Geena Song, like many pre-dental students, was searching for scholarships, grants and other programs to help pay for dental school. There are limited options, but one in particular piqued her interest: the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP).
“In Korea, where my family is from, all the guys must go into the military, but none of the girls do. So, I was always kind of intrigued, like, 'What if I was the first girl in my family to go into the military?’”
She will also be the first dentist in her family. And her entire dental school tuition is being covered in full.
Song applied and was awarded a four-year HPSP scholarship with the United States Navy. The scholarship covers tuition, required costs like books and equipment, and also provides a generous living stipend. In return, Song will serve four years as a dental officer in the Navy after her graduation this spring from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (CU SDM).
A Different Path to Pursuing Passions
Inspiration to join the military came differently for fellow CU SDM student Connor Moos. Many of his grandparents were in the military, and his brother attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
While applying to the Air Force Academy, Moos was accepted into the BA/BS-DDS Pipeline Program at CU Denver and CU SDM, which prepares undergraduate students for dental school. He decided to put his military dreams on pause to pursue his career in dentistry through a different pathway.
When Moos learned about the HPSP, he said, “It was the perfect opportunity for me to combine my passion for dentistry and my desire to serve my country.” He received a three-year HPSP scholarship with the U.S. Air Force.
The application process for the Health Professions Scholarship Program was “intense,” according to Moos, much like the application for dental school. The BA/BS-DDS Pipeline Program helped in several ways: unparalleled extracurricular opportunities in community service and research, educational seminars where he got to meet dental faculty, and a strong support system for help and advice when it was needed.
“If you have any interest or desire to be in the military, [the HPSP] is hands down the best scholarship you can receive to support your educational pathway to a career in dentistry. There is nothing that compares to the financial support, and the training and experience you get after graduation.”
The Importance of Community in Dental School and Beyond
While in dental school, Moos, Song, and another classmate Kyung Song who is an Army HPSP scholar, revitalized the CU SDM Military Dental Club with the help of faculty advisor U.S. Air Force Retired Colonel Douglas Wilson, DMD, MS.
“Our primary goal with the club was to serve as a community for students who were in or interested in HPSP, to get to know each other and provide guidance throughout the difficult process of applying and navigating their time in the scholarship,” said Moos, who is president of the club. The club decided to expand, bringing in active military and ex-military members to share insight into what military life is like.
This fall, the club recorded its largest meeting attendance in recent years.
Bridget Bailey, third-year dental student and Navy HPSP scholar, has felt a strong sense of support from the Military Dental Club as well as her family and her faith.
She was nervous at first to explore the idea of joining the military: “I almost felt like it wasn’t an option for me because no one in my family was in the military and I didn’t know much about it.” But when she brought it up, her parents and siblings could not have been more supportive. Her brother started dancing on FaceTime when she told everyone she got the scholarship, and they all joined via Zoom when she was commissioned into the U.S. Navy.
“There has been a lot of support among classmates, veterans and other people in the program,” said Bailey. “I’ve connected with a lot of people I would not have otherwise met. The benefits are more than just financial; the networking, the mentorship and the life experiences of being in the military are extensive and so unique.”
Life as a Military Dentist
After graduating from dental school, HPSP scholars attend Officer Training or Candidate School, then go on to complete an advanced dental residency before starting their military service contract.
CU SDM alumna and U.S. Air Force Captain Jacqueline Merz, DDS ’23, completed her Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) in Maryland. During residency, she said she gained a lot of confidence. “After a few months of didactic learning, we hit the ground running,” she said. “We did everything, from operative to crown preps, composite bonding and veneers, all the way up to periodontal surgeries, crown lengthening, distal wedges, molar endodontic retreatments and more.” Surgery was a big component of the program too; she would complete two-week rotations all year, consisting of third molar extractions and implant placement with oral surgeons and earned her IV Sedation Certification.
Now, Merz is an advanced clinical dentist on McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, where the mission is readiness: making sure everyone on base is deployable, with no oral health issues that could affect them within the next 12 months.
Back when she was in dental school, Merz didn’t know if she was brave enough to join the military. Now, she sees herself serving in the Air Force for the rest of her career. “I really enjoy it. I've always had a passion for leadership. I feel like CU gave me my wings, and my advanced training in the military gave me the ability to fly.”
Top image: Students and faculty attend a conference at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Left to right: Kyle Pelkey, DMD, MBA, Connor Moos, Geena Song, Bridget Bailey, Patrick Dang, Kyung Song and Douglas Wilson, DMD, MS.
