Lasting Impressions | Fall 2014

28 © LASTING IMPRESSIONS For Jason Watts , now a fourth-year student in the College of Dental Medicine, the term “family practice” has a special meaning. If all goes well, in a few years, he will practice dentistry with his sister Vanessa Watts, D.M.D., who entered an oral surgery residency earlier this year. Those who know him say Watts has a bright future, not only in dentistry, but also in advocating for the field—and the welfare of its patients. “Jason is one of the most outgoing, vocal, involved, and motivated students in his class,” said Jeffrey Thompson, Ph.D., pro- fessor of prosthodontics and director of the Biosciences Research Center at the CDM. “I think of him as focused and mature. He’s interested in having a positive impact on his profession. And that means not just being a dentist, but also being involved in policy decisions, in areas like insurance and regulation,” added Thompson, who, along with a team of researchers from RTI International in Durham, North Carolina, recently secured a U.S. patent. (See story page 43.) As a busy dental student, Watts fills his days with clinical work. But he has another mission, one that is vital to dental students and would benefit all those with student loans. Recently elected one of the vice presidents of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA), Watts, 25, was part of a group that visited lawmakers in Washington, D.C., last April. (See story on page 15.) Watts and other ASDA representatives explained to members of the Senate and Congress that the group’s top priorities are controlling student debt and the interest on that debt—which has spiraled in recent years to $66 billion. Such debt can take decades to pay off and can influence young dentists’ careers and personal choices, the group pointed out. “Such debt affects everything— Student Impressions Fourth-year dental student an advocate for leadership. Siblings Jason and Vanessa Watts plan to share a dental practice after he graduates from the College of Dental Medicine. By Lona O’Connor