As a child raised by a single mother, Somkene Okwuego got her dental work done at a USC clinic that serves patients regardless of financial circumstan

Column: She’s multidegreed and overachieving. Her career choice? Geriatric dentistry

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2023-06-03 15:00:05

As a child raised by a single mother, Somkene Okwuego got her dental work done at a USC clinic that serves patients regardless of financial circumstances. Last week, I met with her in that same building, where the 23-year-old is finishing her first year at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry.

With full concentration, Okwuego sanded and buffed a temporary crown she was making in a lab where dozens of students trained on mannequin heads with full sets of teeth.

California is about to be hit by an aging population wave, and Steve Lopez is riding it. His column focuses on the blessings and burdens of advancing age — and how some folks are challenging the stigma associated with older adults.

“She’s got good hand skill,” Tevrizian told me as he made a few recommendations to Okwuego and demonstrated how to fine-tune the crown for a perfect fit. “She’s a good listener. She follows up on what she’s been told.”

Several months ago, Paul Irving, a scholar-in-residence at USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, advised me to consider the role of young people in addressing the needs of the world’s rapidly aging population, from housing to healthcare and beyond.

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