgeries and OMFS. I have fixed broken extremities and jaws, removed tumors, helped to restore missing face structures, and helped my patients successfully rehabilitate after car accidents. Making flaps, suturing, and using surgical handpieces makes me happy; I always get excited to see these procedures on my daily schedule.
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I moved to the USA in 2010, first becoming a dental assistant and later working as a sleep technician. I learned much about sleep medicine and obstructive sleep apnea, which is helpful in everyday dental practice. I was accepted to the Dental School of the University of XXXX in 2015, graduated in 2017 with Honors in Radiology, and received the HANAU Prosthodontic Award. At XXXX Dental, I focused on Perio, research, and treatment as much as possible. And I enjoyed the great diversity found at Penn.
Most of my CE credits are in Periodontology and Implantology: implant placement, crestal sinus lifting, soft tissues management, and working in the aesthetic zone; I also developed a more sophisticated understanding of troubleshooting. I enjoy Periodontology because it requires deep knowledge of science, biology, and surgical technics. Novel approaches to understanding tissue growth, healing, and regeneration.
I hope to learn more about the body's immune response and the use of growth factors to develop bones and gums as necessary to achieve the ideal conditions for implant placement and Physiotherapy techniques to improve the microcirculation of periodontal tissues providing anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. I would be thrilled to have an opportunity to do research in these areas. I also see myself teaching at some point in my career, sharing Perio with new generations of dentists.
Perio education in Belarus is vastly inferior to how it is practiced in the USA. I have longstanding dreams, therefore, of organizing international Perio courses and conferences in Belarus.
Thank you for considering my application.
Periodontology Residency VA Medical Center