Q: What program are you in at the USC Leonard Davis School?
Master of Arts in Medical Gerontology, Class of 2022.
Q: What inspired you to pick this program?
The passion to make a difference in the future of dental patient care that has an increasingly older population.
Q: What do you plan on doing with your degree once you graduate, and what are your career goals?
I will be pursuing dental school in hopes of specializing in geriatric dentistry.
Q: What is the most rewarding or interesting part about studying gerontology at USC?
Upon entering the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology program, I began taking courses with Dr. John Walsh to Dr. Roberto Vicinanza. While taking these courses, I was able to delve into understanding health issues in adulthood by applying the coursework to my involvement with organizations promoted by the Leonard Davis School.
Q: What are some other projects or activities that you’ve been involved in?
I founded the Medical Gerontology Association and was a part of the Student Gerontology Association coupled with various organizations within the school. I also was accepted as a research assistant in Dr. Tucker-Seeley’s Research Lab under the COVID-19 Policy Scan Project, where I put my knowledge from my coursework into action.
Q: What is one of your favorite courses you’ve taken at the School?
GERO 566 Cognitive Decline: Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia and Advances in Imaging
Q: What would you want other young people to know about gerontology and working with older adults?
When working with older adults, you have the beauty of understanding not only the present time of their lives but how they got to that point in their lives.
