5 Questions With

Austin Intrieri
Third-year Dental Student
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine

1. What makes you excited to go to school each day?

What gets me excited for school in the morning is knowing that I have the ability to give patients a smile they can be proud of by the time they walk out of their appointment. Seeing someone look in the mirror for the first time and having their breath taken away by the changes we do makes all the hard work worth it.

2. How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed dental education?

COVID showed us what is possible from a virtual standpoint and initiated a move into more digital technologies. At the University of Pittsburgh, for example, my anatomy courses gave students access to an incredible 3D program that enabled us to explore all the details of human anatomy from home. I hope to see more advances like this coming to the dental classroom.

3. Would you do anything differently if you were applying to dental school today?

Honestly, I don’t think I would change anything about the way I applied to dental school. I very much enjoyed my undergraduate education at the University of Pittsburgh and was more than happy to stay in Pittsburgh for dental school. It’s truly an incredible city with a wide variety of places and activities to keep anyone entertained.

4. What’s something you think you’ll never understand?

I’ll never understand how artists create great works of art. As a dentist, I have had to hone my own artistic abilities to give people aesthetic smiles, but drawing and painting are skills I have never had and likely never will. I have a lot of respect for the talented artists out there who make it look easy.

5. What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?

I was a swimmer for almost my entire life!