JAM Dental Podcast

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!

Welcome to the final JAM session of 2020! Today we're talking with Brooke Frazier, a current D1 at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry! Brooke graduated from University of Urbana-Champaign with B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB), where she met Morgan. On this episode she shares with us some of the different challenges she's faced with the first semester of a tough dental school curriculum, as well as her experiences with beginning a chapter in higher education that has been predominantly virtual. We also discuss the ways that students can get involved on campus, interview/application tips, and the joys of having or being an older sibling. Now that most of you are likely on a winter break, we hope you can cozy up next to a fire with some hot chocolate for some rest and recovery. And perhaps instead of binging The Queen's Gambit, you can enjoy all 15 JAM sessions at once. In any case, we three (Jake, Alex, and Morgan) wish you all a Happy Holidays!

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!

Hey JAMmers, what do you think is one of the best ways to reinforce all the new knowledge you learned in dental school and to pay it forward? By being a tutor and mentor! On today's episode, we're happy to welcome Kha Ai Hua​, a current third year at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and a kickass tutor. We three first got to know Kha Ai last year during our first year where she was an immense help with our simulation clinic exercises. Within this episode, we finally learn the answer to an age-old question: How did Kha Ai manage her studies while also helping countless hours helping D1's with operative and pros? We also share new studying strategies. Now that we're deep in our second year and Kha Ai in her third, we've found the need to modify our approach to studying with the increased volume of content. As a final note, though he was not a tutor at the time of recording, we're happy to say that Jake did manage to connect with a tutee and is happily sharing his wealth of knowledge. For next month's interview, we'll be talking with Donte Nesbitt​, a recent graduate from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and a first year Orthodontic Resident at the University of Nebraska Medical Center! Feel free to message us here or email us at jamdentalcast@gmail.com if you have any questions you'd like us to ask him. Cheers, and 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."