John DuRussel, from Reese, Mich., is a senior dental student at the University of Michigan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physiology from Michigan State University, and a master’s degree in medical science from Wayne State Medical School.
An avid outdoorsman, who enjoys climbing, backpacking, snowboarding, and just enjoying involving nature, DuRussel said dentistry offered an opportunity to fulfill a personal goal of helping people in need.
“I didn’t really know dentistry was a perfect fit until I started treating my own patients and reaping the benefits enjoyed through helping people with treatment they really need,” he explained. “The profession can open doors to serve, whether as a leader in the community or through experiencing good relationships and my patients.”
A major influence on DuRussel’s career came from his own dentist, Dr. Raymond Hausbeck, who he admired for his “kindness and caring attitude towards his patients.”
DuRussel said he enjoys the treatment planning aspect of dentistry the most. While performing the work is relatively straightforward, he explained that it’s the why and how you’re going to fix the problem that is really the complex part that he enjoys.
After graduation, DuRussel said he sees himself either in an orthodontic residency program or practicing general dentistry in Northern Michigan, possibly in a public health setting. He’s also interested in becoming involved in organized dentistry, but to what extent, he’s still unsure, but is aware that volunteers are especially needed at the local level.
As a student consultant to the MDA Peer Review Committee, he’s already had the opportunity to attend many meetings, as well as the opportunity to attend the American Student Dental Association national meetings as a member of the University of Michigan ASDA Executive Board.
“The networking and conversations about dentistry are what I enjoy most,” he said. “I feel a sense of cohesiveness in the profession when I leave a meeting and this is very exciting to a soon to be graduating student.”
The advice he would give students considering a career in dentistry is advice he was once given: Your advancement is a direct result of what you put into it.
“Although it seems like a long road,” he said, “stay the course and don’t listen to people who suggest it could be too difficult.”
John DuRussel, from Reese, Mich., is a senior dental student at the University of Michigan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physiology from Michigan State University, and a master’s degree in medical science from Wayne State Medical School.
An avid outdoorsman, who enjoys climbing, backpacking, snowboarding, and just enjoying involving nature, DuRussel said dentistry offered an opportunity to fulfill a personal goal of helping people in need.
“I didn’t really know dentistry was a perfect fit until I started treating my own patients and reaping the benefits enjoyed through helping people with treatment they really need,” he explained. “The profession can open doors to serve, whether as a leader in the community or through experiencing good relationships and my patients.”
A major influence on DuRussel’s career came from his own dentist, Dr. Raymond Hausbeck, who he admired for his “kindness and caring attitude towards his patients.”
DuRussel said he enjoys the treatment planning aspect of dentistry the most. While performing the work is relatively straightforward, he explained that it’s the why and how you’re going to fix the problem that is really the complex part that he enjoys.
After graduation, DuRussel said he sees himself either in an orthodontic residency program or practicing general dentistry in Northern Michigan, possibly in a public health setting. He’s also interested in becoming involved in organized dentistry, but to what extent, he’s still unsure, but is aware that volunteers are especially needed at the local level.
As a student consultant to the MDA Peer Review Committee, he’s already had the opportunity to attend many meetings, as well as the opportunity to attend the American Student Dental Association national meetings as a member of the University of Michigan ASDA Executive Board.
“The networking and conversations about dentistry are what I enjoy most,” he said. “I feel a sense of cohesiveness in the profession when I leave a meeting and this is very exciting to a soon to be graduating student.”
The advice he would give students considering a career in dentistry is advice he was once given: Your advancement is a direct result of what you put into it.
“Although it seems like a long road,” he said, “stay the course and don’t listen to people who suggest it could be too difficult.”