I have complimented my education as a dentist in my native India by attaining an MPH Degree from the University of XXXX. Born and raised in Bhopal, India, I did my Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the XXXX College of Dental Science and Research Center, in Bhopal, one of the finest dental schools in central India. The fact that Bhopal is my hometown has long provided me with a particular sensitivity to public health questions, especially in the aftermath of horrendous disasters such as the chemical spill that tragically made us famous worldwide. I currently live in Jacksonville, Florida.
I hope very much to be admitted to your program so that I can fulfill my longstanding dream of becoming a practicing dentist in the USA. I very much look forward to attaining the very highest level of knowledge and skills possible for practicing dentistry as a state-of-the-art science. Entirely dedicated to lifelong learning, I always intend to stay abreast of related developments in our rapidly advancing world of technological innovation. I come from a long family line of highly successful engineers; hence, I feel uniquely called to the task of staying on the cutting edge of technological developments in the field of dentistry.
I will never forget the anxiety that I experienced as a child on my first visit to a dental clinic; even though I was only in need of a rather minor alignment of my teeth, my anxiety increased with each passing hour that I had to wait to be seen. Nevertheless, when I finally got to see the dentist, I was very impressed by the way that he patiently explained to me exactly what my problem was and how to proceed to fix it. The most poignant imagery that I will always carry with me from that day forward, however, was the profound empathy that was generated in my soul for those around me in much worse circumstances, with many children and adults alike enduring enormous pain, and being forced to wait even longer as a result of being unable to pay for the treatment that they so desperately needed. I soon became accustomed to the new wires in my mouth. I continued to reflect on the desperate circumstances of so many of my countrymen, women, and children living in a state so ill-equipped to attend to their desperate needs. This episode of my life is especially relevant to my statement because it helps to explain another reason why I was so dedicated to the goal of also attaining an MPH Degree, my desire to return to India at some point in my professional life and do everything within my means to help remediate the desperate state of oral health care for our unfortunate citizens of modest economic resources.
The desperate and tragic state of oral health care in India has also resulted in my having a passionate focus on the need for preventive care and adequate public education on oral health. I hope to have the opportunity in the future to contribute to the design and implementation of massive, well-designed, oral health campaigns in India. Thus, my humanitarian interests and dreams for the future rest on dual pillars, my training in public health along with the world-class education in dentistry that will be afforded by completing your highly esteemed program.
A high achiever, I always placed in the top 10% of my class through college, receiving numerous awards and distinctions for excellence in my studies. Thus, I have always been confident in my ability to become a highly effective professional in the health services.
By the third year of my undergraduate studies, I had already developed the keenest of interest in specializing in both preventive and community dentistry. The more I began to study and learn about public health, the more I became impressed with the vastness of the field and its singular, strategic importance for human progress, in all societies, yet incredibly such impoverished and highly populated areas as India. Yet, the more that I learned about India´s desperate struggle against all odds, the more I also began to think in terms of global responses to the provision of medical and dental services. In time, I came to the bitter realization that we lose more lives due to mismanagement, misinformation, and sheer ignorance than we do to technical failure.
Throughout the course of my MPH Program, I did many projects related to dentistry. These included a project on the untreated dental decay of middle school children in downtown Jacksonville and the development of a comprehensive dental care plan—from diagnosis through treatment and follow up—designed to intercept and arrest oral health degeneration at different stages. I also did a program evaluation for XXXX County Dental Clinic, a free volunteer clinic at the Green Cove Springs Health Department focused on the low income residents of Clay County. I provided suggestions for improving delivery of enhanced oral care services within existing budgetary limitations. An innovative yet pragmatic soldier for oral health care, I have enormous hope for the enhancement of our human capacity for providing improved services to the more vulnerable members of our society through enhanced technology, education, and the opening of our hearts and minds towards the a more efficient use of our available resources.
