2/17/08
"The James M. Rozanski Dental Residency Program is the pride of the Utica area. The local Dental Professional Community contributes greatly to the program. Attending Dentists and Specialists are physically present on site according to their schedule. Dr Rozanski is always available for able guidance to the Residents. Program is wholesome - didactically and clinically. Program is run like a well oiled machine - very well structured and productive. I highly recommend the program.
Virinder Modgil, DDS 2004-2005

8/21/05
"Faxton-St. Luke's General Practice Residency is a program that is committed to its residents and patients. Upon completion of residency, I was confident, proficient and inspired to provide excellent, comprehensive patient care. The attending staff was quite enjoyable to work with as
they were knowledgeable, enthusiastic and approachable. Their commitment to teaching excellent dental care is indisputable. The respect they have for residents is apparent as they regard residents as fellow colleagues, allowing us the independence in providing care, yet being
reliably accessible to guide us when necessary. Overall, the curriculum was structured and wellrounded with organized lectures, effective use of visual aids and live demonstrations. I appreciated the fact that it did not only involve evidence-based dentistry, but also in areas of ethics, jurisprudence, patient management and personal finance. Attending this program was truly a worthwhile experience."
Fanny Ip, DMD 2001-2002

6/28/05
"After graduating from dental school every student feels confident in the knowledge that has been acquired from four years of hard work. Nevertheless the reality is that only the basic skills have been acquired and the true development and proficiency is only acquired through practice. This is the main goal that a recent graduate should have so that higher standards of care can be delivered consistently. The one way of getting better while expanding your knowledge is through a residency program. At Faxton St. Luke's GPR program any graduate will have the opportunity of
working in a great environment designed for the improvement of its residents on every level. The entire staff at the dental clinic provides a friendly and efficient system that allows the resident to evolve as a practitioner and as an individual. In terms of the lectures organized one will expand on the already learned and the resident is given the opportunity to realize that in dentistry the learning process is never finished. If a recent graduate is looking for a residency program that truly looks to make you better this is the place to be."
Juan Lopez-Rosario, DMD 2004-2005 (PGY-1) & 2005-2006 (PGY-2)

3/30/05
"I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a residency program. Unfortunately, dental school basically will teach you enough to pass the dental boards. Private practice encompasses so much more than the average dental student is ready for. Unless you have a mentor to show you
the ropes, it will be a very difficult road ahead. The St. Luke's GPR program provided me with an excellent opportunity to work on all the disciplines of dentistry to make me a complete and confident dentist. It has enabled me to handle with ease and efficiency almost any situation that walks into my office. I would not hire into my practice a recent dental school graduate who did not have residency experience, nor would many of my colleagues."
Michael Lorman, DMD 1994-1995

3/30/05
"I completed my GPR at St. Luke's in '98, since then I have owned and operated three dental offices, brought my own practice to a million dollar a year dental office. I have just completed an MBA program and most of all always have relied on my experience from the residency program. The GPR at St. Luke's had taught me what is involved in practicing true dentistry. I specifically choose this program over others because it involved a private practice type setting with emphasis in hospital education. You truly get the best of both worlds, with excellent attending, office staff, and most of all full time residency director who is there to help you along. The setting of a small town, gave me break before I dove into my own practice. The attendings are there to answer your questions, you are colleagues not students, plus you get paid. I now have a million dollar practice in California and practice full realm of general dentistry, which includes cosmetic, orthodontics, and implant and I can confidently say without a doubt that the GPR program at St. Luke's is the main underlying reason that I am successful. The GPR program itself instilled in me the confidence to keep me going further and further and I am sure it can do the same for you, just give it a try you will agree."
M. Farooq Ahmad, DDS, MBA 1997/1998
Temecula, California

8/18/03
"The practice of dentistry is changing and is becoming more medically based. We will be seeing more medically compromised patients who are taking more medications and needing more challenging treatment. We will also encounter more ethnically diverse people, both as patients and colleagues. Besides allowing me to increase my proficiency doing the mechanics of general dentistry the residency program at Faxton St Luke's Healthcare has allowed me to increase my awareness and comfort level in dealing with all patients. During this time I had the satisfaction of know that I was providing a valuable service to the community. I was also able to build a rapport and consult with physicians and healthcare professionals at the hospital and hone my skills as a doctor. I came away with deep friendships with the other residents, attending dentists and staff. Good dentistry has become a habit that I now use in private practice. Faxton St Luke's is located in a very friendly, nurturing environment. I had a great time because the people involved in this residency are caring enthusiastic healthcare providers. The opportunity is here to truly develop as a dentist and have a lot of fun."
Susan Sekreta, DDS 2002/2003

8/18/03
"It appears evident that with the future advent of a more didactic curriculum in most dental schools, clinical experience for the dental student will continue to slowly decrease. This makes the pursuit of a general practice residency all the more important. I found the residency program at Faxton-St. Luke's to be invaluable. The clinical experience I gained covered many different aspects of general dentistry and allowed me to feel comfortable performing procedures that my colleagues at other residencies were not able to be exposed to. The attending staff is more than willing to help and offer advice and insight and the program has a helpful and experienced auxiliary staff in place. One of the best parts of the residency is that one can make it anything they want it to be. If endodontics, oral surgery, or prosthodontics is something the resident wants to gain more experience in, he or she can pursue that comfortably while providing comprehensive care. I found my speed and proficiency to increase immensely thanks to the program. With the certain amount of autonomy the program afforded, I became confident in performing many different and complicated procedures. I would highly recommend the program to anyone interested because I am a better dentist for having been in the program at Faxton-St. Luke's."
Syed F. Hussain, DDS 2002/2003

1/30/02
"I learned a lot during my time at Utica. The journal study club, case reviews, attending presentations on diverse topics relevant to today's dentistry and its challenges to the general practitioner gives a perspective knowledge way beyond what the average dental school curriculum offers. The best advantage was interacting with you and the attendings everyday, while seeing patients with different Tx approaches was an intuitive learning experience upon which I draw upon in my work now. The diverse patient pool that residents see during the year also refines their skill in clinical diagnosis and patient management and, more specifically, builds up confidence in the residents within the very first few months of the program."
Dr. R.J. Sondkar 2000/2001

2/4/02
"After dental school, I felt like I needed more confidence with some procedures and treatment planning. This residency not only gave me that but also a clearer view of what I wanted to do from now on. This is not like dental school - here you are the care provider in charge. The attendings are your colleagues (an excellent group of professionals in their own fields), and they are always willing to show you something new in an extremely friendly atmosphere. I found this place to have great quality of people and a family-like atmosphere."
Dr. Pablo Sierra 2000/2001

12/27/02
"It has been a fulfilling year for me during my residency program at Faxton-St. Luke's Dental Clinic. It was enjoyable to work with the staff, the attending colleagues are very professional, enthusiastic and helpful. This residency program has a touch on practically all fields of dentistry in a diverse pool of age groups - restorative, fixed and removable prosthodontics, oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, pedodontics, geriatrics, orthodontics, and emergency dentistry. Supplemented with numerous continuing education lectures and seminars, such as implantology series, treatment planning seminars, and management of compromised patients, what the program offers has given me an enriching experience and offered me an insight into the real life dentistry."
Dr. Annie Yu 2001/2002

12/10/02
"I found the General Practice Residency Program in Dentistry at Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare to be both rewarding and educational. In particular, I enjoyed the experience working in a hospital-based setting which gave me exposure to medically compromised patients that I might not otherwise encounter. Also, I gained additional confidence beyond what I had gained in Dental School."
Dr. Aymme Belén 1999/2000

11/15/02
"The Dental Residency Program at St. Luke's provided me with a much broader understanding of clinical dentistry. I believe that the patient population provides the residents with an excellent opportunity to hone their skills in all fields of dentistry. I remember devoting a high percentage of
my days as a resident performing endodontic therapy, oral surgery and fixed prosthodontic care. All of these disciplines are very much needed by the St. Luke's patient population. In retrospect, one can also devote much time rendering the following care: pediatric dentistry, removable prosthetics, periodontal care, hospital dentistry (E.R., O.R., inpatient care) and operative dentistry. As a resident, one can devote more time to a field of dentistry that one enjoys or wants to improve upon. I still regret not having performed more periodontal surgery as a resident as there was a need for this service. The residents should remember that everything they learn at the residency could later be utilized in private practice. The Dental Residency Program at Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare allows all residents to learn something new everyday."
Dr. Dan Melo 1998/1999

11/11/02
"I was in the first year of the general practice dental residency program at St. Luke's-Memorial Hospital, from 1980-1981. As a recent graduate of the University of Florida College of Dentistry, I could restore and extract teeth, but the experiences at St. Luke's allowed me to further develop
my diagnostic and treatment skills, so that I was much better able to work in a private practice setting. In this way, the general practice experience for a year is invaluable. Much more, however, was the opportunity to work in a hospital setting, which has continued to be a large facet of my practice to this day. When I had a private practice on the west coast of Florida, I obtained hospital privileges. Since 1989 I have been on the faculty at the University of Florida College of Dentistry (go Gators!), providing care for persons with disabilities. This often entails working in a hospital operating room, utilizing general anesthesia. I constantly call upon things I learned at St. Luke's-Memorial Hospital Center. I know that I would not be doing this if it had not been for those experiences."
Dr. Tim Garvey 1980/1981

1/31/02
"My dental school was very good experience, even though I had already finish dental training in India which was 4 years. I really learned at the residency program with the other residents coming from different school and also attendings who were always there to help in different fields
of dentistry. Also residency gives the opportunity to work by yourself unlike dental school where you can always lean on the instructor which is what you would have in the real world. I strongly recommend any one who is planning to practice general dentistry consider the residency program, which has changed in life for better and very rewarding in every way"
Dr. Hitesh Govani 1992/1993

1/31/02
"If someone came to me before and told me that the GPR Program is just a waste of time I could have agreed, but after going through it, it made me realize that I was totally wrong, because you learn a lot as far as skill, speed, and patient management. The GPR Program and particularly this
one has a group of attendings (an excellent group of professionals) that are always willing to show you something new in an extremely friendly atmosphere. This Program provides the resident with a progressive and graduated educational experience that is adapted to his or her professional requirements, that prepares one for the eventualities of general dentistry practice. Off-service rotations include general anesthesia, general surgery, and emergency room. Although this residency is the first year of study beyond dental school, this program introduces its residents to more advanced techniques and procedures."
Dr. Omar Guesmia 2001/2002

1/12/02
"The year-long residency program at St. Luke's gave me the confidence to aspire to greater height's in our profession. The instructors were truly colleagues giving us practical information that brought out our "learned" skills from dental school. It has been 16 years since then and I am proud to say that I have a thriving cosmetic practice, which I like to think, grew from all the experiences and continuing education process. Although I now lecture throughout the U.S. and abroad I still consider myself a student of dentistry ...and always will. I started a seminar group with some colleagues called genR8TNext seminars to instill the passion in learning and have fun doing so. I lecture for Pentron clinical technologies, 3M, Ultradent, and serve on many boards including MicroDental labs in California. The program you have grown over the years has to be one of the finest in the country and I would recommend it highly, to motivated young doctors!"
Dr. Timothy Hale 1986/1987

1/20/02
"My residency experience was valuable in many ways. I gained experience and exposure in all the disciplines of dentistry, which gave me a great foundation. I came out of the residency with abundant experience in quickly treating emergency or episodic type patients. I was able to recognize my strengths, interests, and preferences in how I wanted to practice. I gained experience in hospital based dentistry and medicine in general which was a good experience. All of this information was vital in order to develop a vision for my career, and the path I wanted to take. Additionally, from a management point of view, I was also able to interact with the auxiliary staff, and recognize the importance of every person who contributes to the treatment of patients. I greatly appreciated all of the attending doctors who were genuinely interested in helping me to learn and develop. I also enjoyed the experience of working closely with two other residents. My G.P.R. was definitely a great experience."
Dr. Larry Salata 1989/1990

12/20/02
"Sometimes in life you ask yourself "should I do this, should I do that?" This was one of the many questions I encountered my senior year of dental school. I began asking myself "should I do a Residency Program?" The answer to that question was yes. I did do my Residency program, and don't regret it at all. Now I just finished my "GPR", on June 2002. I'm working right now and it is amazing how much confidence I have when working with disabled, medically compromised patients, elderly, adults and kids. No matter what kind of situation I come across, I know how to proceed, either by taking care of the situation myself or knowing when to refer or when to consult a case. I did my General Practice Residency Program at Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare in Utica, NY. There, I was exposed to situations that reinforced my dental education. Also while working at the clinic or rotations, excellent attendings as well as the dental director himself helped me and taught me how to solve different situations I might encounter in my future practice. The hospital environment and nursing homes are some of the experiences that enriched and reinforced my dental knowledge. These experiences that you can get in Faxton-St Luke's Residency Program are some of the many that you don't get to encounter while in dental school."
Dr. Evelyn Salgado 2001/2002

11/28/02
"I strongly recommend a GPR program to all graduating senior dental students. The experience and confidence level you will attain will far surpass your dental school education. As a former graduate of the Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare GPR, I have benefited tremendously. I feel comfortable in treating almost any patient that walks into my office. I can personally attest to the strength of Faxton-St. Luke's GPR program because I have been a staff dentist for 6 years before I entered private practice. I have helped to train many residents over the years and seen them transform from initially nervous individuals to very confident doctors by the end of the program. This is what a residency program is all about, not train you to be superhuman dentists but give you confidence and skills to treat and manage patients. I encourage you to enroll in a residency program and challenge yourselves to broaden your horizons. You will be years ahead of your colleagues."
Dr. Talbir Singh 1994/1995