Students & Residents

Students are working with faculty and staff to make sure everyone can see themselves in the profession

For UCLA dental students, Isaiah “Izzy” Sampson and Ryan Davis, entering the dental field was in one word — perplexing.

Interview with D3 Student Doctor, Kristen Horstmann

View the English Version.

Our very own, Ellisa Soberon, a dental student at UCLA with a nontraditional path to dentistry, shares her insights on the dental school admissions process and life at UCLA.

Listen to the  full interview.

We are always eager to share positive news of our dental students’ accomplishments and we couldn’t be prouder of the following individuals for winning an essay competition honoring Dr. Clifton O. Dummett, Sr. surrounding diversity in dentistry. The competition honors the late Dr. Dummett, a pioneer in dentistry and dental education. Essays addressed race relations in the profession through the lens of editorials written in the National Dental Association Bulletin from 1953-1975.

Out of the 22 awards across 12 dental schools, five of our UCLA students were award recipients!

Author: Stuart Wolpert

UCLA has been awarded a grant of more than $1.6 million from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a division of the National Institutes of Health. The five-year grant will enable UCLA to expand its Bruins-in-Genomics Summer Undergraduate Research Program, which brings undergraduates from across the country, including from historically Black colleges and universities, to UCLA to conduct research and learn the latest data analysis techniques and skills.

Dean Krebsbach:
Why did you choose dentistry?

Scott:
I've always loved working with my hands – playing with Legos and building model airplanes when I was a kid. In college, I knew I wanted to do something in healthcare, but I wasn't sure what. I tried shadowing and exploring different options, and eventually, I asked my dad – a now-retired general dentist – if I could see what he did. I remember him explaining how a dovetail creates mechanical retention, and the gears in my head started turning.

Decoding Oral Health: Diana Wang, Class of 2017

“I believe there’s a little bit of pathologist in all of us,” said Diana Wang, Class of 2017. “Patients always want to know why something happened to them, and pathology helps answer those difficult questions.”

If you had told Ethan Tencati that he would be pursuing a dental degree five years ago, he wouldn’t have believed you. Now, looking back at the series of events that brought him to UCLA, he feels lucky and is excited for the next three years at the dental school and his future profession.

Dr. No-Hee Park Award for Excellence in Art and Science

Mason C. Oong, DDS & May H. Oong Endowed Scholarship