Student Profile:
Ann Wei
Ann Wei came to America after her husband was offered a job in California. But far from letting the "180-degree change in direction" slow her down, the native of Taiwan has rocketed her dentistry career forward, even dabbling in American politics in the process.
Wei holds a DDS degree from National Taiwan University. Though she almost entered art school, she decided to pursue something "more serious" at the urging of her teachers, who could see that she was very bright.
"The overall environment was, if you can do better, better not to do art," says Wei. She toyed with the idea of entering medical school, but decided dentistry was more her style. And she doesn't regret her decision one bit.
"The more I study it, the more I'm happy with dentistry. I think it's perfect for me," she says. "I like the fact that my patients are more equal to me, and they are overall very healthy," says Wei. "It's not like, 'If I don't treat you, you die.'"
In her second year of dental school, Wei spent a semester at the University of Toronto in Canada as part of an exchange program. There, she met her future husband, an engineering student from France. For the next five years, they endured a long-distance relationship as Wei finished her degree. Planning to move to France when she graduated, she researched French dentistry and took all the French dental exams. When her husband told her they'd be moving to California instead, she had to start from scratch.
Wei immediately found the International Dentist Program at UCSF and applied. She was thrilled to be accepted into the renowned program, in which she enrolled in 2002. But she also discovered that California was one of the last two states in the nation where foreign dentists could become licensed without further schooling.
"But they were closing the door really tight," says Wei. She began lobbying for California state bill AB 1467, which would keep the door open a little longer. After six months spent working with lobbyists and visiting the Capitol, she helped the bill pass in April 2004, becoming part of a closed pool of people allowed to take the California dental board exams before the door closes forever in 2008.
Now, as a licensed dentist, Wei works part time at a private practice while completing the International Dentist Program. Wei enjoys being a student immensely, and didn't even consider not finishing the program once she became licensed through another route. She credits the program's flexible nature and its superb faculty for her success so far. And experiencing American dental education has taught her much about the differences between American and Taiwanese dentistry.
"In Taiwan, the environment doesn't allow you to refer patients," says Wei. The patient will think the dentist is incompetent. Because of this, Taiwanese dentists must learn much more about medical issues, she says. "But here, dentistry is more focused on dental work, really good crowns, bridges, restorative work. It's more specialized."
Wei can't decide which system works better, but she says dentists in Taiwan almost have too much medical knowledge. "Sometimes their crown and bridge work is just so-so."
Wei also describes the different types of patients she has seen in the two countries. While working in a Taiwanese hospital for a year, she saw both the very rich and the very poor. Many of the poor patients had oral cancer caused by chewing a toxic plant.
"I had patients who had holes in their faces or couldn't open their mouths," she says.
Here in the United States, Wei sees a diverse group of patients, as well, working at the off-campus Buchanan Dental Center, which treats mostly underprivileged patients. But she sees one type she has never treated before: AIDS patients.
"I love to work with them. They're usually the most wonderful patients you can get," says Wei, who thoroughly enjoys working at the busy midtown center. She says she likes the fact that it's a small clinic that hovers somewhere between a private practice and a school.
"I love it there. We have a big parking lot in the city!" she adds laughing.
Source: Aria Pearson
