Dental internship prepares neuroscience major for future career field

Malik Moore ’23, a neuroscience major at The College of Wooster, shadowed a periodontist at Progressive Periodontics and worked as an office intern in an APEX Fellowship. Learning from both a medical and entrepreneurial perspective, Malik Moore gained insight into the everyday tasks of someone in the dental field.

“I enjoy the concept of being more than just a doctor, rather, being a passionate individual that shows patients they’re always being put first.” 

—Malik Moore

How did you learn about the internship opportunity for your APEX Fellowship? Why was the position a good fit for you? 

“I learned about the internship opportunity for my APEX Fellowship through a mentor here at Wooster, Tim Freeze [visiting assistant professor of music]. This position was well suited for me as I would like to pursue dentistry after graduation. This opportunity allowed me to experience the day-to-day life of a periodontist from not only from a doctoral standpoint, but also the business standpoint in owning your own practice.”

What interests you most about the work you did? What were some of the things you did each day? 

“The things that interested me most about this APEX experience was the instant gratification of being able to improve someone’s confidence. I enjoy the concept of being more than just a doctor, rather, being a passionate individual that shows patients they’re always being put first. For daily routines, it consisted of preparing surgical rooms, seating patients, cleaning surgical instruments, shadowing in surgeries, and assisting in surgical operations.”

Who was your Fellowship mentor and how did they help you to succeed in this position? 

“My fellowship mentor was Professor Matt Mariola [assistant professor of environmental studies], and he helped me succeed within this position by sharing his personal experiences, but also forcing me to think beneath the surface through a more critical standpoint.”

How has the internship helped you to see what’s next for you? 

“This internship helped me gain experience in a future career field that I am truly passionate about. Completing my APEX Fellowship was one of the best decisions I have ever made at The College of Wooster.”

Posted in Experiential Learning on November 5, 2021.