Harvard School of Dental Medicine is the only school within Harvard that provides direct patient care through the Harvard Dental Center. The Harvard Dental Center is a state-of-the-art facility offering comprehensive dental care in a range of dental specialties. Comprehensive care is offered in the Faculty Group Practice by both full- and part-time Harvard faculty. In theTeaching Practices, treatment is delivered by predoctoral and advanced graduate dental students at a cost that is approximately 30% to 40% less than fees charged at a private dental practices.
Growing up just outside of Philadelphia, PA, Beck headed to the west coast to attend the University of California (UC), Berkeley as an undergrad, balancing her academic career between her studies and research in integrative biology, and playing Division I lacrosse.
Facing career-ending injuries in the beginning of her junior year playing lacrosse, Beck was confronted with a difficult decision: quit the lacrosse team or define a new role that would allow her to contribute in a meaningful way. She soon became an essential link between the coaching staff and team leading practices and refining techniques ultimately focusing on her communication and listening skills to bring people together to achieve success on and off the field.
With a keen interest in medicine in college, I soon found myself drawn to the team sport of surgery, said Beck. The coordinated effort of the operative team to work through challenging cases and provide outstanding patient care resonated with my experience as a student-athlete.
After transitioning from being a student-athlete at UC Berkeley, Beck soon found herself searching for a new niche at HSDM. Shadowing an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in college, she saw first-hand the impact he had on his patients and their families through simple acts of kindness that built trust and put his patients at ease. Inspired by this experience, Beck committed herself to pursuing a DMD and MD to follow in oral and maxillofacial surgery. While studying at Harvard Medical School (HMS) in her first year of the HSDM curriculum, she worked with classmates and mentors to develop and execute the first global surgery symposium for students and trainees in Boston.
Our event drew over 200 in-person attendees and thousands of virtual viewers worldwide. We built on the success of this symposium to establish and grow an internationally recognized non-profit, the Global Surgery Student Alliance (GSSA), that now supports over 2,400 students and trainees through research, education, and mentorship, with partnerships spanning the globe.
Beck and her co-founders recognized that engaging students in global surgery efforts early in their careers is critical. To achieve the 2030 goals put forth by The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and The World Bank, one must augment the global surgery workforce.
While building GSSA, Beck found her calling surgical innovation and expanding access to care. She spent time in India researching underdiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea and uncovering the aftereffects that can arise from a lack of suitable infrastructure in health systems. Motivated to understand how to improve health systems, Beck put a pause on her DMD program at HSDM to pursue her MBA at Cornell University between her second and third years at HSDM.
Aside from the hard skills I obtained, I learned how critical it is to have people in the room who can understand and integrate various perspectives. Great leaders are not only those who can execute effective strategies, but rather those who can also communicate in a manner that ensures everyone feels heard and understood.
My long-term goal is to integrate my clinical expertise, business acumen, and academic research experience to function as a link between multi-disciplinary stakeholders to strengthen healthcare systems by developing sustainable infrastructure that aims to improve access to, and delivery of, surgical care.
Passionate about expanding access to care, especially surgical care, Beck will continue her advanced education after graduation with a six-year residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Harvards Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) program.
Surgery is a cornerstone of medicine and dentistry, said Beck. One of my primary objectives is to become a great clinician who is able to understand the needs and desires of my patients and to then diagnose and treat them appropriately. I want to learn the full scope of OMFS and be comfortable and competent treating and managing complex patient cases across the spectrum of this specialty.
Reviews
Rating 4.8 out of 5 based on 162 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestBarbara Trachtenberg
a year ago
Good, consistent attention to detail and concern for the patient. Thank you. I appreciate my dentists' work in every way
DUSYA LYUBOVSKAYA
a year ago
The dentists are amazing and very caring !
Green Lion
a year ago
My dentist, Rubee Sandhu, is always exceptional in every way. I am so appreciative of her excellent skills and kind and sensitive treatment. Bernette Steptoe
Iderika Rodriguez
a year ago
Excellent, people was very friendly over there.
Erinn Danielle
2 years ago
Dr. Dahshan is friendly, very knowledgeable and I was super comfortable. I am happy she is working on my teeth. You should be her Client as well!
Kate Auspitz
2 years ago
Thoroughly professional and more: intelligent, cordial, careful explanations - pleasant experience.
Yoli Tejeda
2 years ago
Dr. Tu Nguyen is very professional and she got angels hands!
Tracey Hathaway
2 years ago
I am a diabetic and will need several surgeries because of bone loss in the next couple of years. Since being assigned to Dr. Wilkerson in June my experience at the dental school has been wonderful. I have witnessed how she leads with patient empathy and concern. She articulates procedures in layman's terms and follows up on surgical procedures, ensuring I am not having any discomfort. I am extremely grateful to be under her care. In my most recent visit I had my last wisdom tooth removed. In previous removals in private practices I have experienced extreme pain and discomfort. Oftentimes the tooth was broken midway through the procedure. As I sat in Dr. WILKERSon's chair I began to have post-traumatic stress (this has been my dental experience that has caused me to not address my teeth for periods at a time). Dr. Wilkerson is one of the best periodontists I have met. The tooth had a large decay and was extremely deep. She took her time ensuring me it would not be painful. The overall removal was painless and took a total time of 10 minutes after I was numbed. The most impressive piece was not only did she extract the tooth in whole, but I didn't realize she had completed the process until she started cleaning the final ligaments. Dr. Wilkerson's care and expertise is the best that I have experienced. Harvard has made an excellent choice in admitting her as a resident. She represents the school and herself in a professional, positive, thoughtful, and competent manner that transcends in every aspect of her life. When she leaves her residency at Harvard she will be missed. However, in my opinion, Dr. Wilkerson will be one of the top periodontists in the profession.
Jeff Schwedes
2 years ago
Jenna Zhu has been my guide and caretaker during my appointment visits at the Harvard Dental Center. Jenna is kind and friendly. She helps me make my appointments at the Center and sends me reminders when they are close at hand. She carefully explains every procedure in advance and afterwards. She is a competent and knowledgeable dentist. I would recommend her to anyone. Jeff Schwedes
Salvatore Daddario
2 years ago
Madison Overby took fantastic care of me! She is a nice+ she's an amazing dentist who really takes the time to care for her patient and do a thorough assessment and cleaning. Book an appointment with Madison before they're all gone!
James OReilly
2 years ago
the software is nice and easy to use to confirm appointments
Ng Enelamah
2 years ago
Caring, consientious and excellent young destints! Thank you so much!
Warley Simoes
2 years ago
Excellent experience !!!
No name
2 years ago
I drove 1.5 hrs. for my appointment. More than happy with office staff, patient care and dental intern. Traffic is rough, the only problem. They will do a $1,700 root canal for around $640.00. My gas and parking was round $34.00. If you can afford the time it is worth the drive.
Lisveth Alvarez
2 years ago
(Translated by Google) Excellent place very good attention and fast (Original) Excelente lugar muy buena atencion y rapidos
Nicolai Cauchy
2 years ago
Excellent scheduling and welcome, with terrific student dentists. I've had several consultations for endodontics and implants and received excellent care. Thank you!
Jeff Schwedes
2 years ago
Jenna Zhu has been my guide and caretaker during at the Dental School. Jenna is kind and friendly. She carefully explains every procedure in advance. She is a competent and knowledgeable dentist. I would recommend her to anyone. Jeff Schwedes
Ruth Lewis
2 years ago
Services provided were excellent. Ileana is Superb!
Louis M
2 years ago
Harvard Dental Student Practice gives excellent care at affordable rates. I fully recommend this option!
michael kelley
2 years ago
The people who work in this office, from lobby personnel to physicians, everyone is polite and professional. My apt was scheduled for 10:45am-it was a simple jaw x-ray-but I arrived 5 minutes late because it was my first time visiting and it's located in a very busy district of Boston. So I walked in at 10:50am, gave them my name, signed a few electronic documents (again, it being my first visit), sat down, and at 10:53am I was called in. Had my x-ray done, explained a little about what they found, and I was walking out the door by 11:00am. The reason I'm aware of the times is because I couldn't believe things were moving this quickly and repeatedly checked my phone to see if a medical office could possibly be moving this quickly. And it was busy, on a Tuesday, there were at least 7 people in the waiting room, it's not like it was a slow day. They have this office running like a well oiled machine, with a lot of people who clearly enjoy where they work. I couldn't give a higher recommendation to a doctor's office.
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