Get to Know Three of Your Student Dentists

In August, another academic year at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine began, and third-year student dentists started or continued their service at Penn Dental Medicine (PDM), the school’s teaching clinic.

Get to know these three members of PDM’s Class of 2026. One of them may care for your mouth when you visit our dental clinic!

Putting Hands To Work for Patients’ Optimal Oral Health

Kevin has always enjoyed working with his hands. “I love building and assembling structures,” he says, “even the pesky bedroom dressers no one likes to build!” And two favorite pastimes keep his hands active: “Any day I have spare time to juggle or do handstands is a good day indeed!”

Growing up in Baltimore, Kevin liked studying math and biology. In college, he decided to study dentistry because of its “combination of hands-on involvement, design, and creativity.”

When Kevin shadowed a prosthodontist, he saw the powerful, positive difference dentistry can make. Patients who’d lost their smile and self-confidence regained both after prosthodontic treatment.

Many also experienced an increased quality of life. They landed higher-paying jobs, socialized without fear of being judged, and even posed for photos with their children for the first time.

When choosing a dental school, Kevin chose PDM largely because of its extensive community involvement. “I believed making a conscious effort to know the community would improve my cultural competency and awareness,” he explains. “In addition, I wanted to be exposed to the latest technologies and techniques that would improve my clinical skills.”

Kevin is most interested in periodontics. He admires how it combines dentistry’s surgical and laboratory aspects. He enjoys working with patients at PDM because it means “understanding patients’ dental needs, overcoming their barriers to optimal dental health, and improving their understanding and appreciation of dentistry.”

“Able To Alter the Significance of a Smile”

Madeline, a New Jersey native, always enjoyed science, but art was one of her first loves. “I used to sketch a lot,” she recalls. “I had an entire book filled with sketches, from portraits to fashion design pieces.”

When Madeline, who is Ghanaian-American, started exploring dentistry, she realized Black people are sorely underrepresented in the field. As of 2023, Black dentists comprised only 3.8% of U.S. dentists.

Yet knowing she would be in the minority only further motivated her. She explains, “To be in this position is truly a blessing. I hope to mentor and inspire young Black women and men to ultimately shift the dynamics of the dental field.” She counts her leadership in the Student National Dental Association (SNDA), which helps advance minority dental students, as one of the most important parts of her dental school experience.

In the time she’s been working in the dental clinic, Madeline has seen what an impact her services make. “The most rewarding part,” she says, “has been hearing patients tell me how comfortable they are with me and how grateful they are to have the opportunity to restore their health. These encounters remind me I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

Madeline is still pursuing aesthetic interests—but with a dentist’s tools instead of a fashion designer’s. “I’ve seen my interest grow for specific cosmetic procedures involving orthodontics, prosthodontics, periodontics, and oral surgery,” she notes. “I love that I am able to alter the significance of a smile.”

Engineering Bigger Smiles for More Patients

Born and raised in Cleveland, Mary grew up admiring the difference her orthodontist father made. Working in his office from a young age, she saw “patient after patient smiling bigger than they ever had in their lives after completing treatment.”

Attending Penn State, Mary channeled her knack for calculus and physics into an engineering degree. After graduating, she worked as a management consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. But the persistent thought of a dental career “lit a fire inside” her. Before long, she started Googling “how to apply to dental school.”

As a PDM student dentist, Mary has combined her interests in business and increasing access to care. She has completed research with the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) and in conjunction with the Wharton School. She’s also pursuing Honors Clinical Research with the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health.

In the dental clinic, Mary has experienced firsthand how rewarding being a positive, empowering dental professional can be. “So many people have fear and anxiety about going to the dentist,” she notes. “It is incredibly rewarding to have patients say they feel safe and comfortable in my chair.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given her family, academic, and professional backgrounds, Mary’s goal is to specialize in orthodontics. In her dental practice, she hopes to again combine her dental knowledge and business acumen “to increase access to orthodontic care in a meaningful way.”

High-Quality Care From a Top Philadelphia Dental School

All three of these student dentists agree: PDM provides exceptional care to a broad swath of patients in the Philadelphia area.

“Patients have the opportunity to work with dedicated individuals who aspire to be great dentists in their fields,” says Kevin. Mary notes the “quantity and quality of dental resources available” during a PDM appointment—”detail-oriented dental students, experienced faculty, and the full range of dental specialists all under one roof”— is “incredibly rare.” And Madeline cites how PDM’s community access sites mean the dental clinic can “meet patients where they are.”

No matter which of our student dentists provides your care, you can be sure the dental services you receive will be skilled, comprehensive, patient-friendly, and affordable.

Schedule your appointment today online or call PDM at 215-898-8965.