For Natalie Inoue dentistry is about more than creating great smiles. As an Advanced Graduate Education (AGE) student, it’s a way for her to combine her interests in healthcare, business, and artistry, while positively impacting the community. Pursuing a degree in prosthodontics and in dental education, Inoue has had the opportunity to work on several research projects that will have an impact for patients as well as dental students. Before becoming a resident at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), she completed her BS in biology and BA in economics at Brown University, and her DDS in 2018 from the University of Southern California. In her free time, Inoue enjoys dancing, baking, photography, and being a tourist in the city.
Why did you pursue dentistry as a career?
I initially chose to pursue a career in dentistry because it incorporated my interests in healthcare, business, and artistry. However, it wasn’t until I began volunteering to provide free dental care to patients at local clinics that I realized how much of an impact I could make within my community. As a dental student, I also found great enjoyment in being a teaching assistant both in a classroom setting as well as in the simulation lab. Seeing firsthand the growth that students have in their first years of dental school and how educators help shape these students into experienced clinicians made me realize my interests in pursuing a career as an educator. Although this career comes with unique challenges and obstacles, I love how rewarding and enjoyable it can be to help impart knowledge to the next generation of dental professionals.
Tell us about some of the research you have been working on.
Most of the research I have participated in at HSDM has been in prosthodontics and in dental education. After receiving the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics Research Grant, I worked with my program director, Dr. Sang Lee, to complete a project entitled “A Comparison of Digitally Mounted Casts Using Traditional Facebow Recordings, Average Values of Bonwill’s Triangle and the Balkwill Angle, and 3-D Facial Scans.” I have also been fortunate enough to work with Dr. Hiroe Ohyama on research comparing student performance and self-evaluation skills pre-COVID-19 pandemic to that of students learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the dental education program at HSDM, I am continuing to develop new research projects I hope to implement in the coming year.
What has been your greatest challenge since arriving at HSDM?
I think my greatest challenge since arriving at HSDM has been finding a balance in my work and finding the time to pursue all my interests. From seeing patients and continuing to improve my own clinical skills to taking courses at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and overseeing the dental students in clinic and pre-clinic, it can be difficult at times to juggle the many responsibilities of a resident. However, these experiences and the lessons I have taken away from them have truly made me a better clinician, educator, and person.
What have you learned from other students?
In residency, I find myself learning from my fellow co-residents on a daily basis - in fact, I would say that peer learning is instrumental in residency. As cheesy as it may sound, we grow to become a family away from home and a lot of the bond that brings us together comes from learning from one another both as clinicians as well as people. I have also had many opportunities to learn how to be a better educator through my interactions with dental students in clinic, in the preclinical simulation lab, and in small group tutorial sessions. As much as they are learning dentistry from me, I find myself learning how to learn through their experiences and feedback.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
Growing up, I loved to dance! I was the captain of my high school dance team, director of my college dance team, and even commuted to Boston from Providence to be a part of a hip-hop dance team in college. Although my days of performing and competing are long gone, I still enjoy taking a drop-in class every now and again at local dance studios in Boston.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Although spare time is a rarity as a prosthodontics resident, I definitely enjoy being a tourist and exploring all that Boston has to offer.
