New Advanced Standing Students Receive Their White Coats

Fifteen internationally trained dentists, all of whom hope to practice in the US, donned white coats in a ceremony held on January 27. The ceremony is meant to symbolize the beginning of the journey to achieving their goals.

Dana Wolf, DMD, senior associate dean for Predoctoral Academic and Student Affairs, welcomed the new class of students and their families, noting that for the class, who are already members of the dental profession, the “core principles and values remain the same.”

Bintee Koirala, the Class of 2026 Advanced Standing representative, said that the white coat that students don represents both opportunity and responsibility.

“It invites you to explore new frontiers of dentistry.,” she said. “As Advanced Standing students, you bring a tremendous wealth of knowledge, experience and life skills. Lean into that.”

Sneha Mann, a member of the incoming class who attended dental school in India, trained as an endodontist before moving to the US. She says that at first it was overwhelming to think that she would have to go through the process all over again.

“But now I see it more as an opportunity.,” she says. “I’m being exposed to different subjects and methods. In India, dental education is more theory based. We learn by memorizing. Here there is a combination of theory and practice.”

Daria Vikina, who hopes to become a pediatric dentist, completed dental school in Russia in 2010. She says that, based on the short time that she has been attending class at CDM, the professors are more involved in the educational process and equipment and supplies to which students have access are better.

“Dentistry is a never-ending learning process,” Vikina says.