The family has always been the most critical factor in my life. I am pleased and proud of the fact that I was born into and raised by a family of professionals linked to healthcare. In fact, this aspect of my family is an integral part of our sense of identity. My father, mother, and aunt are all medical doctors working in our public health system in Brazil. The family discussions I enjoy surround and engage with specific issues in public health maintenance and promotion. It is in this context growing up that I decided little by little to make my own mark in the field of dentistry. I am an artist who loves working with his hands, and I fell in love with the intense manual focus of dentistry.
Chasing my dream, I completed dental school and excelled at almost everything; working as a trainee in several poor communities was the memorable highlight of that experience. Along with several colleagues from dental school, I founded a non-governmental organization in 2005 providing oral health care to the underserved. Our organization’s name translates from the Portuguese as Support Organization for Health Action and Social Inclusion (SOHASI). We developed and promoted a variety of health services to various poor communities near the amazon forest, including basic clinic activities, fluoride application, and education in dental and oral health routines. This activity brought me enormous satisfaction and has contributed much to my professional education. This NGO is still operating, but it pains me to see it engaging in only minimal activity due to a lack of funds. Nevertheless, it illustrates where my heart is and how I would put the DDS to work in the future if accepted to your competitive program.
My professional communication and networking skills are illustrated by the fact that I became a class representative in dental school, elected by my peers to serve as a spokesperson with the administration. I was also a speaker at our graduation ceremony. I have participated in the organization of several scientific conferences and helped create a student scientific journal, as well as contributed to our University’s website design and development. These days I continue to exercise my leadership abilities by serving as a labor union official for our professional organization on a state level. This has also helped me to understand better our limitations and opportunities concerning the management of our oral health resources.
I think that my origins provide me with valuable things to share with my fellow students in your DDS program, mainly due to my research activities in Microbiology and medicinal herbs extracted from the Amazon forest. I am very much looking forward to sharing my research interests in dentistry with dentists from all over the world.
My clinical experience started early in dental school as a result of my internships in the public health sector, contributing to the services provided by my NGO, and in private clinics, working as an intern. My commitment to working as a trainee throughout my college days provided me with numerous employment opportunities and offered upon graduation. I immediately began working in those private clinics that were directed toward needy people in my hometown. At the same time, I also became very active in public health, coordinating various projects in my state. I was awarded a scholarship to study public health as a post-graduate course because my teachers were familiar with my work in this area and thus honored me with this opportunity. I also won a scholarship for a postgraduate study in Orthodontics because I was nominated by my orthodontics professor, one of Brazil’s finest orthodontists, Doctor XXXX, who has been a great inspiration and encouragement to me along the way. I wish to continue my efforts by working towards a specialization in Orthodontics in the future because of my appreciation for how orthodontic work increases the self-esteem of the patient, which brings me my greatest joy.
The vast admiration that I have for how dentistry is practiced in the USA was enhanced even further as soon as I began to study orthodontics with particular intensity. As I became increasingly aware of the high level of organization and intense scientific commitment of American orthodontists, my desire to advance my profession in America also intensified. I have visited the USA on several occasions for extended periods, which has helped to improve my English over the last few years significantly, and I have observed in the office of a friend who is a dentist in the USA. I very much respect the high quality of oral health education in the USA and the way that it contributes to the betterment of society.
I am convinced that I will be able to make valuable contributions to our discussions of the oral health challenges of disadvantaged people and the responses of our world community through global initiatives. I believe that my background with needy people and my multicultural experience will help me to contribute to classroom discussions as well. Completing your program will be the crowning achievement of my career preparing me for professional excellence on the cutting edge of research, the struggle for clinical perfection, and the art and labor of giving back to our community in abundance. I thank you for considering my application to your program.