Maurice Thompson will be starting as a 1st Year Dentistry Student at Meharry Medical School in the Fall 2023. Maurice hails from Cleveland, Ohio and attended John Hay Cleveland School of Science and Medicine High School. He matriculated at Cleveland State for undergraduate school and graduated in 2022. Maurice developed an interest in dentistry while shadowing his Cleveland Orthodontist during his high school career exploration project. Maurice was impressed to observe an African-American man in a leadership role and was engaged by the planning and precision of dentistry. Maurice stated that his own attention to detail was a talent that contributed to his interest in dentistry, with the high degree of precision and accuracy. He listed the summer spent on campus at Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry and over 100 hours of dental shadowing as experiences that reinforced his desire to pursue a career in dentistry.
To help prepare for his career path, it was stated that he gained an understanding of dental procedures and patient care through shadowing. He also referred again to the Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry experiences. In this internship he worked with dental students and professionals and found the mentoring valuable.
In the future, he wants to give back to the community by focusing on the underrepresented and inspiring children. Maurice mentioned a desire to provide care at community health events or free clinics. Lastly, Maurice finished his essay responding to our new question about the coronavirus. He stated that the pandemic has solidified his decision to pursue dentistry, because of the significant role oral health plays in overall health. He stated that the pandemic has shown that it is even more important for more healthcare professionals to protect public health.