SARET Program Entry Essay

My deep interest in substance use disorders dates back to my undergraduate years, where I developed fundamental knowledge in neurobiology and psychology courses and gained real-life work experience at a psychiatric clinic. Particularly, I was fascinated by the overlaps between neuroscience and psychology, such as the interrelationship between dysfunctions in the brain circuitry and addiction. In addition to the biological mechanism of addiction, I was curious how substance abuse could affect oral health both directly and indirectly (e.g., due to lifestyle and poor oral hygiene). Moreover, I have been wondering about fears and cognitive distortions toward dentistry, which might make patients avoid regular dental checkups. Thus, the SARET modules taken as part of an ethics course at New York College of Dentistry (“Exploring Substance Abuse Research” and “Personal Impact Substance Abuse”) fuelled my long-time interest in the neuroscience of addiction and strengthened my resolve to involve in current research in substance abuse.

During the SARET modules, I actively engaged in the interactive online lessons as I felt the programs were “personalized” for me to proceed each step at my own pace. With this experience and my previous learning from a personalized medicine course at college, I supposed that treatment/intervention strategies would be efficient when addressing each patient’s needs and integrating oral health improvement programs. Hence, it is fascinating to have an opportunity to participate in the rapidly evolving field of addiction-related research, which would help expand our understanding of addiction and develop efficient, comprehensive care for patients with substance use