Tooth Talk: Q&A with Macy Punzalan ORTHO 27
In our Q&A series, “Tooth Talk,” we are sitting down with GSDM students and residents to learn more about their paths to Boston University, their time at GSDM, and how they have made Boston their home.
For the next edition, we spoke with Janvi Mody PERIO 23 28. She discussed how periodontology is the specialty for her and her evolving role in research projects.
Want more Tooth Talk? Read the rest of the series on the Tooth Talk newsfeed page.
Questions and responses have been edited for clarity, context information, and length.
What made you want to become a dentist?
I loved that dentistry was more focused on hand skills. Growing up, I was always into arts and crafts, like painting and piano. I wanted a career that would allow me to definitely work with my hands and also to take care of people. So with merging the two, dentistry became the top choice.
What made you want to specialize in orthodontics?
I feel like orthodontics is the highest form of art. I just really like the idea of being able to create smiles and help people who are very geared toward aesthetics.
What led you to Boston/GSDM for your residency?
I went to dental school in Portland, Maine. I actually came to Boston quite a lot with my dental school friends and I found it to be a really exciting place to be. I loved the culture and diversity here. GSDM was my top choice because I wanted to stay in New England. When I interviewed for the BU program, I loved the community that I came across during the interviews and the socials. Everybody seemed pretty happy here.
You just wrapped up your first year here. How has your time at GSDM been like so far?
What drew me here is really the community, and I definitely feel very at home with my co-residents and with my program. I think everybody’s very kind and down to earth and very willing to help you understand topics that you might have a hard time grasping. I feel like there’s been a lot of good mentorship and support all around. I also love that I get to study what I love now. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of critical thinking. It’s like moving puzzle pieces around.
You are doing research on finite element modeling with Dr. Elie Amm, clinical associate professor of orthodontics & dentofacial orthopedics. What led you to get involved with research?
I was pretty interested in materials during my first program. At my last school, I was doing research on bioplastics as an alternative to conventional plastics in orthodontics. That was something I wanted to continue here. However, we still need to establish and grasp a lot of the materials we’re using right now in orthodontics. We’re kind of doing a baseline study.
What is your favorite part of conducting research?
I like learning about the programs and trying to understand how models are fabricated. It’s a lot of time, effort, and precision. It’s something that I wasn’t really exposed to a lot before.
You did a Q&A panel for BU Association of Women Dentists (BUAWD). Tell us more about that.
It was basically about having different residents from different programs at BU. We were talking with undergraduate dental students about how we got to where we are and giving advice and support to those who are interested in one of our programs.
I’ve always valued mentorship, and so I feel like it’s really important to also help other people when I had help myself in understanding the intricacies of specializing, because sometimes I feel like there’s not enough guidance around it.
On that topic, if you were going to give advice to somebody who’s looking to specialize, what advice would you give them?
I think it’s very easy for people to get discouraged, but I do think it’s important for you to know your value and what you can contribute to the specialty that you’re applying in. We each have something unique that we can bring to whatever specialty or program we want to go towards. But it’s just knowing your worth and your ability to provide that value and to just not be brought down by anything.
Getting familiar with Boston is one of the many perks of being part of the GSDM community. To end our conversation on a fun note, where is your favorite thing to do in Boston?
My favorite thing to do is take a walk down Newberry Street. It’s so basic but I love going to J.P. Licks as well and getting a scoop of ice cream there.