U of T Dentistry grad joins CAMH team
By Rachel Boutet
There is a special relationship between the Faculty of Dentistry and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Not only do DDS4 and selected DDS3 students complete a clinical rotation at the site, but four out of the five CAMH dentist team members have an affiliation with U of T.
Seola (Sally) Ji 2T1 is the latest addition, taking on the new role of medical head for the dental services as of March. Ji will be responsible for providing leadership to the dentists and clinic staff, and liaising with medical and operational leaders to ensure the best care for patients. She joins Joel Rosenbloom, the Faculty’s director of student life and assistant professor, teaching stream, as well as a staff dentist at CAMH, and Paul Zung 8T5, clinical instructor at the Faculty and senior dentist at CAMH.
“I’m looking forward to establishing collaborative relationships with academic leaders in other facilities and the community, with a focus on improving the quality of learning for students,” says Ji, who also works part-time in private practice. “During school, I always wanted to work in the public sector. The rotation at CAMH, albeit short due to COVID for my year, gave me another perspective of dentistry at a hospital. It’s not always having to do with trauma or big surgery, but still doing a lot of bread-and-butter dentistry and changing lives. It’s full-circle that I now get to be on the other side, helping to educate future dentists.”
The CAMH clinical rotations have been running for 10 years and along with the third-year ‘Psychiatry and Dentistry’ course, have garnered positive feedback from students, recognizing the importance mental health knowledge and understanding can play in their jobs. Ji credits her time at U of T in the path that led her to CAMH.
“Having been through the rotation, I was already familiar with the people who worked there, such as Dr. Rosenbloom, who I remained in connection with after graduating,” she says. “My experience at the clinic was also very positive and I was able to learn a lot which left a very good impression of the clinic as a student.”
Rosenbloom is grateful to have Ji on the team.
“I first met Dr. Ji in second year dental school as her instructor and knew right away that this student would be a great dentist,” he says. “Her demeanour and interactions with faculty and students impressed me so much that I kept checking in with her in her fourth year trying to recruit her to CAMH, so am so thrilled she is not only at CAMH, but our new medical head.”
Knowing the impact these rotations had on her career, Ji feels fortunate to be working with the current DDS4 class. She’s able to connect with them, resonate with their struggles, and support them as someone who has been through it and is now working in the field.
“It’s encouraging for us working here to see the students come through because they often come in a little hesitant or not knowing what to expect,” she says. “Once they finish the day, they seem a lot more confident. Just being part of that process and seeing how much they gain even from a one-day experience, is very fulfilling. It’s nice to see the students have a good time and learning.”
Ji has words of encouragement for those soon-to-be graduates looking to work in a job related to mental health.
“Working will be hard at first because you're trying to adapt to so much change, but it's such a rewarding field to be in and connecting with people through our work is so special and something to be enjoyed.”
Top photo: Seola (Sally) Ji