This Award Winning Resident is Passionate about Education and Research

Dr. Tamer Marzouk (GenDen ’21)

Dr. Tamer Marzouk completed his AEGD residency and is now training to become a specialist in Pediatric Dentistry.

Passionate about education and research, Dr. Tamer Marzouk chose to attend Eastman Institute for Oral Health for its track record in shaping leaders in clinical care and research. He spent the last three years heavily involved in both. As part of the three year AEGD program, he completed a Community Dentistry Fellowship in 2019, gave 10 presentations at dental schools and conferences, produced 20 posters and published four total papers in the Journal of Dental Research, twice in the JDR’s Clinical and Translational Research and the Journal of Dentistry. He won the EIOH Excellence in Oral Medicine Research Award last year, was a semifinalist for the Graduate Student Research Award at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry earlier this year, and will be honored with the Stanley L. Handelman Fellowship Award this week at the graduation ceremony where he will receive his AEGD certificate. In addition, he completed the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Fellowship (LEND) this year.

Where are you from?
Cairo, Egypt

Why did you choose EIOH?
Throughout its 100-year history, EIOH has served as a beacon of light for dental clinicians and researchers worldwide. The impact of EIOH on the dental profession can be seen throughout the years.  In 1955, Dr. Buonocore developed the foundations of acid etching, bonding, and adhesive dentistry. In 1984, Dr. Brånemark selected EIOH as one of the few dental institutions in the United States to conduct clinical trials on dental implants. The institute has an extensive track record of academic and clinical achievements while delivering high-quality dental care and world-class dental education. In 2016, William J. Gies Award for Achievement among academic dental institutions was presented to EIOH by the American Dental Education Association. During the COVID-19 era, EIOH contributed to mitigating the impact of the pandemic on the dental profession through scientific research by Dr. Ren. The institute focuses on training the next generation of clinician-researchers and developing research-based clinical training. As history has shown us, EIOH graduates enthusiastically embrace the challenges of their time and became leaders in their respective fields.

Any thoughts about your residency occurring during the historical Covid pandemic?
We used to learn in history books that pandemics are once-in-a-lifetime events, but unfortunately, they have become increasingly common over the last few decades. Look at SARS-CoV-1, H1N1, Ebola, Zika, and finally SARS-CoV-2. Our leadership quickly took decisive steps to ensure the health and safety of our patients, staff, residents, and faculty. At the same time, we continued to receive excellent dental education during the pandemic. Didactics were delivered through a virtual platform early on and the clinical care for our patients and the clinical training for our residents continued during the most difficult time of the pandemic in New York, the period from March to June, serving patients needing emergency treatment. The flow of patients requiring emergency dental care at that time increased significantly due to the closure of most dental offices. The institute was meeting the

Dr. Marzouk, featured on the cover of the EIOH magazine Momentum, worked with Dr. Yanfang Ren studying aerosols from dental procedures using lasers and high precision particle counters.

emergency dental care demand of more than 100 patients every day. It was important for EIOH to remain open during the pandemic to alleviate the patient load on the hospital’s emergency department which could have been overwhelmed due to COVID-19 patients.

Favorite Memory?
I have so many good memories in Eastman. The AEGD program is amazing, we have excellent faculty in all specialties, all of which shared their wealth of knowledge with us. A resident gets to perform every procedure in dentistry. For me, I focused mainly on caring for individuals with special health care needs, oral surgery, endodontics, and anterior esthetic restorations. I am eternally grateful to all my EIOH faculty and colleagues who lighted my way throughout the years, in particular Dr. Slapar, who I can best describe as a candle that consumed itself over the years to light the way for thousands of dental residents. God bless him, he taught us so much.

Favorite/Least Favorite thing about Rochester?
The favorite thing has to be the people. The Institute nurtures a diverse, inclusive community of residents, faculty, and staff that is dedicated to alleviating the suffering and improving dental health and well-being of our patients. Eastman is very diverse and accepting of all people from different cultures, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and clinical experiences. I learned so much from my faculty but also from my fellow residents.

Least favorite thing, most people would say the weather, but to be honest I like a cold-weather more than a warm one. If anything, I would say the humidity here is too high.

What are your plans/next steps upon graduation?
I am joining the Pediatric Dentistry Residency at EIOH.