Personal Statement
Applied Program: Biomaterials or Oral Biology

An edifying remark that my mother told me at one point of my impressionable childhood has virtually constituted a lifelong motto for me - "It is unrealistic for anyone to expect to become a man of greatness capable for heroic deeds; but with due efforts, everyone can expect to become a valuable, albeit ordinary, person instrumental to society". Inspired and enlightened by the truth inherent in this teaching of my mother‘s, I have chosen the career of a stomatologist as the ultimate objective of my intellectual pursuit, believing that people will smile more heartily if they can all possess healthy teeth with my potential contributions in oral biology. Ordinary as my choice is, I have implicit faith in the value of this choice because I know that I will be highly qualified for the stomatologist career that I am enamored of and that for me this is the career that can enable me to fulfill the value of my life.

It was precisely with such a yearning and confidence that I applied, without any hesitation, for Norman Bethune University of Medical Science following the highly competitive National College Entrance Examination and was accepted by this prestigious medical university with distinguished scores. In the course of the 5-year undergraduate studies, I continued to achieve remarkable scholastic performance, motivated by a tremendous academic interest and the spirit of relentless pursuit. My undergraduate GPA is 84, which enabled me to achieve the Outstanding Student Scholarship for five consecutive years. I collaborated with a professor of oral medicine on a project The Application of Hydroxypatite (HAP) Column Chromatography in Testing the Adhesive Density of Cariogenic Bacteria and in Observing Their Changes by Using the Saliva Treated HAP. This important experience helped me to perceive the joy of basic research and stimulated my greater enthusiasm of devoting myself to the study of stomatology and its relevant subjects. Apart from mastering textbook knowledge and fundamental techniques of scientific research, I paid special attention to enhancing my all-round abilities through many forms of practice including internships, field trips and social investigations. For I believe that an excellent stomatologist should possess not only abundant practical professional knowledge but also sufficient social experience. The extensive medical practices that I undertook during vacations in my undergraduate years bore fruitful results. In 1992, I received the honor of Outstanding Individual of Social Practice and, in 1993 and 1995 respectively, I was designated as Model Student of the University. The most important medical field research that I participated in occurred in the summer vacation of 1993 when we surveyed the basic conditions of oral health care in three provinces in Northeast China. The investigation enabled me to develop some initial ideas concerning the types and the characteristics of oral diseases that currently happen in China. It also called my attention to the grave shortage of stomatological professionals in our country. All those factors made me acutely aware of my social responsibility as a prospective stomatologist.

Upon graduation from my university in 1995, I found employment with The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Capital University of Medical Science, the largest dental hospital in china, where I worked in the Department of Orthodontics. Over the past five years, I have undergone all the technical trainings of an orthodontist, including craniofacial growth and development, roentgenographic cephalometric analysis, TMJ function and disfunction, orthodontic diagnosis, orthodontic technique. I have completed more than 200 clinical cases with edgewise appliance and pre-adjusted edgewise appliance and another 100 cases are under treatment. I experience the early treatment of skeletal and oral health problems in the mixed and permanent dentition, craniofacial anomalies cleft lip and palate, and the treatment of adults with skeletal and periodontal problems as well as patients with temporamandibular joint disorders. I regarded each case as a rewarding challenge as well as a significant opportunity to perfect my expertise. Therefore, I treated every case with tremendous care and attention in order to produce the optimum therapeutic effect. At the same time, I have conducted some serious reflections upon the many problematic cases that I have encountered in my clinical practice. For instance, for those patients with skeletal Angle III malocclusion tendencies, is it possible to regulate the jaw development by genetic manipulation to halt or to inhibit the growth of the lower jaw and to facilitate the growth of the upper jaw to obviate the need for an operation? Meanwhile, I realized that a complete solution to major stomatological problems such as orthodontics and the prevention of dental caries necessitates the comprehensive application of diverse disciplines including biomechanics, microbiology, neurobiology, genetics, auxology, and material science. The inter-penetration of multi-discipline knowledge is introducing drastic transformations into conventional stomatology, substituting the traditional therapies with newly-developed therapies based on molecular biology. Those changes have rendered basic medicine all the more important in stomatological technology. Motivated by those recognitions, I plan to pursue an advanced degree program in basic medicine. Another motivation comes from my experience of participating in international academic activities in recent years. In 1997, I attended the International Orthodontics Conference in Beijing and, in 1998, sponsored by a senior German professor, I went on a one-month exchange program at Hundburge University and visited several private clinics in Berlin. I also participated in a series of academic lectures delivered by the chairman of American Orthodontics Association. The information derived from those experiences made me alarmingly aware of the discrepancies between China and advanced Western countries in the field of oral biology.

Although I have been engaged in the stomatological study and practice for over a decade, I know that there is no limit to any intellectual pursuit. Now, with my 6-year clinical experience, my profound understanding of the nature of basic research in the field, my strong hands-on ability, and my spirit for relentless perseverance and my cooperative and communicational assets cultivated in the past career, I solemnly apply for a Ph.D. program in Biomaterials and Oral Biology from the University of Michigan. It is my unswerving conviction that by studying at your University, I can keep abreast with the latest scientific and technological development in the world and both my academic caliber and my professional technique can be significantly improved. The unique educational system evolved by the University of Michigan, its experienced staff members, stimulating academic atmosphere and superior research conditions, and the international prestige, all those are the factors that fascinate me. In this ideal environment, I wish to embark on a systematic study of the basic subjects including Biomechanics, Biomaterials, and Genetics while committing myself especially to inter-disciplinary studies so that I can infuse the Stomatology with cutting-edge research findings. After completing my degree program, I will return to my country to contribute my knowledge, my intelligence and my love to the multitude of Chinese patients suffering from all forms of mouth diseases.

The French writer Roman Roland once said, "we should try to make the life of others more meaningful and beautiful because of our existence." I believe that, if one day many people in this world can once again have their beautiful teeth because of my professional contributions, I would feel immensely happy and comforted.

Toward this noble ideal, I will persist and persevere.