dental interviews

Are you prepared for the heavy course load an MD title demands?

100%

How would friends describe you?

Dependable and trust worthy "My friends would probably say that I'm goal oriented - I've never been afraid to keep going back until I get what I want.

What are your best characteristics?

Enthusiastic and goal oriented, collobrative and a hard worker, visionary

Do you enjoy working with your hands?

From a young age I started playing piano which I continue in college. This has helped with my hand eye coordination. My dexterity has greatly developed from card tricks- I use to do in high school, sleight of hand (manipulating the card). Finally, I have worked with fruit flies in high school and college which involved steady hands to perform dissections. In high school I dissected antennas of each fly. Lastly, I became interested in programming and my typing skills improved.

Describe the people you work with best.

I have respect for all individuals that work hard and maintain a professional work environment. Provided both of those are met, I will always get along with my coworkers without any personal disagreement.

Any art / graphics / design background or courses?

I've taken two design courses. One was with biochemistry design where I used computer stimulations to learn about proteins. But I am now enrolled in a computer science class for web design.

If you find yourself amongst the top of the class, will you be seeking further Dental education?

If I find a passion for a speciality I will make sure I am top of the class to be able to seek further education

What do you think are two major ethical issues facing dentistry today?

Not having Dental insurance and people not having proper diagnosing measurements

What type of Dental programs are you interested in?

Research oriented Dental with medical students community outreach dual degrees

Describe a day without stress.

Waking up peacefully, grabbing coffee and taking a walk with a friend around cayuga lake. Any day having a clear mind is a day without stress and without any phones.

What do you do in your spare time?

cycling and cooking

What are the negative aspects of being a Dentist?

you have to deal with the feeling of apprehension that a typical patient might have toward dental treatment. Many people are afraid of the dentist's office, and you will have to find ways to work around or alleviate this fear every single day that you work.

Dr. Jonathan Levine

• 50 hours, june 2015 to august 2015 • 5 hours a week • Pros is an expert in the restoration and replacement of the teeth • Crowns, bridges, full or partial dentures, dental implants • Crown- don't want to extract the tooth but it is so shitty you shave it down you use material, send in impressions and makes it look natural • Don't want to extract it and you need dentures and partial dentures • A lot of cosmetic dentistry- veneers, bonding, whitening • Private pays for it all

What do you feel are the most important qualities in being a good Dentist?

Extremely strong interpersonal skills, empathy, academic preparation, dexterity and perceptual skills, maturity and responsibility, excellent judgment.

What role does humor play in your life? Can you laugh at yourself?

Humor is a huge part of my daily life. I think that my day is not complete without laughing or smiling. I love making people laugh and making my family smile. I laugh at myself all the time, especially when I do something out of the ordaniary.

How would you describe your overall academic performance?

I am very happy with my overall academic performance so far, however my freshmen year until my fall semester sophomore year was tough in terms of finding the right study techniques and college resources. But I've learned greatly from my lower grades and since then, I have been consistently improving my grades and my knowledge in the subjects.

What do you want the admissions committee to know about you thats not in your file?

I can tell you some things not on my application. I just started to build my first app called study buddy. It's a way to connect students on college campuses and libraries to collaborate and study together. I came up with the idea last semester and spent the summer designing sketchups. I found a designer and a developer and hopefully its ready by spring semester as we will apply for cornell Elabs. Dr. Jonathan and Stacey Levine's GLO Good Foundation and Lenny Kravitz's Let Love Rule Foundation, will provide oral health care and education to people in need in Eleuthera (in the Bahamas), giving them the gift of healthy smile. the goal is to provide dental treatment and education to over 100 adults and children fluoride treatment, cleanings, oral health kits mobile dental unit, mobile xray

How do you feel about working with indigent patients?

I want to work with people who might not be able to afford dental care

If dentistry didn't exist what would you do?

I would probably get a PhD in microbiology and go into research and academia. The research aspect will allow me to to work in a thriving science environment and academia will allow me the interaction of helping others.

What has been the highlight of your academic years?

I wouldn't say I have a specific moment, but definitely achieving my goals, getting on the Deans list and going through the dental application cycle

What do you have to offer our school?

I'm a driven person and I think that is clear in through my application. I need a place where will give me the resources, education, and challenge in order to thrive. Columbia will offer me that and more. Not only would

Tell me about yourself

I'm a senior Biology major at Cornell. I grew up with a strong interest in science and healthcare, from both my upbringing and personal experiences. As a sophomore in highschool I was involved in a science research program called Intel. I began doing research on diabetes and cardiovascular disease to periodontal disease under Dr. Hatice Hasturk at BU. This was my first initial interaction with the dental field, outside of being a patient, and made me realize how much oral health affects systemic health, whether diabetes, cardiovascular, or even Alzheimer's. I saw dentistry as a lot more than just a great smile or white teeth but vital to one's overall health. My desire to practice dentistry was cemented form my experiences shadowing. I spent time volunteered with my uncle in Iran where I saw the oral health disparities and importance for dental outreach. My shadowing experiences at home showed me the teamwork, leadership, patient interactions and business aspects of dentistry. Part of me likes to think I'm an entrepreneur and in many ways dentists are entrepreneurs. Working with Dr. Levine over the last summer gave me insight in technology and innovation in dentistry, especially where the future of dentistry is heading. When I really think about it dentistry- it is a career that has so many facets I am intrigued by. From the research side, patient interaction, to technology, it encompasses everything I want to do, With an education from Columbia I am confident ill create change and succeed in the dental field.

If you could do anything different in your education, what would you do?

If I could change one thing, I probably would have added a language to my college focus. Maybe learning Spanish would be beneficial and allow me to communicate with more patients

Will you worry about any infections while performing work with patients?

Not worried but aware. I would be happy and willing to treat any patients with an infection, say for example HIV. I would take precaution in treatment for the patients needs as well as sterilization for my other patients.

Will you keep a client, even if they had the worst hygiene imagineable?

Of course

Describe the people you find most difficult to work with.

On a personal level, I really enjoy and get along with all types of people. On a professional level, I have respect for all individuals that work hard and maintain a professional work environment. Provided both of those are met, I will always get along with my coworkers without any personal disagreement.

What are your 2 greatest strengths?

One of my biggest strengths is that I possess is very strong communication skills. I feel that I possess the ability to make others understand how I derive my thoughts and which is often extremely helpful in team environments as well as working with patients. I feel that my communication abilities comes from the degree of organization I put into my life as well as my past research. Since high school I've presented my research in symposiums. I'm a very goal oriented in nature and become extremely driven to achieve what I'm set to do, and sometimes never satisfied. Going from BC to Cornell to Harvard, I constantly set goals for myself and I want to achieve the best

Why do you want to be a dentist?

Structure: when/ how did you interest in dentistry began, what you did to make that interest develop, what makes dentistry the ideal profession for you From early age I felt a desire to enter the healthcare field, both from my upbringing, having two parents and a brother in medicine, and from my personal exposure. Having a strong interest in science and wanting to make an impact I joined a research program in high school. As a sophomore I began doing science research and my mentor, Dr. Hatice Hasturk, happened to a PHD DDS from BU. Under here I studied diabetes and cardiovascular disease to periodontal disease . This was my first initial interaction with the dental field, outside of being a patient, and made me realize how much oral health affects systemic health, whether diabetes, cardiovascular, or even Alzheimer's. I saw dentistry as a lot more than just a great smile or white teeth but vital to one's overall health. My desire to practice dentistry was cemented form my experiences shadowing. I volunteered with my uncle in Iran where I saw the oral health disparities and importance for dental outreach. My shadowing experiences at home showed me the teamwork, leadership, patient interactions and business aspects of dentistry. Part of me likes to think I'm an entrepreneur and in many ways dentists are entrepreneurs. Working with Dr. Levine over the last summer gave me insight in technology and innovation in dentistry, especially where the future of dentistry is heading. When I really think about it dentistry- it is a career that has so many facets I am intrigued by. From the research side, patient interaction, to technology, it encompasses everything I want to do, With an education from BU I am confident ill create change and succeed in the dental field.

A patient has AIDs, would you still treat them as a Dentist?

Yes of course, in a profession like this everyone is treated the same. It is important to be extremely cautious with every patients, because sometimes that information is not disclosed. Therefore universal precautions should be used. As a future dentist I will never discriminate against anyone because of their health history or their background.

Do you think you would learn well in a small group setting? Explain

Yes, I really believe any environment that can enhance team or collaborative effort is the perfect setting for learning. From my experiences in small classes as compared to the large intro classes, small groups have been more productive

What hobbies do you have that require hand skills?

Yes, from a young age I started playing piano which I continue in college. This has helped with my hand eye coordination. My dexterity has greatly developed from card tricks- I use to do in high school, sleight of hand (manipulating the card). Finally, I have worked with fruit flies in high school and college which involved steady hands to perform dissections. In high school I dissected antennas of each fly. Lastly, I became interested in programming and my typing skills improved. • I believe the most beneficial activity that strengthened my skills are card tricks. From early on I developed a very strong interest in card tricks- I love david blane, chris angel. But card tricks involve manual dexterity just sleight of hand, or card flourish. Today, I just do it as a hobby • I think my research with fruit flies, both at Cornell and in high school. Especially in high school I was dissecting antennas of each fly which involved steady hand coordination • I also began computer programming, which improved my hand eye coordination and I'm a pretty fast typist • lastly, playing piano from a young age has also increased my ability to work with my hands

. Do you have any experiences volunteering in such underserved areas?

Yes, in haspar iran. My uncle after finishing dental school you have to spend time outside of the city. He was living in hastpar fluoride treatment, cleanings, oral health kits mobile dental unit, mobile xray Assisted in dental treatment in a hospital in Iran. Spoke to children ages 5-18 about dental care, brushing, and flossing in an outreach program. • Treatment in a hospital in Iran • Spoke to children ages 5 to 18 about dental care, brushing, flossing in an outreach program • Chance to see that people worldwide have been excluded from the benefits of socioeconomic development nd scientific advances that have improved health care • There are a lot of disparities in oral health • Building awareness for oral hygiene • I think a lot was also emotional hygiene- poverty,, depression stress and conomic problems to led to various additions and improper hygiene • Harmful effects of tobacco and smoking, tooth brushing techniques, flossing • Health promotion, disease prevention, patient education • Exams, cleanings restoations, extractions and pulpal therapy

What do you think will be your greatest challenge in completing Dental School?

balancing school work with life style

What are your 2 weakest points?

perfectionist with my work and organization. Sometimes I find my self in groups taking more responsibility because I envision an output. I don't have much free time. If I'm not studying I'm in the lab or in a club. Especially my senior year I don't want to miss out so I started a no work saturday rule. I will not open my school work or anything on saturday to have a day to rewind and relax I can be opinionated

Are you aware of issues facing Dentistry today?

reactive to preventative dentistry Access to care and how you can address this issue as a dental professional diagnosing properly periodontal disease Embracing technology Community water fluoridation was named one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, there are areas in the United States that do not have appropriately fluoridated water systems. Barriers to care include anything that limits or prevents people from receiving adequate health care. In the case of dental care, the most common are financial hardship, geographic location, pressing health needs and poor oral health literacy. Language, education, cultural and ethnic barriers may compound the problem. In many cases, multiple issues are involved. To access the necessary care for their dental needs, patients may require transportation, oral health education and/or financial assistance. H.R. 539, Action for Dental Care Act, which would enable organizations to provide dental services to underserved populations through grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr. Soheila Elaahi

• Dental shadowing, 100 hours • 8 hours a week • Dr. Elaahi was a general family dentist • Regular checkups, fillings, xrays, fluoride treatments, crowns, tooth extractions, dental sealants, cavity fillings • Prepared patients for treatment and teeth cleaning • Setting up/sterilizing dental instruments • Chair side assistant, sterilized instruments, developed x rays, prepared instrument trays • Dentist looks at an xray • Drill, fill, UV light to harden the filling material • Polish it and feel smooth, surface is straight • Insurance based practice • Root canal- decay got so bad that they have an infection at the nerve, drill a giant whole and pull out the nerve and put a prosthetic nerve, put a little gold metal

Dr. Reza Yahyazadeh

• Uncle • 40 hours • Hashtpar Iran • General Dentist • Treatment in a hospital in Iran • Spoke to children ages 5 to 18 about dental care, brushing, flossing in an outreach program • Chance to see that people worldwide have been excluded from the benefits of socioeconomic development nd scientific advances that have improved health care • There are a lot of disparities in oral health • Building awareness for oral hygiene • I think a lot was also emotional hygiene- poverty,, depression stress and conomic problems to led to various additions and improper hygiene • Harmful effects of tobacco and smoking, tooth brushing techniques, flossing • Health promotion, disease prevention, patient education • Exams, cleanings restoations, extractions and pulpal therapy