Every year, WildSmiles mounts a nationwide search for the most promising and dedicated new orthodontic Residents – the men and women who will enrich and advance the field in the years to come through their dedication to patient engagement and the personal approach to care. And every year we thank two of the “best of the best” with the WildSmiles New Resident Scholarship, to help them in a very real and welcome way.
The winners of the 2016 New Resident Scholarship are great examples of orthodontists with the energy, talent, and dedication that will benefit future patients and practices: Alexandra Pischke-Thomas at the University of Michigan and Drew Colantino at St. Louis University.
Alexandra Pischke-Thomas received her undergraduate degree from Clemson University and her DMD from Medical University of South Carolina. Today, she is a resident in Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Michigan. An accomplished public speaker, Dr. Pischke-Thomas is a proud member of UM’s Class of 2019.
Drew Colantino graduated with honors from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in business. After working in the world of marketing and advertising, he chose to follow a career in dentistry for its unique integration of science, art and hand skills that improves the lives of others. Drew received his DMD degree from Harvard University, where he was involved in outreach programs for undeserved and underrepresented sub-populations. Dr. Colantino, who was named a Warren Brandli Leadership Intern in 2015, is now a resident at The Saint Louis University Center for Advanced Dental Education (CADE), a highly respected facility for advanced dental education, where dentists are trained to become astute and multidisciplinary clinicians in the fields of orthodontics, endodontics and periodontics.
The WildSmiles Scholarship awards each of its recipients $1,000 to be used for tuition. Applications for the 2017 Awards can be found at www.WildSmiles.com/Scholarship.