Alumni Spotlight

Dr. Nina Tran is a recent graduate of dental school at OHSU. While at UP, Nina was an active member of the community including her outstanding work as the President of the UP Dental Club. Since graduation, Nina has graciously continued to come back to The Bluff each year to talk to and help mentor our pre-dental students. She is now living in Oahu where she works as an associate dentist at Gentle Dental. While at UP and OHSU, Nina was able to attend numerous networking events that OHSU had for its students, which Nina credits with helping her land a job in Hawaii!

1. What is the best part of your current position?

The best part of my position is that the office lets me make the decisions and helps me get what I need to best treat my patients. I don’t have any restrictions from them so I feel like I’m able to do my best work.

2. How did your time at UP help you with your career path? 

I felt like everything I did at UP helped me get into dental school. I was involved in a lot of clubs. The Pre-Dental Club has a close relationship with Mark Mitchell, the Associate Dean of Admissions & Student Affairs, so it helped when we got to do private tours of the school and meet with him. I was also in Alpha Lambda Delta and Blue Key Club which were definite resume boosters and gave a lot of volunteer opportunities. The classes at UP were challenging but were also taught really well, so even though graduate school was WAY harder, I felt like I could keep up because I remembered things from classes taken at UP. Even the fun classes I took for easy credits (ceramics and sculpting) helped me because it developed my hand and artistic skills! I was also involved in research with the chemistry and biology department (which all of my interviewers loved). Lastly, I felt like the advisers at UP went out of their way to help me. Not only did I get recommendation letters from multiple professors, but Dr. Flann also helped me set up an internship at a dental office for biology credits. In addition, when it came time to interview, Dr. Flann didn’t hesitate to set up mock interviews for the students who were interested in practicing. Definitely take advantage of what UP has to offer!


3. What are your favorite memories of UP?

My favorite memories of UP are all of the friends that I made. Surprisingly my closest friends are the ones from Hawaii, and I had a lot of fun dancing in the luau during my last two years. Who knew I would end up in Hawaii 4 years later!

4. What advice would you give aspiring pre-health types?

My advice would be to meet with your advisers often to talk about your goals. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need (workshop or TA opportunities, mock interviews, help with applications) because all of the professors there are there for you. Also, if you don’t get into your program the first, second, or even third try, don’t give up! My oldest classmate graduated dental school with me at age 53!