When Kevin Hahn, D.D.S., first decided to continue his dental education through a three-year periodontal residency program, he admits that the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry was not on his radar. After all, Hahn was California born and raised, having grown up in Los Angeles and having attended both college and dental school in the San Francisco Bay Area.
But at the recommendation of a dental school colleague, Hahn included UAB’s perio program on his list of postdoctoral possibilities. Before long, he suddenly found himself traveling across the country to a temporary new home in Birmingham.
“I didn’t really know anything about UAB. But I came here for an interview, and it felt incredible right away,” Hahn says. “The residents were very collaborative, and the faculty very experienced and supportive. It really exceeded my expectations.”
What Hahn and other residents have discovered at UAB is a 36-month, CODA-accredited program that takes a deep dive into the science and treatments behind periodontology, including such issues as chronic gum disease, gingival recession, and dental implants.
“Our residents receive extensive experience in all of those areas, while learning the nuances of the underlying science behind these treatments,” says Mia Geisinger, D.D.S., M.S., interim chair of the UAB SOD Periodontology Department. “They also receive training in medical emergencies, practice management, and professional development.”
“And because UAB has so many of the CODA-recognized specialties, our residents have wonderful opportunities to collaborate on interdisciplinary cases. So they’re able to use all the other in-house expertise from residents and faculty in other disciplines in addition to their own periodontal expertise to create interdisciplinary teams and deliver optimal care for our patients.”
It was several years after Hahn graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Integrative Biology before he enrolled in dental school at the University of California, San Francisco. Even then, he says he was well into his third year of dental school before deciding to focus on periodontology.
“Up until that point, I had a very limited exposure to periodontics,” Hahn says. “But once I started rotating and shadowing in the periodontology clinic, I began to see the wide breadth of surgical procedures that periodontists perform. It’s a wonderful combination of science and art, and that’s what first got me interested in it.”
Now, as Hahn prepares to complete his three-year stint at UAB, he says his initial instincts about the SOD’s periodontology residency program have proven to be correct. He has been particularly pleased with the amount of clinical work he has been able to do during his time at UAB, as well as the direction he has received from faculty members.
“The amount of clinical experience you get here is incredible,” Hahn says. “Once you reach this point in your career, it is important to get in the reps in order to be confident in practice after you finish residency.”
“Another strong point is the faculty. They’re very supportive. It’s a welcoming environment where I feel like I can easily ask questions and receive answers and mentorship. The faculty is also very diverse in their backgrounds and treatment philosophies. When you’re going through residency, you’re trying to learn the most effective way that works for you, so it’s nice to have so many different perspectives all in one place.”
Even if that place is 2,000 miles from home.