Reasons for Running
As a first-year dental student and a second-year Ph.D. candidate, in addition to my intensive dental school curriculum, I have
continued to seek opportunities to prepare for a career as an independently funded clinician-scientist. As this has been a thrilling
experience, I have learned that the research and academia realm can feel isolating, thus I value collaborations and creating
opportunities and the space for students, researchers, trainees, and established scientists to interact and share ideas.
Attending my first AADOCR conference in Portland, Oregon was an exciting and fulfilling experience that allowed me to see the
collaborative power of dental research across the nation. Through this experience, I enjoyed speaking with other researchers about
their work, even if it was outside my field, and found inspiration to improve my current work. This experience also inspired me to
resurrect the AADOCR student research group at my university, and I am currently in the process of coordinating plans with faculty
and other interested students. I am passionate about advocating for student members, particularly those in the beginning of their
journey. I want to be a part of creating opportunities and solution for increasing partnerships among students.
The opportunity to become an AADOCR NSRG Regional Representative will serve as the foundation for building my leadership
skills in the world of academia and enable me to highlight and unite the voices of students conducting dental-related research.
Research Conducted
• Preventive dental care utilization and dental caries for Medicaid-enrolled adolescents in Oregon (05/2021- 02/2022):
Continuation of Masters’ thesis; prepared manuscript for publication; currently under review.
• Emergency department (ED) use for nontraumatic dental conditions (NTDC) among Medicaid-enrolled children with
special healthcare needs (SHCN) (02/2022-Present): The aims are to (1) determine whether emergency use for
nontraumatic dental conditions differs between children with and without SHCN, and to (2) determine whether receipt of an
opioid prescription after an NTDC-ED visit differs between children with and without SHCN; leading data analysis; writing
the manuscript.
• Reducing Sugared Fruit Drinks in Alaska Native Children (09/2022-Present): Intervention study (field work in rural
Alaska); assisted in recruiting families and completing the informed consent process; assisted in collecting samples.
• Vice president-American Dental Education Association-Chapter at the University of Washington (10/2022): student
organization on campus
• Disability rating and dental treatment complexity of veterans in the U.S. (02/2023-Present): The aim is to evaluate the
association between veterans' disability ratings and the complexity of dental treatments received in the Everyone for
Veterans (E4V) program, a non-profit organization that provides free dental care to low- income veterans who are ineligible
for VA dental care; leading study design and data analyses
Student Activities
• Vice president -American Dental Education Association - Chapter at University of Washington School of
Dentistry (10/2022-Present)
