Doctor of Dental Surgery and Dental Hygiene students at West Virginia University School of Dentistry who are in the classes of 2024 are in the third year of their four-year journey to become oral healthcare professionals. 

At this pivotal moment in their academic careers, students begin direct patient care following a comprehensive academic curriculum and intense preclinical training in state-of-the-art simulation labs. 

To mark the transition from classroom to clinic, students and their families celebrate with a clinic induction ceremony that includes receiving their white coats which symbolize a cloak of compassion reminding students that proper treatment must be delivered with empathy and care. 

Dr. Dan Carrier, a WVU dental school graduate and current West Virginia Dental Association president elect, delivered a keynote address.

 "In my opinion, if you can follow these three pieces of advice, you will have success the next two years in the clinic and afterwards as you start your career in the dental field," Carrier said. "Patient experience is everything. Ask questions. Be comfortable being uncomfortable." Carrier participated in his own white coat ceremony in 2008 and shared some of the following advice with students. 

Patient experience is everything.

Each time you have an appointment there are a hundred decisions you have to manage. But NEVER forget... the appointments are not just about you. There is a patient who is sharing the experience with you. With each of those decisions, ask yourself, “Am I improving the patient experience or making it worse?” Do everything in your power to improve the patient experience, because PATIENT EXPERIENCE IS EVERYTHING. -Dr. Dan Carrier

Ask questions.

You need to understand faculty members WANT to be here and WANT to share the knowledge they have about Dentistry and Dental Hygiene. The more you ENGAGE them the MORE they will share with you. None of you have practiced one day alone in your life, so you don’t realize what a tremendous gift the faculty are to you. Don’t make the same mistake I did and recognize that too late. Take full advantage of the great faculty we have at the School of Dentistry and ASK QUESTIONS. -Dr. Dan Carrier

Be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Imagine all the skills required to be a dentist or a dental hygienist. No one is perfect at all of them. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It’s really easy to gravitate towards your strong areas. It’s much harder to spend time in areas you are weak, because that requires you to admit you aren’t good at something, which is tough. However, if you can intentionally put yourself in those situations, you will leave this school a more well-rounded dental provider. BE COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. -Dr. Dan Carrier

Click to see photos of each student receiving their white coat and of the celebration that followed. 

Dental Hygiene Class of 2024

Madison Atwell
Leigh Ann Bennett
Lauren Byrnside
Kenley Campbell
Summer Channell
Kylee Coffield
Maggie Fahey
Rachel Hetzler
Sofia Karamolegkou
Kara Lobban
Caroline Maxwell
Ava Mele
Reymonda Mikhail
Amanda Molina
Kaitlyn Molisee
Madison Ostrander
Ally Pacek
Madison Shaw
Mackenzie Wensel

Doctor of Dental Surgery Class of 2024 
 

Karlee Alderman
Ali Alsayegh
Aref Anbari
Brianna Bevil
Katreen Boles
Laura Burrows
Nathan Cook
Patrick Coulter
Kayla Courtney
Terrissa Crowl
Olivia Darby
Danielle Dillon
Adam Fleckenstein
Robert Gilbert
Shelbey Groves
Hillary Williamson
Emma Brockman
Brenden Honaker
Brooke Tolliver
Zach Lynn
Sreedatta Mahavadi
Branson Martin
Tyler McKinney
Mikaela Mitchell
Allison Moore
Adam Morris
Erin Mueller
Kristin Mullins
Spenser Myers
Austin Roop
Jordan Rossell
Savannah Russel
Cassidy Shaffer
Brent Smith
Sarah Spencer
Braden Stewart
Cole Tilley
Emily Uihlein
William Vakay
Erin Walters
Paige White
Alexander Woomer
Chelsea Workman
Hunter Wright
Dustin Yoakum
Eyman Zaitar

Sponsors

Dedicated friends of the dental school contribute to the purchase of student white coats and the clinic induction celebration. Our appreciation is extended to

Dr. Chris Bulnes
Dr. Jerry Bouquot
Dr. Jay Boyd
Dr. Juan Bugueno
Dr. Craig Bridgeman
Dr. Dan Carrier (Clinic Induction Ceremony Guest Speaker)
Dr. Buck Conard
Dr. Thomas Condron
Dr. William Crews
Dr. Bryan Dye
Dr. Brett Eckley
Dr. Kurt Fleckenstein
Dr. Lewis Gilbert
Dr. Lora Graves
Dr. Nika Hettlinger
Dr. Ben Hiener
Dr. Allison Jarrett
Dr. Katie Kilcollin
Dr. Michael Medovic
Dr. Moe Momen
Dr. Hamed Motlagh
Dr. Adam Myers
Dr. David Najar
Dr. Dallas Nibert
Dr. Stephen Pachuta
Drs. John and Valerie Perrine
Dr. Lance Pittman
Dr. Mike Richardson
Dr. Kerri Simpson
Dr. Chuck Smith
Dr. Lorena Surber
Dr. James Vargo
Dr. Robert Wanker
Dr. Daniel Whyte
Dr. Travis Wills
Dr. Austin Wright
Dr. Kim Zaremba-Rabatin
Dr. Andrew Zeeger
Ghareeb Dental Group
Main Street Dental
Mountain State Oral and Facial Surgery
WV Dental Association
WVU School of Dentistry Alumni Association
WV Section of the American College of Dentists
WV Section of the International College of Dentists