When Carson Kim (Class of 2029) arrived at UAB School of Dentistry, he expected to be challenged in the classroom. What he did not expect was how many opportunities he would find outside of it. From serving in class leadership to getting involved in research, Carson discovered new ways to learn, lead, and grow during his first year at UAB. He shared what stood out about his experience so far, the mentors who have shaped his path, and how asking questions has opened new doors.
Where are you from?
I'm from Gardendale, Alabama, which is just about 15 minutes north of Birmingham, so I'm very familiar with the area.
Where did you go to undergrad and what was your major?
I went to undergrad at Auburn University. My undergraduate major was biomedical sciences, and I had a minor in business. I loved my time there, but I'm finally back in Birmingham. I think this is the place where I'm supposed to be.
What stands out to you about your experience at UAB School of Dentistry so far?
My dad graduated from the UAB School of Dentistry about 25 years ago. My brother is currently a part of the Class of 2028. So, I knew UAB was going to be the place where I wanted to be.
But the community stands out here, which I didn't realize coming in. Everyone tells you that dental school is going to be really tough, but my classmates have made the experience and the transition so easy, and I really couldn't do it without them.
When I came here and was stressed out of my mind about the D1 year, having my classmates to surround me and me being able to lean on them in those times of stress really made me feel like, yes, this is not only a place where I'm going to school, but this is my home for the next four years.
Can you tell us about an experience, opportunity, project and or activity that has been especially meaningful to you so far?
An activity that has been really meaningful to my experience here at UAB has been the chance to serve my class as class president. Being able to work with my fellow classmates and to work closely with faculty to make the best learning experience for these next four years has been so instrumental in my professional growth and service. The community around me has made it 100% worth it.
Can you tell us what you've been involved in outside of the classroom and what that experience has meant for you?
Yeah. So, outside the classroom, I've been getting involved in lots of different clubs. UAB has a lot of different organizations that tailor towards your interest.
One of those things is the Dental Business Club. We bring in a lot of private practice owners, DSOs, and attorneys to talk about their experiences with us. Owning your own practice or understanding the legal side of things are topics that come up, and it's been interesting hearing from people with different experiences.
I'm also a part of research, under Dr. Yu Shin Kim and his lab, and a part of the UAB Student Research Group and their newsletter team.
There are lots of organizations that have really elevated my time and experiences here outside the classroom.
What have you learned about yourself during dental school that you didn't know before?
I think I got a healthy dose of humility. They tell you that dental school is going to be hard when you come into it and you're going to be busy. I expected that, but it is still a punch to the gut at times. But being able to ask for help and knowing that you have classmates and faculty members that not only want you to succeed but want you to be the best version of yourself, whether that's as a practitioner, as a dentist, or just as a person walking through everyday life. So, being able to learn and swallow your pride a little bit and being able to reach out to for help – that's one thing that I've really learned and grown into here at my time at UAB.
Has anybody influenced your experience at UAB and if so, how?
There are so many people that I could list that have really shaped my experience. I think probably the person who's been most integral to my experience has been my brother. He's in the class above me, and he acts as my mentor and as someone I can always lean on. In a microcosm, he's just acting as an older brother should. He's making mistakes. Not many of them, but he makes mistakes. And then I get to learn from him. And then when I make my mistakes, I can always look to him for advice. So, the person who's been most integral to my experience here at UAB been my brother.
What advice would you give to someone considering dental school or exploring UAB as an option?
First off, I would say just come and tour, come get a feel for the place, for the city. Birmingham is a really neat spot where there's lots of places to go out to eat, but I think most importantly is just know that here at UAB there's such a great community feel, such a great backbone to support your academic endeavors. And ultimately at the source of that, it's just fantastic faculty. They just want to see you succeed. They're going to push you, but ultimately, it's going to be for your betterment as a professional and as a person.
Can you tell me about some of the faculty members that you work closely with?
I’ve been working closely with Dr. Kim ever since I got involved with his lab. I don't have a lot of experience in research, but I just reached out. It was a cold open after I watched one of his presentations, and he was so welcoming to me and invited me to come explore his lab.
Ultimately, that led to an opportunity to work with his lab over the summer. And even then, I'm just so new to the research environment that I felt like sometime like I was lost. Whether it's Dr. Shannonhouse, who's also in that lab, or Dr. Kim himself, they would sit down with me and take the time to explain what they're doing, the experiments and the procedures I'm running, the meaningfulness behind that and what results they were expecting, what the results meant. So, them just taking the time out of their day, out of their busy schedules, just to sit down with a student who doesn't know much and care for them and push them again to maybe elevate their background knowledge is something that I really appreciated. Dr. Kim has been a faculty member that has just kind of taken me under his wing and been really great to me.
Is there something that may have sparked your interest in getting involved in research?
What initially sparked my interest in research? It was just something that I knew I could get involved with. I know UAB is fantastic in terms of research. We do so many great papers, and there's so many faculty doing so many awesome projects. I was just interested in dipping my toes in and seeing if this was something for me.
As I got in, I felt like I didn't know enough, but I had amazing mentors who sat down with me and explained to me these different procedures. And because of that, I began to get a background knowledge. Then I realized the whole world opened up to me. Seeing how research is actually done, how they come up with these questions and how you tackle these questions, it's like solving a puzzle. You're just sitting down at a table and putting pieces together. I think that's really interesting and ultimately why I want to continue pursuing research.
Can you tell us anything about a current project you're working on and what question(s) you’re trying to answer?
Yes, a project I've been working on in Dr. Kim's lab – we have used a bite force machine to measure the bite force of different subjects, both healthy and with TMJ pain. One that we've been looking at is M glue R5 and seeing how that plays a role in pain and TMJ pain specifically. These are preclinical trials to understand the mechanism behind TMJ pain and TMJ neurons.
What have you enjoyed most about the research process and how has research influenced the way you think about dentistry or patient care?
What I enjoy the most about the research process is just how many doors I think it opens up. While it opens up opportunities it also helps you think differently about dentistry overall in patient care. We have a class called Case Based Education (CBE) where we sit down with different faculty members and go through a case There are so many times in a case where a question gets brought up and faculty say ‘that could be a research project.’ So, when you take these elements of the research process and really break them down, once you find that core question, it can open up a lot of doors. And you don't think like that unless you're into the research process. That's what I really enjoy about the it is that I'm seeing a lot more questions and seeing a way to get these answers for the betterment of patients and for dentistry as a whole.
What have you learned from working with faculty mentors or the research team?
I think overall I’ve learned not to be afraid to ask questions. This extends to the classroom as well but it is especially important and true in the research setting. Sometimes those questions can feel really dumb and stupid. But I think here at UAB, again, we're blessed with such amazing faculty that they'll sit down with you and want you to understand it for your sake. And so, I learned don't focus on pretending like you know everything. You can be vulnerable and just ask questions.
What would you tell another student who is curious about getting involved in research but isn't sure where to start?
So, what I would tell a student who's curious about getting involved with research but not sure where to start – just ask a faculty member. The faculty members here are fantastic, and most likely they have a research project going on. And if they don't have a spot open in their lab or in their project, they know someone who has an opening in an area that's similar. So just ask.
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