International DMD Students Navigate the Start of Dental School During COVID-19

Ayodeji Awopegba

For students in RSDM’s internationally trained DMD program, the first semester of dental school is a chance to bond with fellow classmates and immerse themselves in American dentistry.

But dental school began very differently for the 37 internationally trained dental students who arrived here at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the class had a brief in person meeting in March—with small, socially distanced groups divided into four small rooms—they haven’t seen each other in person since.

Class time has been replaced by virtual lessons. Socializing with classmates takes place on ZOOM and WhatsApp. They’ve also had to adjust to their new homes in the U.S. during a time when they often can’t do more than run essential errands.

The international students arrived not long before Gov. Murphy declared a shelter-in-place order for the state. Classes were set to begin on March 23 but instruction at Rutgers moved online in light of the pandemic.

“We’ve been mostly indoors. It’s been quite a struggle and I don’t have any family here,’’ said Shreyans Dhanuka, who practiced dentistry for a year in India before deciding to seek a degree in the U.S. “I was excited to learn in big lecture halls and get to know my international colleagues and get to know other students. Sometimes it’s frustrating, but the school is really trying to support us through the situation.’’

Shreyans Dhanuka

“We are letting them know we’re here, guiding them to right resources. We want them to feel welcome and a part of the school,’’ said Dr. Rosa Chaviano-Moran, Associate Dean of Admissions.

Despite the disruption and anxiety of life during COVID-19, Dhanuka is glad to be at RSDM. But he’s eager spend time in clinic, too. “When I was applying to schools, the thing that I really wanted was a school that provided me with a good clinical experience, and that’s why I wanted to be here,’’ he says.

International D.M.D. student Ayodeji Awopegba came to RSDM from Maryland in March, settling in the town of Union with his wife and four-year-old daughter. After graduating from dental school in Nigeria and working in the field of public health in the U.S., he chose to return to dental school in America and train to practice oral surgery here.

Aspects of their adjustment have been difficult, but he recognizes that during a pandemic, everyone has to improvise new ways of navigating social and academic life. He and Dhanuka have been getting to know classmates through their WhatsApp group. “I’m learning people’s faces that way,’’ said Awopegba. “We’ve become better friends through that platform.’’

This week, the Internationally Trained DMD students finally will receive their dental kits and are scheduled to do some pre-clinical work at the school next week.

“Now that we are starting with preclinical work, I can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel,'' said Dhanuka.

In the meantime, Awopegba has been trying to focus on how much there is to learn during the COVID-19 crisis. “I’m excited to be part of the Rutgers community and to experience this, to see how we’re going to come out the other end of this. At the end of the day, it’s about the process. If you can get through it, you’ll be a better person. We’re going to have issues to tackle. I’m taking the challenge one day at a time.’’

Added Dhanuka, “ These unprecedented times have certainly evolved me into a stronger and more resilient person. “