Synergy for Applicants to Dental & Dental Hygiene School
Synergy Webinar.
Foreign-trained dentists are a unique and valuable part of our dental profession. They face many barriers in trying to re-qualify to practice dentistry in the United States. We know - we are foreign-trained dentists ourselves. To help our colleagues, we created the Synergy Webinar, which helps prepare candidates for competitive applications to international dentist advanced standing programs in the US. The webinar is always free, and there are no strings attached. Why? Most of the presenters are foreign-trained dentists who have been through this tough process and just want to help you!
The next Synergy Webinar for Pre-dental students and Foreign-trained dentists is not scheduled yet.Healthcare System and Dental Profession Immersion program (More information below).
This four-day (30 hour) course is designed specifically for Pre-dental students and Foreign-trained dentists seeking to enter U.S. dental schools and better understand the broader professional landscape in which they will train and practice. It provides a structured, high-yield overview of the U.S. healthcare system, the dental profession, with an emphasis on practical knowledge that strengthens your application and interview performance, as well as giving you a head start in your dental career.Synergy Virtual Research Internship (More information below).
This 16-week Virtual Research Internship is designed specifically for Pre-Dental students and Foreign-trained dentists seeking to strengthen their applications to U.S. dental schools by developing meaningful, practical research experience. Part of your training is customized, one-on-one experiences with your mentor. In fact, you’ll work so closely with your mentor that they frequently write our students’ recommendation letters for dental school.
Career Coaching (more information below).
Synergy Career Coaching and Consulting is built on the idea of individualized guidance that meets you where you are and helps you present your story, strengths, and goals with clarity and confidence. Over the course of 14 Synergy cohorts and conversations with thousands of Pre-dental students and Foreign-trained dentists, we learned that most applicants make strong progress through our free Synergy Webinar, but some need deeper, more sustained support. That’s why we added enhanced services: detailed online learning (our Immersion Program, our Research Internship) and one-on-one consulting. Together, these offerings provide tailored support so you can communicate your value effectively—and, one day, extend the same opportunity to others.
Questions: contact carrie@synergydentist.org or cheske@synergydentist.org
More information about the Healthcare System and Dental Profession Immersion program:
Across the 4-day program, participants build a foundational understanding of the U.S. healthcare system, including its history, structure, and key challenges. Topics such as oral-systemic health, the dental care delivery model, scope of practice across the dental team, and the opioid crisis offer important clinical and societal context. The course then explores access to care, including Medicare and Medicaid, social determinants of health, aging populations, special needs dentistry, and real-world advocacy efforts—helping participants appreciate how policy and population health intersect with clinical care.
Professional development is a central focus. Sessions on ethics, professionalism, malpractice, research fundamentals, peer review, and evidence-based dentistry are paired with candid discussions on dentist well-being, burnout prevention, and long-term career satisfaction. These components aim to align participants with the expectations and norms of U.S. training environments. The final day provides a detailed look at dental education in the United States, including school structures, assessment methods, financial considerations, and academic career pathways. Practical guidance on thriving in dental school, reflective practice, and self-assessment helps participants prepare for the transition ahead.
By the end of the course, participants will not only have a deeper understanding of U.S. dentistry and healthcare, but also the language and insights needed to distinguish themselves in an application process. This knowledge directly enhances the quality of personal statements, strengthens interview responses, and signals a high level of preparedness and commitment to admissions committees.. For registration information, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Goals
Participants will be able to describe how insurance influences patients and providers in the US.
Participants will understand how knowledge of US culture affects interview outcomes.
Participants will be able to describe the current factors impacting the dental profession.
Participants will be able to develop and present a short presentation to classmates that is based on evidence
Participants will be able to describe the steps of how to critically review a research article.
Participants will be able to describe the mechanism by which social factors impact health outcomes.
Participants will be able to list the process by which US dental schools are accredited.
Participants will be able to develop a professional statement of purpose tailored to dental school admissions.
Participants will be able to demonstrate effective interview skills in traditional and MMI-style formats.
Participants will be able to use admissions-related data to identify factors associated with successful matriculation.
Participants will be able to compare dental practice models (solo, group, DSO, community health) and their incentives.
Participants will be able to describe oral-systemic health connections and communicate implications for patient care.
Participants will be able to evaluate drivers and consequences of opioid overprescribing in dentistry and identify mitigation strategies.
Participants will be able to interpret trends in dental-related emergency department utilization and propose prevention approaches.
Participants will be able to discuss educational debt in dentistry and assess how debt can influence career choices.
Participants will be able to critically appraise peer-reviewed dental literature using structured critique methods.
Participants will be able to write a concise scholarly summary or section suitable for peer-reviewed publication.
Participants will be able to deliver clear, well-organized scientific presentations.
Participants will be able to develop their own strategies for personal leadership growth, burnout prevention, and professional adaptability.
Outcome
Please note – There can be no guarantee of entry into any Dental or Dental Hygiene program. There can be no guarantee of receiving an interview to any program. However, we have had tremendous success with our techniques for almost a decade now (93% of Pre-Dental students and 87% of Foreign-trained Dentists have been successful entering a dentistry program). In fact, many of our graduates have returned to teach in our programs.
Additionally, we have published a study on how effective our Immersion Program has been for Foreign-trained Dentists:
NalliahRP, Ramaswamy V,Timothé P. Coaching that helps International Dentists successfully matriculate into Advanced Standing programs in the US. J Dent Educ.2021;1-2. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.12547
How Did We Build This Course?
We surveyed 93 graduates or current students in dental programs across the United States and asked them what they thought might have helped them when they were applying. Then we chose 16 current students to participate in focus groups to collect more detailed information. Additionally, having run numerous in-person and online training programs for dental school applicants since 2017, we have used student feedback to further improve the program. Using all this data, we built our curriculum for the Synergy Immersion Program.
THE 30-HOUR US HEALTHCARE & DENTISTRY IMMERSION PROGRAM: $1,100
WHEN: THE NEXT IMMERSION PROGRAM IS TBD.
Questions: contact carrie@synergydentist.org or cheske@synergydentist.org
More information about the Research Internship:
The Research Internship is tailored for individuals with little to no prior research background, the program provides a structured, supportive pathway to understanding, conducting, and communicating research in a way that directly enhances both applications and interviews.
Participants begin by building a strong foundation in evidence-based dentistry, research design, and the role of research in professional practice. Early sessions demystify key concepts such as study design and bias, while also addressing common misconceptions about scientific literature. As the program progresses, the focus shifts from theory to application. Participants critically analyze real published studies, learn how to conduct literature reviews, and gain hands-on experience reviewing manuscripts in a format aligned with real academic journals.
A key feature of the program is a capstone scholarly project, where participants collaborate with faculty mentorship to produce a research-informed output. High-quality projects will be developed into scholarly manuscripts and submitted for publication in scientific journals. Alongside this rich experience, participants will also deliver scholarly presentations during the course, receiving feedback and developing confidence in communicating complex ideas clearly and professionally.
Importantly, the program directly integrates application-focused outcomes. By the end of the course, participants are not only more knowledgeable about research—they can demonstrate tangible outputs, articulate their experiences, and stand out among applicants who lack this level of academic preparation. During the 16-week program, participants also receive individualized, one-on-one feedback on their CVs and personal statements from their faculty instructor, allowing them to effectively highlight their unique research experiences.
This internship is a weekly commitment of approximately 2 hours in class, an additional 2 hours team/instructor meetings, 2 hours of homework each week. In total, it is approximately 50 hours didactic training, 50 hours of engaged learning (including preparing and making scientific presentations, working on scholarly projects, and even studying clinical cases).
Graduates of this program enter the dental school application process with stronger narratives, greater confidence in interviews, and a distinct competitive advantage grounded in authentic scholarly experience.
Number of Participants
We have a maximum capacity of 10 interns which enables optimal engagement, interaction and participation in research or scholarly work. We onboard 2-3 new Research Interns almost every month. Please email our Learning Services Manager, Ms. Cheske Allora (cheske@syndergydentist.org)
Course Goals
Participants will be demonstrate proficiency in the principles of evidence-based dentistry by understanding how clinical questions are translated into researchable questions and informed by best available evidence.
Participants will be able to efficiently search and retrieve scientific literature using PubMed, applying appropriate keywords, MeSH terms, and search strategies.
Participants will be able to critically appraise peer-reviewed biomedical research articles by evaluating study design, methodology, and clinical relevance.
Participants will be able to synthesize scientific evidence through structured literature reviews that integrate findings across multiple studies to address defined clinical or research questions.
Participants will be able to write well-organized scholarly manuscripts aligned with standards for academic publication.
Participants will be able to present scientific findings effectively through effective verbal academic-style communication appropriate for a dental conference.
Participants will be able to describe the academic publication process, including manuscript preparation, journal selection, peer review, and revision procedures.
Participants will be able to strengthen independent research thinking, including the ability to identify gaps in the literature and propose evidence-informed research directions.
SYNERGY RESEARCH INTERNSHIP (VIRTUAL): $3,000
WHEN: WE ONBOARD NEW INTERNS MOST MONTHS. YOU COULD START AS EARLY AS NEXT MONTH!
Questions: contact carrie@synergydentist.org or cheske@synergydentist.org.
Payment: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/EA3H878XNKA5U
More information on Synergy Consulting on CV’s, Personal Statements and Interview Performance:
Synergy Career Coaching and Consulting is built on the idea of individualized guidance that meets you where you are and helps you present your story, strengths, and goals with clarity and confidence. Over the course of 14 Synergy cohorts and conversations with thousands of Pre-dental students and Foreign-trained dentists, we learned that most applicants make strong progress through our free Synergy Webinar, but some need deeper, more sustained support. That’s why we added enhanced services: detailed online learning (our Immersion Program, our Research Internship) and one-on-one consulting. Together, these offerings provide tailored support so you can communicate your value effectively—and, one day, extend the same opportunity to others.
The Synergy CV and Personal Statement (Statement of Purpose) Coaching: $400. This includes two services that are critical for success:
Firstly, the coach will review the applicants CV’s and Personal Statements (PS) over a Zoom call. The participant has a few days to edit their CV’s and PS’s and then receives additional feedback (fine-tuning) over a zoom call.
Secondly, the coach will conduct mock interviews and provide feedback to help the applicant improve their interview performance. Therefore, the $400 covers both of these services.
Questions: contact carrie@synergydentist.org or cheske@synergydentist.org.