Happy February! It's been a while since we've had an episode with just the members of JAM! At this point, we have cleared the infamous 'year of pain' that is comprised of spring of D1 and fall of D2 year, when the didactic portion of dental school rained down heavily upon us. In that time, we experienced many 'firsts'. First local anesthetic injections on each other. First prophy appointment. First time using a handpiece on real teeth and applying sealants. First shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. And for Jake... his first kiss. Whew! What a time! We're just jesting on that last point... or are we? Listen to find out... 

We also share some of our own shifts in mindset towards dental school - new goals, so to speak. Four years is a long time, and interests and priorities are bound to shift. Perhaps it will be fun to listen to these thoughts even later this year to see what else has changed.

Tell us about some of your 'firsts' from dental school! We'd love to hear about them.

In any case, we hope you enjoy this episode. Cheers!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the JAM Dental Podcast! We are Jake Lensing, Alex Hsieh, and Morgan Scholtes, currently first year dental students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. In this first episode, we introduce ourselves, discuss how we became interested in dentistry, and share some of our dental school experiences. Kick back with some toast and peanut butter (if you're not allergic), and we'll provide the JAM. Enjoy!

It's been far too long, JAMmers! Welcome to Season 2, where the morning air is nippier and school is back in full swing. As always, we're excited to bring you our next interview, this time with fellow Hawkeye, Kobi Voshell! 

It is safe to say that Kobi, a current third year dental student, has one of the more unique backgrounds among dental students anywhere. A nontraditional student as well as a father of two, he has faced (and continues to face) challenges most of us have not yet encountered: re-acclamation to rigorous schooling after a long time away from it, and finding a way to excel as a father and a student simultaneously. From Kobi himself, "Maybe somebody out there in the interwebs is listening to this, bouncing a baby on their knee and thinking 'I want to go to Dental School, I want to try it.' I'm out here to let you know that you can do it, you can try it, you can get in."

Welcome back JAMmers! Today we have the pleasure of talking to Dean Michael Kanellis. Dean Kanellis graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 1979 before pursuing further education in Pediatric Dentistry and public health. Throughout his life he has been very conscious about constantly reevaluating what is the best fit for him, as well as the activities he is passionate about. He was presented with a variety of challenges, and by being flexible and true to himself, he found his best fit.

He is a man of many talents - multi-instrumentalist, singer, performer - and if you see him approaching you in the hallway, you can guarantee that he'll have a great story to tell. Well, as you'd expect, on this episode, Dean Kanellis shares fun tales of his time as a student as well as what he does with his current responsibilities. 

Due to the start of the Fall semester, going forward, we will only be releasing one episode on the first Sunday of each month. We thank everyone for tuning in this past summer, and we're excited to continue bringing new content to you all!

Dr. Darren Hoffmann, one of the course directors for the daunting Gross Anatomy & Histology course, is in the house today! In this episode Dr. Hoffmann shares with us his teaching philosophy, advice for students on how to tackle his challenging course, tidbits on his professional journey, and of course, the ins and outs of being a cat parent. This is our longest episode to date, and not a single second of it is wasted.

Dr. Hoffmann also did a short interview with the University of Iowa College of Dentistry on how the faculty care for their students. A link can be found below:
https://youtu.be/AjgMg5EqnfM 

On today's episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Rachael Kowbel, the Director of Dental Student Admissions at University of Iowa College of Dentistry! All three of us can confidently say that our interactions with her throughout the application process were key determinants in our ultimate decision to attend Iowa.

Rachael shares nuggets of wisdom on personal statements, ways to improve interviewing techniques, and advice to both traditional and non-traditional students. She answers commonly asked questions like "What's the most important thing to look for when choosing between dental schools?" and "How do I stand out?" Her insight is not only applicable to pre-dental students, but also dental students looking to specialize.

There's far too much good information to be summarized in words here, so let's dive right in!

Rachael references a presentation that she gave with ADEA, titled "The Psychology of The Interview, Part 1". The link can be found below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbvLm6cFj8M

Welcome back to another episode of the JAM Dental Podcast! Today we're talking with Dr. Donte Nesbitt, currently an Orthodontic Resident at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a member of UIowa College of Dentistry's recently graduated Class of 2020! In his time at Iowa, Donte was highly involved in student organizations. During our first year, not only was he the President of his class, but also of IASDA (Iowa American Student Dental Association), the overarching UIowa dental school student government. if you had any doubts about leadership and getting involved in dental school, let this episode convince you otherwise! 

Much of Donte's leadership efforts were in advocating for his fellow students and aiming to improve student experiences by making sure the school heard their voices. He also shares with us why he believes greater diversity in dental school is important. And of course, you best believe someone as much of a go-getter as Donte will be involved wherever he goes; he's now happily serving as the Assistant Chief Resident at his program.

Well, there you have it. Kick back, grab some of that Halloween candy, and enjoy!

Welcome back to another episode of the JAM Dental Podcast, and welcome back Jake! Today, we're discussing goal-setting, our methods, and challenges we've faced with the whole process. Being that we are three individuals, we all have different ways of setting goals and working towards achieving them. We'd go so far as to say that what one person may perceive as 'not a goal-setting technique' may work perfectly well for another person; it's all a very personal process. Big shout-out to Microsoft Excel for making goal-setting a possibility.

Lastly, an actual big thanks to Dr. Linnea Boyev for the excellent musical addition. No JAM session is truly complete without some, well, jams. She's a multi-talented educator and you check out what she does at https://linneaboyev.com/.

Our next interview will be with Dr. Darren Hoffmann, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Carver College of Medicine. D1's have the pleasure of taking Anatomy with Dr. Hoffmann during the Spring semester. Send us your questions! 

Do you enjoy birdwatching? If so, a career in dentistry is right for you. In this episode of the JAM Dental Podcast, Chris Reilly explains the profound link between avians and teeth.

But in all seriousness, Chris shares some valuable information for applicants and current students alike. Given that he is the first in his family to graduate from high school, Chris faced a great deal of adversity within academia. Following high school, he chose to serve with the Marine Corps before beginning his undergraduate career. He was fortunate to have met wonderful mentors along the way that helped foster in him a strong self-believing spirit. These days, you can find him crushing it in the simulation clinic.

We loved hearing Chris's unique and inspiring story, and hope you do as well!

Happy 244th Birthday to the United States, and welcome back to another JAM session! Today, we're interviewing Emily Phelan, a fellow classmate at the University of Iowa. After a rough academic start to undergrad, Emily turned things around once she had a clear goal to pursue a career in dentistry. Her experience is clear evidence that upward trajectory is looked well upon as a sign of growth and potential.

After graduation, she'll become a dental officer with the US Army. Once her mandatory service is over, we're glad to announce that she'll name her practice '猪力牙' - which sounds like her middle name 'Julia' but literally means "Pig Strong Teeth". We at JAM strongly believe in this marketing strategy. Besides, who doesn't want teeth as strong as a hog's? 

Thanks again for tuning in, and enjoy!