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My name is Noor Dar, and I am in my final year at UNC, studying psychology with minors in chemistry and neuroscience. My time at Carolina has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life thus far. When I started college four years ago, I entered with a determined mindset to devote my time and energy to achieve my dream of entering the field of healthcare.

My desire to become a healthcare provider stems from my deep connection with my ethnic and religious background, as well as my family. My father has been and will always be one of the biggest role models in my life. Since I was young, I watched him weave the principles of our religion, Islam, into the duties and obligations he fulfills in his everyday life as a physician, father, son, and husband. Witnessing how he refined qualities of his character, such as patience and kindness, through his career, as he consistently prioritized his patients’ and family’s needs before his own, deeply influenced me.

My mother is another significant role model in my life. She devoted an immeasurable amount of energy to raising me and my brother. In our home country, she was a Montessori teacher, and it was from her that my love for learning was cultivated. I vividly remember how she created an excitement for learning in us and taught us math, English, and writing from a young age. Her creativity and resilience in the face of limited opportunities and choices in her own life gave me the courage to pursue my passions. In my culture, the family unit serves as the cornerstone for staying grounded throughout life. This concept differs significantly from the individualized and self-centric thinking prevalent in today’s society.

I mention all of this because understanding my family and background is crucial to comprehending why I am on this path today. My culture, religion, and upbringing instilled in me a profound desire to serve others, which pushed me to engage in opportunities in healthcare and medical research.

I have been involved in research since high school, where I assisted on a radiation and oncology project within the Brody School of Medicine (BSOM). Over the past two consecutive summers, I served as a pharmacology and toxicology research assistant in the Rahman Lab at the Brody School of Medicine. I developed my own project under an NIH-funded study investigating whether alcohol and estrogen exacerbate the expression of angiotensin II in the liver. Throughout my time, I collaborated with graduate students, and this past summer, I worked under a fifth-year PhD student examining the effects of estrogen on cardiac function in Type 2 female diabetics. These research experiences, along with my extracurricular volunteering within the refugee population, further refined my desire to be a part of healthcare.

My father’s work at Veterans Affairs, where his patients were once active military service members, exposed me to the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among them. Shadowing physicians and dentists, I realized that the quality of care delivered was significantly influenced by the emotional support the healthcare professional provided the patient. In more complicated cases, where patients were already experiencing emotional distress, being sufficiently equipped to manage not only treatments but also the patient’s emotions became a vital aspect of being a competent provider. This realization led me to pursue a degree in psychology to recognize and further understand its impact on patient care and outcomes.

Through the Gil internship, I had the opportunity to join the Jacox Lab within the UNC Adams School of Dentistry, a human translational and clinical research laboratory led by Dr. Laura Jacox, DMD, PhD, MS. I assisted on a clinical research study investigating animal-assisted therapy as a means to reduce pediatric dental anxiety. The Jacox lab team has been incredibly supportive, teaching me about clinical research in dentistry, and allowing me to assist with data intake during patient visits..Additionally, the lab has taught me that there is so much more to the field of dentistry which people don’t know about. It revealed the broader scope of dentistry, emphasizing the significant impact of oral health on overall well-being and bodily health.

Furthermore, Dr. Jacox’s research investigating phonetic changes pre and post-corrective jaw surgery for patients with dentofacial disharmonies (DFD), exemplifies dentistry’s potential to enhance quality of life beyond mere aesthetics. Her work can help further refine the subfield of orthognathic surgery and help patients reach a fuller quality of life by being able to correct speech deficits. By conducting further background research on the topic of dental anxiety, I also realized firsthand how my studies have been able to translate into real-world applications. Courses I have taken at UNC, which delve into psychological disorders such as anxiety, addiction, schizophrenia, and more, have provided me with a solid foundation for understanding the complexities of human behavior and mental health.

As I approach the end of undergrad, I am excited to continue my academic and professional journey in healthcare. Whether through clinical practice, research, or advocacy, I aspire to make a meaningful impact on the well-being of individuals and communities. UNC has played a pivotal role in shaping my aspirations and providing me with opportunities for growth and development. The expereince of the Gil internship and the support of my cohort, Dr. Buzinski, and Emily Dolegowski has been such an amazing opportunity as I have gotten the chance to engage in my own research while learning about my peers. Looking ahead, as I prepare for dental school applications, I hope to use my clinical knowledge to serve my community and address the needs of minority populations.

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