Fall 2015 | Volume 1 | Issue 1

THE

ACCESSNewsletter of Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona

Technology at a turning point:Midwestern pioneers a bold new path in dental education

By Robert Kramer, D.M.D.

I had the pleasure of hosting a foreign-trained colleague on campus recently. We had met at a recent Digital Den-tistry Forum for Educators in Louisville, Kentucky, where a dozen or so dental schools were represented. He was intrigued by Midwestern University-Arizona’s commit-ment to technology in its pursuit of advancing the current state of dental education and research. Giving a tour and explaining why and what we do here is a refreshing and mindful experience. We often accept our situation as sta-tus quo, but that could not be further from the truth. Midwestern is leading the change in not only the way dental students are taught, but forging a new path that other schools are quickly following. Dean Smith’s vision to have our graduates competent in the latest technology was immediately noticed by my visitor. PlanScan CAD/CAM, a cornerstone since our inception, has rolled out en masse to the Dental Institute. Every single suite will have three design units and video scan-ners. Our preclinical CAD/CAM center recently added the CEREC system , which will become part of the D2 rotation.

Confusion over CE coursesClarifying the concept of Continuing Education By Jessica Teiman (‘18)

Many students under-stand the importance of Continuing Educa-tion (CE) courses after graduation and licen-sure, but the value of CE as students is widely misunderstood.

For those who don’t know, after you leave school you will be required to take Continu-ing Education courses to stay current with the field of dentistry (and to maintain your license). Continuing Education courses cov-er every topic that could possibly be relat-ed to dentistry: specialists hold classes for

general practitioners, suppliers hold classes to promote their new products, there are ethics courses, business courses, insurance courses, etc. In addition to lecture-style ed-ucation, there are many hands-on courses that function like a skills lab. As students, we have the unique opportunity to attend many courses for free or deeply discounted rates. In addition to gaining a wealth of knowl-edge from attending CE courses, students can even receive credit for attending, with a caveat. Credits you earn as a student are not applied to your future require-ments but they can be applied to your

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Dennis Cufone, D.D.S., teaches Sherwin Gilani (‘18) the basics of CAD/CAM. Planmeca’s Plan-Scan is one of many new technologies Midwestern University incorporates today.

INSIDECan I be a military dental officer?

Jun-Kyung Ko (‘18)

Licensure exams need reformAndrew Boyd (‘17)

Art, agriculture, and the cosmosJanak Tull (‘19)

From Dubai to the desertLin Razhzhub (‘18)

The secret struggle of dental schoolClaire Dupey (‘18)

The Food MonsterSherwin Gilani (‘18)

ASDA ACCESS

Dear Class of 2019,

Well, you are off to a great start. It is so re-freshing to see your enthusiastic faces each day. We welcome that enthusiasm and hope that you carry it with you throughout your career. By now you have waxed up a veneer, accessed a central incisor and taken impres-sions, as well as learned everything you ever wanted to know about metabolism. Dentistry and Midwestern will push you to your limits of learning and excellence. We live and thrive in a profession where status quo is not acceptable, because we care so much about the welfare of our patients. You have already seen the number of hours that you have to put in to your learning in order to understand and feel confident in all that is required of you to be called Doctor. What a great opportunity you have at this time to not only learn but to affect the lives of all your future patients. There will come a day not too far in the future where a patient will (with a tear in their eye and smile on their face) say thank you for helping them feel better about their self.

Throughout your dental school journey you will reach several crossroads. The decisions that you make as you reach these crossroads will determine not only the caliber of dentist you will become but the character you will carry with you throughout your life. Be care-ful and be wise in these decisions, think of the future, yours, your patients, your family, and your dental community. Learn to enjoy each day, have fun, work hard, share a funny story, cry, smile, walk, exercise, and reflect. These are all emotions that make up life and life is full of emotions. Your class, just like those before you, exceed my expectations. You are so gifted. Keep up the good work, let discouragement fall by the roadside of life, and grab a hold of all the good that comes to you each day. You are the best of the best.

Good luck to each of you, Bradford Smith, D.D.S.Dean and Associate Professor

Welcome from the Dean

Hello CDM students,

On behalf of the American Student Dental Association, welcome back to Midwestern University for what is sure to be an exciting academic year! Whether you are an eager first year student or a fourth year student looking forward to graduation, ASDA is excited to provide you with the resources and opportunities for you to make this a memorable year. One of our goals this year is to improve communication with the student body. Through newsletters and monthly updates, we intend to keep everyone informed about the local and national issues that are most important to dentistry and to you as students. ASDA is committed to protecting and advancing the rights of dental students through events such as National Leadership Conference, National Lobby Day, and Annual Session, among others. Throughout the year we will strive to educate students regarding how ASDA operates on a national level and how as a student, you can influence policy that will directly affect your career. We will work diligently to provide you with the resources that are most important to your dental education. With great help from the student body, MWU ASDA has won awards in previous years in the categories of ethics and community outreach. We are striving to expand our accolades this year to include the categories of communication and legislation. We encourage you to be on the lookout for ASDA events and we hope that you will participate in our success this year! Whether you are interested in improving your leadership skills, developing practice management insight, getting involved with community service, or just trying to make your dental school journey the best it can be, ASDA is the place to get involved. We want each and every student to be involved with ASDA and we look forward to making this a fantastic year for organized dentistry at Midwestern University.

Sincerely,Nathan AntoineMWU ASDA President

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Presidential Address

FALL 2015 | VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 1

As we learn many career options during the dental school journey, you may find your-

self thinking about the dental career in military. The United States military (Air Force, Army, and Navy) offers incredible benefits that attract many dental students across the nation, providing an oppor-tunity to serve the nation while developing yourself as a dental pro-fessional and as a leader. However, just like any other critical life moments, an informed decision is necessary in order to prepare and pursue dental practice in the military. I would like to take a brief mo-ment to describe how you can practice dentistry in the military after graduation, and hopefully initiate your research into this wonderful career option. First of all, you should keep in mind that serving in the military is not for everyone. In my opinion, if the tuition payment is the only reason for choosing military route, this career option might be full of dissatisfaction. Although dental corps in the military comes with many benefits, they will expect you as a military officer first then as a dentist second. What you will do as a dentist will mainly be driven by the military hierarchy, unlike the private practice model. I believe having a true willingness to serve the nation is a fundamental re-quirement. So now let’s look at how we can become a military dentist and its benefits. The first option is to compete and be awarded with Health Profes-sions Scholarship Program (HPSP) during dental school. There are 4 year, 3 year, and 2 year scholarship options depending on the branch of service. The benefits differ slightly per branch of the military, but in general, they will pay for your dental school tuition, books, loupes,

scrubs, board examination and other associated fees. If you consid-er the tuition of Midwestern, this is a significant financial relief. In addition, each student will get paid with monthly stipend (~$2200 before tax) that enables you possibly with a debt-free education. This scholarship benefit comes with a year-to-year service contract immediately after graduation that requires you to serve in the mili-tary equivalent to the scholarship duration (ex: 4 year scholarship = 4 year service after school). Keep in mind that this scholarship involves a very competitive and rigorous application process. The second option is to apply after dental school as a practicing dentist. This option may seem beneficial for you because it enables you to gain real-world experience in the civilian practice setting and debt relief in exchange for the military service contract. However, this may be the more difficult option, because the limited availability of the position spot differs each year per branch and the qualification of position will usually require an advanced post-graduate education. It may sound daunting, but this option can provide you with an un-matched lifestyle change with invaluable experiences and financial relief. A practicing dentist in the military is a rewarding career with priceless benefits, such as becoming a commissioned officer under the world’s finest leadership/professional development training pro-gram. Whether you choose to make it a lifetime career or serve for a contracted period, you will experience the learning and practice environment that is second to none! Give it a shot and consider this career route. If you have more questions, please call each branch’s recruiting resources to satisfy your eager mind.

By Jun-Kyung Ko (‘18)

Can I be a military dental officer?

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Academy of General Dentistry Fellowship (FAGD). An AGD fellowship is earned once a dentist has completed 500 hours of CE courses and passes the fellowship exam. When a dentist completes the fellowship, they earn the extra FAGD title. This is a way for general dentists to set themselves apart from other general dentists and show that they are committed to life long learning. Af-ter a fellowship is earned, the fellow can go on to earn a Master of AGD (MAGD), which is an additional 600 hours of CE, both lecture and hands-on skills development, that cover all all dental disciplines. There is no exam for the MAGD, but by taking courses in all disci-plines of dentistry, they really will become a master of general dentistry.

Students who are planning to go into specialty programs may not directly benefit from working towards a fellowship, but the content they receive from these courses is still extremely beneficial to their diagnostic and treatment planning skills. Additionally, having earned 50+ hours of CE credits as a student shows a residency program that you are deeply committed to your education. Students planning to be general dentists can benefit immensely, as they can earn up to 50 credit hours while in school when they are current AGD members. Some CE cours-es are free, but others can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars, so earning 50 hours in school can save you a lot of money. To clarify: anyone can attend a CE course and earn a CE credit, but as students, the only thing these courses count towards is the FAGD. You must be a member current on dues in AGD for the CE credit to count for anything, but the knowledge is still valu-

able even if you are not working towards an FAGD. There has been recent confusion amongst many MWU students about how to earn these credits. National conventions such as ASDA Annual Session and our ASDA District 10 meeting offer CE courses. The Western Regional Dental Convention takes place in Phoenix in the spring, and students can at-tend courses for free. Additionally our school has an AGD PACE certification, which means clubs on campus can provide CE courses when they are approved by Dr. Pashayan, the director of CE. To receive CE, make sure you keep a record of the course verification form you’ll receive at the end of each course. At Midwestern we receive an outstanding education, but there is always room for more learning. Whether working towards earning the 50 hours of CE towards the FAGD or not, all students should take advantage of the free or discounted CE courses offered to us.

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Now that every student will be laser cer-tified by the start of the D3 year, Sirona La-sers will make a big impact. The Wave One endodontic system is taught in the D2 year and carried into the clinic. Dr. John Mitchell, Director of Dental Research, is researching the new Solea CO2 Laser System, which provides dental anesthesia and hard tissue cutting. Thor Laser’s Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is being studied for effectiveness in promot-ing rapid healing after surgery and relieving TMJ pain, among other uses. iCAT Cone Beam technology is offered to patients for diagnosis of pathology and combined with Anatomage for pre-surgical planning of implant placement with custom milled sur-gical guides. The recent announcement of Invisalign training for our 4th year dental students will be not only another feather in our cap, but the edge many of our students

will have in the job marketplace. My friend was wowed! I sat in an Educator’s Forum at CEREC 30 last week, where schools shared their experiences with implementing new tech-nology into their programs. The consensus was that it takes five years for a traditional school to incorporate new systems. We’ve been through that curve and stand ahead of the pack! With a visionary Dean who de-sires to make each student the best gener-al dentist they can be, we definitely have a bright future. Dentistry is at the tipping point of an epic shift that will impact how and where our students will practice. Technology al-lows the well-trained practitioner to offer a greater range of services to a public that wants more done with less visits (single vis-it CAD/CAM crowns, GP placed implants, endodontics), coupled with an experience that touches all of their senses (a great of-fice atmosphere, welcoming staff, comfort, convenience and appreciation). Large group practices have purchasing power for

new technology and tend to be early adopt-ers. Corporate dentistry sees technology as an investment that yields a good Return On Investment (ROI), as care can be deliv-ered at a lower cost to the practice, yielding a higher profit margin or an ability to offer lower fees than their competitors. Our stu-dents will be the best prepared graduates to lead this change. One caveat in dental education has never changed: excellence in diagnosis, treatment planning and delivery of care can never be discounted! Incorporating new technology requires an attitude of lifelong learning, and continuous self-improvement is required. CAD/CAM can help practitioners develop precise hand skills for excellent prepara-tions, which are required for the excellent fit of the restorative material. Proper selec-tion and technique in delivery of adhesive bonding systems will allow dentists to con-serve natural tooth structure and preserve teeth longer. Technology is the future, and Midwestern University-AZ is there!

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Licensure exams need reform

Regional licensing exams are notorious for their complicated rules, unrealistic expectations and questionable ethicality. Yet, year in and year out, the only way to become a licensed dentist requires that dental students submit themselves to one of these tests. One of the major issues from an ethical stand-

point lies in leaving untreated disease (periodontal and/or carious) in a patient’s mouth for months on end, waiting for that magical day on which you can take the test to prove your competence. Worse yet is the case when a dental student chooses a carious lesion to use on their exam when the ideal treatment may indicate something less invasive. The unrealistic part of the boards arises when we expect a patient (with this perfect lesion) to show up and not fuss even in the slight-est. Because, after all, this day is about my license right? What if on this particular morning our board patient has a flat tire? Or decides they would rather spend the day with family? I think it is important for us, as the future of this profession, to ask ourselves: is this really how we want to continue to test future providers’ skills? Additionally, we have to think of the inherent issues from a provider’s standpoint. Think about how many days that class II prep on #5 just didn’t go quite right. We all have off days. To judge your entire four-year edu-cation, clinical skills and ability to assess and treat dental disease on three procedures on a single day of the year seems like we’re missing a big piece of the puzzle. It’s like reading one page in the middle of a novel – without context it often loses meaning. The complicated rules involved with such tests are just one more hurdle. For instance you cannot submit a patient as a “perio” pa-tient unless they have so many “clicks” of calculus and pockets of a certain depth. Of course the depth of these pockets and numbers of

clicks vary from test to test. Also, when you send the patient to the grading area, the rubber dam must be on. This leads to an almost comical lineup of patients with rubber dam frames hanging off their faces waiting to be graded. Actual cavity preparation also has its own set of rules. The test requires that you start by prepping a tooth to an “ideal” prep. But these are neither plastic teeth in a mannequin head, nor are they virgin teeth. In fact, they must have radiographic evidence of decay. So when the applicant begins his ideal prepara-tion and finds caries, he must submit for “modifications” to his prep. If the caries is actually on the axial wall, and the student asks for a prep extension on the facial wall, his modification can be denied. This leaves the student wondering whether he submitted the wrong modification, or if the tooth structure is actually not diseased dentin. People have failed the test because of instances like this. Yes, failed a $2000 exam not because of his lack of clinical skills – or even a lack of ability to diagnose caries – but instead due to formalities and com-plicated rules. The exam is not failing people with subpar skills, but delaying competent and deserving doctors their license. I’m by no means saying that licensing exams are to be done away with. However, some reform is badly needed. One of the alternatives is being utilized in California right now. A 4th year student attending a California dental school can apply for a CA dental license by portfo-lio. This system allows the student to submit a document showcasing multiple procedures in many different realms in dentistry. A commit-tee then reviews this portfolio and determines whether or not the student is competent. This system is much more objective because it allows the committee to recognize that every patient is different, and every single procedure needs to be different as well. As future doctors in this wonderful profession, it is absolutely our responsibility to ensure that these licensing exams undergo im-provement. “It has always been this way” is no longer an excuse. If we expect to hold each other ethically responsible professionally, it is imperative that we start in dental school.

By Andrew Boyd (‘17)

Live patient testing continues to be an ethical and logistical nightmare

FALL 2015 | VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 1

Super Sealant Saturday Saturday, October 10, 2015 7:00 AM – 1:00 PMD3s and D4s provide preventive treatment to children between the ages of 4 – 18, including cleanings and sealants. D1s and D2s have the opportunity to assist providers, volunteer as runners or partici-pate in providing oral health instruction to patients.

Arizona Community Dental Clinic Saturday, December 5, 2015 8:30 AM – 1:30 PMD2s, D3s and D4s provide dental treatment to patients at ACDC, a clinic in Phoenix that offers reduced-cost treatment to qualifying patients. ACDC is run by volunteer dentists and the Arizona Den-tal Foundation, and enables us to practice dentistry outside of our university clinic.

Arizona Mission of MercyFriday, December 11th and Saturday, December 12th D1s, D2s, D3s and D4s are invited to volunteer as dental assistants, x-ray technicians, help with registration, clinic set-up and/or take-down, triage and patient escort.

Veteran’s Dental Care Event with Aspen DentalWinter/Spring 2016This is a brand new event that ASDA is planning with the College of Dental Medicine and Aspen Dental. More details to come!

Give Kids a Smile March 2016 Students provide free treatment to children at the Midwestern Uni-versity Dental Institute. Restorations, extractions, cleanings and sealants will be offered based on each patient’s individual needs.

Oral Cancer Walk with ASDOH and the Arizona Dental AssociationApril 2016 HopeFest April 2016Students are welcome to volunteer as assistants or assist with triage.

Special Olympics Special Smiles Oral Health Screen-ings May 2016Volunteer dentists and students complete oral health screenings for Special Olympics athletes to detect any treatment needs. This in-formation is recorded so athletes can be referred to dental offices around the valley that are equipped to treat patients with special needs.

Further event details and other opportunities will become available as the year progresses, so be sure to check back! Have an idea for a com-munity service project that you’d like to see put into action? Contact any ASDA committee member and share your ideas with us!

2015 – 2016 Community Service Events At-a-GlanceInterested in getting involved in the Phoenix dental community? There are plenty of opportunities for D1s, D2s, D3s and D4s!

PHOTOS COMPILED BY ALEXANDRA PIERRE-BEZ

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: JANAK TULLFirst-year dental student talks art, agriculture, and cosmic responsibilityBy Janak Tull (‘19)

I’ve been asked the same question a number of times.“What’s your story?”

I generally have the same answer. “I have a lot of stories.”

*** My name is Janak (pronounced john-nick), and yes, that is my full legal first name. I am the CEO of my own design company, creatively named Janak. My dad is from New Jersey and he pas-sively observes the Jewish religion. My mom is from India and she passively observes the Hindu religion. In order to be Jewish from an orthodox perspective your mother is supposed to be Jewish. In order to be Hindu your father is supposed to be Hindu. I have decided to create my own system: “Jindew”. My mother practices dentistry and my father is a Sanskrit pro-fessor. My name comes from an ancient Vedic story called the Ra-mayana. It means father, creator, or progenitor, or something along those lines. My brother’s name is Jasha, but the world knows him as Space Jesus. He’s a cutting-edge bass music pioneer. At a young age, I accepted that I was wildly different from ev-eryone around me. I refuse to let people assume they know who I am by my appearance. What you choose to put on your body is a means of communicating with everyone that sees you, so choose your pance wisely. I wanted to be a dentist at the ripe age of ten. I was sure of it by thirteen. When I went to Pitzer College, I thought the prereq-uisite courses were insufficient in terms of manual dexterity, and decided to pursue an art major. I only took classes that had a direct correlation to something one might do while practicing dentistry. While I was in college, I started getting into the power of the Internet. It’s such a fascinating place. I also studied a great deal of philosophy and began to view and interpret the world from a Yin Yang perspective. By watching and reading things online while experiencing life out in the physical world, I started thinking that civilization is at a crucial turning point in its history. Humanity is going down a series of detrimental paths in this current time. I had this big idea about connection. I could contact thousands of people just by moving my thumb around my mobile device, yet the number of people I actually had real, meaningful connections with was insignificant in comparison. I also did a good deal of research on food and the state of the food industry in this country. There are a lot of very terrible words one could use to describe it. In short, I think that the source of the disparity in connection our civilization is due to the delocalization of food. Humans have evolved for thousands of years to be eating foods that grow from the ground they are living on during the season they are living in. It’s not natural to eat a banana in New Jersey in the dead of winter. So how do we solve this? Personally, I plan to use dentistry to bring harmony between the land and the people in my local area. As mentioned, my mom is a dentist. Her office is my gallery, dis-playing a plethora of paintings I have created. She wears pance I design and construct in her office. She practices in an area close to a lot of really wonderful farms and land. I’m planning on building a large studio house with a screen printing room, sewing room, paint-ing room, digital design room, sculpture room, and whatever other art practices I can get under my belt (although all my pance actually

have elastic). All the friends I have that are farmers love making art, but art is expensive. Here’s the concept: If farmers bring me food they are growing, they can come use the studio space and take classes on how to make things. If my patients like my art and want to learn how to make it, they can come take classes as well. By unifying these elements of medicine and farming through art, hopefully I can create a com-munity based on creative interest. This may create a small ripple of change in my local area, it may not. But if it does, and enough young people around the country take action to promote these concepts, we may eventually make a global difference. Technology is evolving rapidly – more rapidly than we can keep up with. So the timeframe on making this change happen is completely unknown to me. We may fail and wipe ourselves out as a civilization. Or we may succeed and have the capacity one day to not only ben-efit our own civilization, but maybe the whole galaxy…maybe the whole universe. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, I think it’s important to focus on connection. Learn to help each other grow as best we can. Life is about sharing your gifts, not just knowing them. Thanks for reading. Maybe next time I’ll explain Pance to you.

Janak Tull, CEO of his own design company, has been making waves with his progressive personality and pance.

COURTESY OF JANAK TULL

FALL 2015 | VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 1

Meet the D1 Class Council! The Class of 2019 recently elected a set of students to lead them through the first year of their dental education. While the class has been busy getting into the groove of Midwestern life, they have made numerous relationships and have already begun to feel like a family. It is the goal of the class council to continue to foster this sense of family through the school year. With that being said, please meet the Midwestern University Class of 2019 Class Council!

What does being a leader mean to you?A leader is an individual who has the ability to bring people together towards a common goal.Fun fact: I’ve played the drums since middle school!

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Benjamin Waites - Secretary Victoria Sepich - Vice President

Johnny Vredenburg - Activities Coordinator

Meghan Holzer - D1 Representative

Victoria Cervantes - Activities Coordinator

Daniel Taw - Historian

Igor Borisov - D1 Representative

Kimberly Coverly - President

Joel Deehr - Historian

What is the best part about dental school? Undergrad classes are in the past, where they belong.Fun fact: I’ve broken 7 of my 11 toes. (Just kidding. I only have 10 toes).

What does being a leader mean to you? A leader is someone who is determined, confident, and trustworthy. As Vice President, I am honored to be one of your class leaders this year.

What does being a leader mean to you?A leader is an individual whose actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, explore more, do more, become more, and reach higher.

What is the best part about dental school?: Complaining together, helping each other, then cel-ebrating after every hurdle on our way to becoming doctors.

What does being a leader mean to you?I will promote the needs of our class and help to make this year great for everyone. Fun fact: My #2 has a 5th cusp on the lingual!

What does being a leader mean to you? Being a great listener and being someone that can be a point of contact for everyone when they need some-thing done. My main goal is to remove obstacles for everyone during our time here.

What is the best part about dental school? The best part of dental school definitely has to be how friendly and helpful our class has been. The fact that we all look out for each other is something really special.

Fun fact: My name is in the movie credits of “Epic” and “Ice Age 4”. I wrote computer programs for the Art department at Blue Sky Studios. I sat next to some big names in the animation industry!

COURTESY OF BRANDON LE

11 Nozar Tarkesh - Academic Liaison*

What is the best part about dental school? Finding new friends for life. What does being a leader mean to you?Ability to be a good role model.

Fun fact: I’ve lived in thirteen countries!

10 Mustafa Salam - Sim ClinicLiaison*

*not pictured

Let’s face it, dental school is time-consum-ing. With your to-do list getting longer each week, it is easy to make working out last on your list of priorities. Here are some tips to make fitness fit into an already hectic dental school schedule.

1. Plan studying around your workouts.

Scenario One: Your current plans for Sunday: get through 6 BASI lectures from 10-5pm. What really gets done: 5 lectures, 4 Facebook breaks, 3 snack breaks, 2 Instagram sessions, and 1 Snapchat of you drinking coffee while studying. The harsh reality is that no one can stay focused for 7 hours. A better study plan: get through 3 lectures, gym break, then finish the last 3 lectures. You’ll find that you finish the first three lectures faster so that you can take your break. When you come back to studying, it is easier to stay focused. Scenario two: You have to finish 4 veneer restorations in SIM lab by tomorrow. New goal: finish two, take a gym break, and then come back to finish the other two. I have found that my eyes appreciate the rest, and that my hand skills are much better after a stress-relieving gym sesh.

2. Make it fun.

Working out is more fun when you’re not in it alone. Ask around your class and see where people work out. Find a yoga, CrossFit, or cycling Groupon, and get some friends to try out the new place with you. You are much more likely to stick to a workout regime when you have oth-ers encouraging you to go. Working out shouldn’t be a task – it should be fun!

3. Get a routine, stick to it.

Since you check your iCal and block schedule at least three times a day, why not add your workouts on your schedule? By adding workout times to your schedule, you won’t forget to go. Pack your gym clothes in your backpack on Tuesday/Thursday and go the gym right after lab. Go to a class every Saturday at noon. Whatever you decide on, find a time that works with your schedule and make it part of your weekly routine.

4. Be Inspired!

Working out is not only great for your body, but also recharges you mentally. Find a gym or instructor that motivates you to not only im-prove your fitness, but to keep an optimistic outlook on life. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed throughout the week, so keeping things in perspective helps. There is more to life than getting straight A’s. The instructor at the CrossFit gym I go to ends each class with a “message.” A quick blurb about staying positive, achieving goals, etc. I always leave feeling motivated to accomplish whatever I planned that night. Whether it is an encouraging instructor, positive workout buddy, or just an upbeat workout environment, find something that makes you feel rejuvenated. When your workouts help you do better in school, sleep better, and feel better overall, you will have no problem making what used to be a chore, a necessity.

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Fitting fitness into your dental school lifeBy Chelsey Allen (‘18)

Chelsey Allen, second-year dental student, keeps the blood pumping by working out with her classmates.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHELSEY ALLEN

FALL 2015 | VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 1

FROM DUBAI TO THE DESERT

What do you really want to do in your life? Write a novel, travel the world, start your own company? Many of us dismiss such dreams as indulgent fantasies. After all, with so many challenges in the here and now, dreaming about the future may seem pointless. Maybe even indulgent. But I come from Dubai, where a refugee can become a billionaire in the twinkling of an eye and a taxi driver can start a successful transport business in days. My Syrian father and Bulgarian mother constantly nurtured in me a pas-sion for education, ambition, and leadership. To me, there is nothing more important; happiness is to cast off your own limitations and begin dreaming about the wonderful things you can become and do. I still remember picking up my tennis racket at age four. I was slow and weak in the beginning; I was twelve when I started playing in tournaments and would always quit out of fear of losing. It felt like fate, then, when I was diagnosed with pneumonia and remained bedridden for months. I didn’t know if I would be able to run again. But my parents supported me. My parents, who taught me to cast off my limitations, inspired me to keep going. They were both athletes themselves, and knew that the exercise would improve not only my fitness and strength, but my mental abilities as well. So I persevered. I learned what it takes to excel: practice. With tennis, I learned that the more I practiced, the more I felt like doing. Tennis is not just about strokes and technique, but the person behind the racket. I train my body’s fitness – my speed, my strength, my coordination, my balance. But beyond that, I train my mental toughness, even if it is still a challenge sometimes. I pushed myself harder and further in order to build an armor to help my game and protect me from the rocks life throws my way. I ended up playing with the national team of the United Arab Emirates for a few years, before joining the performance team of the Al Wasl Sports Club. I represented my country internationally for several different tournaments.

*** My time at the University of United Arab Emirates gave me an excellent start in my dental career, but I always dreamt about com-ing to the United States. It is the home of the best health education system in the world, with the most modern knowledge and access to advanced technology and research. Also, being half Syrian, witness-ing one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time – with an estimate of more than 5 million refugees lacking health care – makes

me acutely aware that the knowledge and skills I’m cultivating here can one day improve someone’s life. On the road to a worthwhile goal, there are bound to be sharp turns, crossroads, and steep inclines. I’ve felt homelessness and loneliness in a world of strangers. It’s not so easy to keep going. Sometimes I feel pessimistic and afraid here in dental school, where I have to work harder than I ever have before. I know there will only be more hardships, late nights, stress, disappointments, and resis-tance on the way to my destination. But tennis taught me about my emotions and character. I now know to deal with difficult sitatuations with determination, even at the edge of defeat. Above all odds, I do love this experience. Every time I feel down, I remember my family who believe in me and my former dean, the truly inspiring Dr. Richard Simonsen. Now I love meeting new peo-ple, with their completely different backgrounds and completely dif-ferent lifestyles. That’s one of the amazing things moving to a new country on my own has brought me. It’s helping me grow as a person, and that’s a luxury! So I journey towards my dream, small step by small step, hoping one day they become huge.

By Lin Razhzhub (‘18)

Tennis-playing transfer student tells her tale of overcoming hardship

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIN RAZHZHUB

Lin Razhzhub, tennis player, has represented United Arab Emirates competitively.

10 | ASDA ACCESS

The secret struggle of dental schoolBy Claire Dupey (‘18)

Feeling alone in a room of one hundred and forty

“No more than a couple weeks into the school year, people seemed to know where they belonged. But I didn’t.”

Picture this: dental students congregating outside the testing center on a Friday afternoon making plans on where to go for lunch to cele-brate the week’s end. Or how about this: Monday morning lecture at 8:00 am, students trickling in to sit with their friends and talk about the week-end they just shared with one another. Or this: classmates commiserating after a rough basic

science exam, walking to the cafeteria to grab coffee together before the next class begins. These are scenes most students at Midwestern can relate to on some level. They help shape our experiences while in dental school and will become memories that last a lifetime. For me, however, these scenes bring to mind one word: loneliness. Let me backtrack a little. When I was accepted into Midwestern, I was eager to make lasting relationships. I knew that in dental school we would all be on the same team; everyone experiencing the highs and lows together as one family. I couldn’t wait to make friends who I would take weekend trips with, who would perhaps someday be in my wedding, and who I would maybe even work alongside in the future. I anticipated many challenges in dental school: demanding coursework, long hours in the clin-ic, sleepless nights studying for final exams. But what I failed to realize was the most difficult as-pect of dental school for me would be making true friends. I’ve never had trouble making friends. I have, however, always had trouble making long-last-ing friendships. You know, the kind of bonds where the other person completely understands what you are going through and can be called upon at any hour of the day. The rela-tionships where you laugh, you cry, you share life stories with one another. This was the type of friendship I had longed for my entire life and was the type I imagined forming at Midwestern before the first day of class began. I did my best to meet as many students in my class as possible during orientation week, but it didn’t seem to matter. With all of the social events going on that week, groups had formed and I felt iso-lated from all of them. No more than a couple weeks into the school year, people seemed to know where they belonged. But I didn’t. I was prepared for the stress dental school would bring, but I was not prepared for this. I was not prepared to feel more anxiety toward my non-existent social life than the grade I might receive on a basic science exam. In a program where 140 of us were going through the same motions, I had never felt more alone. I tried a few study groups, thinking if I could bond with classmates on an intellectual level, it would at least be something. None of those were successful. I tried being friendly to everyone, thinking eventu-

ally someone would invite me to tag along. But usually, no one did. The people I found myself talking to most in class and clinic were married, and some even had children. I am not married nor do I have kids, but I understood that the little free time they had would be spent with their families. I realized every once in a while they would get together during the week to get lunch or grab dinner. Again, I waited for invitations that did not come. On the rare occasions that I did receive an invitation to hang out with classmates, it was usually to go out later at night and partake in activities I left behind when I finished my undergraduate program. There’s nothing wrong with going out to unwind, but my “partying days” are far behind me, and it didn’t feel right to force myself to drink just to make friends. I decided to focus on getting involved with clubs and organiza-tions. It was important to me, but I also thought that if I had another commonality with my peers, it might be easier to find what I was looking for. While it certainly helped me become acquainted with

more of the students at Midwestern, I witnessed the same thing I realized early on: students form solid bonds, and they form them fast. There was no room for me in anyone’s “group”. Last year, I never cried because I was stressed about an exam. I never cried because a project went awry in the simulation clinic. I cried be-cause I just wanted a friend. I wanted to walk out of a Case Study exam or practical and find a group of my peers who were waiting to make plans. Instead, I walked down the hallway, side-stepping the groups who were making

plans, and made my way home. Alone. I knew dental school would be tough, but making friends was the last thing I thought I would be stressed out about. It has taken me a while to get to this point, but this year, I feel at peace with the fact that groups have formed and I may or may not be invited to hang out with my classmates. I realized it is okay to wait for friendships to come into my life instead of trying to seek them out on my own. A dating relationship isn’t forced. Likewise, friendship shouldn’t be forced either. Finding a best friend takes time, and even if it doesn’t happen during dental school, I am okay with waiting. While the time passes for me to find one of those true, lifelong friendships, or even a group of friends I can make plans with after a long week, I am content. I cherish the small moments here and there: conversations with students in the simulation clinic after hours, brief reviews we have before entering into the testing center, dental jokes only we understand. Although we may not spend time together out-side of class, I know I am surrounded by wonderful people here at Midwestern, and I feel privileged to know the talented, inspiring in-dividuals I call classmates.

FALL 2015 | VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 1

THE FOOD MONSTER Welcome friends, family, current and future doctors to the very first entry of The Food Monster.

I LOVE BREAKFAST! I just want to get that out there so you don’t think some schmuck that doesn’t know what he’s talking about is writing this. When people ask me, “If you were stranded on an island and can only have one thing to eat, what would it be?” my answer with no hesitation is always EGGS. I do dabble a bit in the sweet side, but in my opinion, a savory breakfast just hits the spot. Basically, I consider myself a breakfast connoisseur and would love to share my knowledge of the best breakfast spots around the Phoenix area with y’all.

By Sherwin Gilani (‘18)

Dick’s Hideaway 6008 N 16th St, Phoenix, AZ 85016As the name implies this place is HIDDEN. I can almost guaran-tee that you will not be able to find it your first time there, but be patient because once you do, you will never forget where it is - THAT IS HOW GOOD THIS PLACE IS! It is a small restaurant with a bar area with about ten seats and four small tables and that’s it! So if you are planning on going on the weekend, make sure to get there early or be prepared to wait (it’s worth it).

What to get?Carne Adovada & Eggs - $15This is my favorite break-fast meal in Phoenix. A lo-cal told me that if I ever see carne adovada on the menu that I should get that, and he wasn’t lying. The meat is so moist and succulent that it melts in your mouth. Add an over easy egg (or in their case, three), pop that bad boy, let the yolk drizzle over the meat and try to contain your drool, I dare you. With a side of hash browns or potatoes, beans and a tortilla, this is definitely a meal you can share or take home for leftovers. If you are into spicy food, try the green salsa. They also have a pretty tasty Bloody Mary if that’s your style.

Scramble, a Breakfast Joint9832 N 7th St #1, Phoenix, AZ 85020Stand in line, order at the counter, and enjoy! This is the first breakfast spot I went to, and now I’m a regular.

What to get?Santa Fe Benedict - $9.49English muffin? Nah, jala-peño cornbread. Hollan-daise sauce? Nope, chipo-tle hollandaise. Who knew eggs benedict could get an upgrade? Add on a side of potatoes or hash browns and this is a meal that will not disappoint.

Toluca Pizza - $8.89Breakfast and pizza…to-gether?! Come on, need I say more? This pizza isn’t topped with the traditional flavors. It has chorizo, bell peppers, Monterey jack cheese, and is drizzled with jalapeño cream cheese to give it that hint of spice. This is a hearty pizza that you can share or take home for leftovers.

Vovomeena 1515 N 7th Ave #170, Phoenix, AZ 85007I don’t know what secret touch they add to their food, but it’s ADDICTIVE!

What to get?Banging Pocket - $9.95Schreiner’s banger (sau-sage), 2 scrambled eggs, smoked Gouda in pita bread with a side of salsa and po-tatoes. “Luscious” is the best way I can describe this meal. The creaminess of the eggs mixed with the cheese makes for a wonderful bite each bite.

BOOM! And there it is, the Food Monster’s top three breakfast spots in the Phoenix area.

If you have any questions or would like more suggestions, feel free to email me, text me, or just come talk to me. My email is sherms89@gmail.com. Now go munch out, try all of these places and let me know what you think!

The Food Monster,

Sherwin Gilani

Letter From the EditorDear Readers,

It is with immense pride and happiness that I present to you the first issue of The ASDA Access. Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-AZ is a school to be proud of, so it felt right to allow the ASDA newsletter to reach further and deeper into our community. There’s a story to be told anywhere you look here, and anyone and everyone deserves the opportunity to be heard. The ASDA Access’ motto this year is but one word: content. I commit to bringing you the stories you want to read, as well as the stories that you might not yet know you do. I hope you enjoyed this issue’s stories, from the giant strides forward in technology, to the meditation on loneliness, to the breakfast recommendations by the Food Monster himself. It is with great ap-preciation that The ASDA Access welcomes all writers, and I earnestly hope that something in this issue has inspired you to contribute. To the Class of 2019 specifically, this issue is for you. I know that dental school feels a bit like being thrown into the deep end, Midwestern University’s basic sciences curriculum not-withstanding. But you’re settling in and finding your groove, so it’s time to look forward. This issue’s articles are meant to give you a little direction and perhaps a little comfort, so keep it on your bedstand for those late nights that you need a reminder of why you chose this school and profession.

Ramon Tancioco IIIEditor-in-chief

Direct any story ideas, questions, comments or concerns to Ramon Tancioco at rtancioco92@midwestern.edu.

COURTESY OF DAVID HO

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