What years did you participate in UROP?

2012-2013

What UROP Program(s) were you a part of?

Traditional UROP as a Sophomore

What made you choose UROP?

I wanted to experience the research world while exploring other careers that did not involve just medical school.

 

What do you think you have learned from your UROP experience?

I learned "how to fail." There would be days that I would think that my research protocol was sound and when I would run my experiment, nothing would happen. These "failures" would force me to go back, figure out what went wrong, fix the issue, and plan to prevent issues like that from occurring again in the future. These small failures taught me how to troubleshoot and not get bogged down from a mistake made later in my career. I learned it's important to pick yourself up from a failure and learn from it to become a better professional.

What is the extent to which you have kept in contact with your Research Mentor?

During my undergraduate career, I stayed in close contact with my Research Mentor. When I started graduate school, my Research Mentor moved to another state and we still do out annual "catch-up" emails. My Research Mentor was one of the most influential persons of my undergraduate education.

How did your UROP experience shape or inform the next steps you took in your academic and professional journey?

It was through my UROP experience that I was first exposed to dentistry. My Peer Advisor frequently brought in people of different career backgrounds to speak to our class. One time a dentist spoke to us. I remember seeing his passion for the field of dentistry and me wanting to have that passion as well. I then started shadowing dentists and exploring the dental world as a possible career. The more I learned about dentistry, the more I fell in love with it and I haven't looked back since.

Where are you in your professional journey?

I am a first year pediatric dentistry resident at Boston University. I just graduated from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry this past spring.

What advice would you give to a current UROP student?

Have an open mind while you at in UROP. Be open to research project ideas and different career pathways - you never know what you will find and who knows...maybe you'll find what you've always been meant to do.

What are some recent publications or accomplishments that you are proud of?

I had two published abstracts from UROP experience.