Class of 2T3: Why some dentistry grads are embracing residencies
How the Faculty of Dentistry has prepared grads for their next chapter.
Aynaz Khodayari was the first person of the graduating class of 2023 to sign out of clinic and officially be done her degree. “Everyone was saying, ‘You’re the first, congrats!’” Not that she was in a rush to finish her education. “I really liked the program. It was definitely tough, and it was different with COVID hitting. But I loved the professors and found some good mentors.”
In fact, Khodayari is not done learning. She’s now embarking on a one-year general practice residency (GPR) at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, a program run by McGill University. GPRs have always been an excellent option for new DDS grads, offering them additional clinic time in a supported environment, experience with a wide range of patients and, sometimes, more exposure to teaching and other academic work.
“I love teaching, I love mentorship. I see myself continuing to teach, maybe as a clinical instructor in future. This will help give me so much more experience,” says Khodayari.
She and others from the Faculty of Dentistry have been looking to GPRs more in the last few years. One student estimates that about 20 per cent of the class of 2023 is doing so. Competitive specialization programs increasingly expect GPRs on resumes, which is a motivator for Khodayari, who’s interested in pursing orthodontics. The GPR she chose focuses on children and offers rotations through numerous specialties, plus she gets to practice her French. “It’s the best thing for me as a person.”
Adam Tepperman also plans to apply for a specialty after he completes a GPR at the Columbia Irving Medical Center in New York City. He wants to study endodontics — for which many programs recommend residency experience — so he put his name into the U.S. match system. During his residency, he’ll be treating medically complex patients and working alongside with oral surgery residents. The expectation will be high, but Tepperman is up for it: he likes a full schedule, as he took on student leadership during his time at U of T Dentistry, serving as class vice president up until DDS4, when he took over as president. “I can find much less productive ways to fill my time if I wasn’t getting involved,” wisecracks Tepperman, who felt like student leadership was an important way to contribute to the profession early on.
New grad Alexandra Khozin, unlike many of her peers, always expected to do a GPR after her DDS. In her initial research for dental school, many of the older dentists she spoke to had done them. “I had it in the back of my mind over the entire four years,” she says.
“In fourth year, when I applied, I felt like I could use another year. I just applied right away; I didn’t hesitate.”
She chose Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, which is affiliated with U of T, which allows her to keep living in the same place, stay close to her family in Toronto, and enjoy a well-rounded program. “I wanted another year of general dentistry with some mentorship and supervision,” says Khozin. “I’ll be dealing with more medically complex patients, and it’s a good way to make sure I’m comfortable in private practice.”
General dentistry is all about relationships, and that’s what Khozin liked about dental school, too. “The highlight was the people. It was so fun to go to school every day with my classmates and friends,” she says. Khozin kept extra engaged by serving on the executive of the Alpha Omega Fraternity. “We built some strong memories for sure.”
The class of 2T3, be they pursuing a GPR, higher education or embarking on their first jobs in general dentistry, will be leaving with great memories. They’ll have left their mark as a hardworking and resilient group. Congratulations to all this year’s grads!
View convocation photo gallery here.
Written by Diane Peters
Photo credit: Jeff Comber IITS