Same building, different roles, new titles, old friends.

Congrats Class of 2012- what a run we had! Welcome Class of 2016, wishing you all the very best! Summer is quickly giving way to fall, and with that comes jobs, residencies, officer’s training, engagements, weddings, vacations, and federal loans coming out of deferment. Just some of the few things the newest group of DDS from the University of Michigan has been experiencing in the three months since we walked across the stage at Hill Auditorium. For some of us, we’ve made the transition to resident, learning the expectations, reading articles, buying ridiculously expensive cameras, bending wires, learning that pedo time is pedo time, and making new friendships. Others have transitioned into private practice, are planning CE vacations, performing molar endo in under an hour, calling their own shots, and forcing clinics to buy instruments that we took for granted.

Looking back, it just seemed like record ran out, or the tape switched over, or the DVD returned to the main menu, however you want to summarize it; the show was over, and we all were left standing around thinking “Well, now what? or “What’s next?.” While the curtain fell on a fantastic four years, just a glimpse of a class full of some of my best friends has been posted to the web, and in the overview of the class’ future plans, I look at that list and know that each number and percentage represents more of a character and personality than the simple 16 pt. Arial font on a hyperlink. As our legacy fades into the walls of 1011 North University, I know that the memories made will last a lifetime, and potentially longer, as for myself, I’m looking forward to another three years of stories and memories. Hats off to you Class of 2012! Don’t forget to swing by the respective grad departments if you make it back for a football game. For the rest of us from Coeur d’Alene to Jacksonville or Los Angeles to New York, miss you all, and GO BLUE! Oh, and if you’re looking for some great reading, I recommend Lang NP, Cumming BR, Löe H. “Toothbrushing frequency as it relates to plaque development and gingival health”. J Periodontol. 1973 Jul;44(7):396-405. If you don’t have access, email me at davissm@umich.edu and I’ll see what I can do.

Steve Davis, PGY1 in Periodontics, ’12 DDS from University of Michigan, is one of 17 recent graduates that will be staying on for additional training at U of M.  Thanks to him for agreeing to be our first graduate blogger!