Amanda Collison never thought that the hobby she picked up in college would become a way to combine her interest in science with her motivation to make dentistry more accessible to others. Now the third-year dental student at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) is using her artistic skills to bring dental concepts to life in her drawings.
“It was a creative outlet for me while in the midst of taking mostly science classes in school,” said Collison.
Having grown up in Alaska, the chance to study health science at Northeastern University brought Collison to the East Coast. As part of the curriculum, Collison did a co-op at a dental office where she served as the front- and back-office intern. The experience allowed her to take courses for one semester and then spend the following semester working and applying her skills in a real-world business setting.
“I was able to see how a dentist's office worked and I came to admire the workflow of it. I appreciated how relaxed and team-oriented it can be,” said Collison. “That's why I decided to commit to dentistry.”
In parallel, her love for creating art also grew. After being admitted into HSDM, Collison bought herself an iPad and started creating digital illustrations, watching YouTube videos on how to use illustration software, and making drawings for her family and friends.
People in the dental community began to take notice of her work, including My Dental Key, an online instructional platform created by HSDM alumnae.
“For the past couple of years, I've been starting to create illustrations for some of the faculty and various student groups at HSDM as well as doing illustrations for My Dental Key,” said Collison. “Working there is what really changed my perception of how learning can be and the potential there is for more engaging and visual learning material. It has really pushed me to want to create both new illustrations for all the new and evolving concepts in dentistry and remake the dated ones. In my opinion, dentistry is such a visually heavy profession that we need quality illustrations to get the most out of our education.”
That push to create more engaging and visually appealing educational materials led Collison to pediatric dentistry. Collison is interested in creating more approachable art to get children and their parents interested and invested in oral health.
“One thing I love about pediatric dentistry is that you get to shape a kid's relationship with the dentist and how they view oral health from the earliest age possible. The fact that you get to see kids and develop a relationship with them from the minute their very first tooth erupts, before they can even talk, walk, or form most habits, is such a special thing.”
“Dentistry and drawing both taught me to be a "detailist" but not a perfectionist,” said Collison. “I hope to keep making dental illustrations and bring to life intricate concepts and techniques that quite literally have never been drawn before, in an effort to further dental education and oral health literacy.”
— Drawings by Amanda Collison, DMD25
