Welcome! My name is
Applying to dental school for the Class of 2031. Still very much learning, still listening, and grateful for every mentor, patient, and project that has shaped the way I think about care.
I just finished my B.S. in Physiology and Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona (May 2026) and I'm currently applying to dental school for the Class of 2031. I came into college knowing I cared about people, and the past four years have been a slow, generous lesson in what compassionate, evidence-based care actually looks like up close.
Outside class you'll find me shadowing, volunteering, and saying yes to anything that lets me learn from people who know more than I do. The dentists, faculty, patients, and classmates who've let me into their work have shaped me more than I can put on a page. I'm always looking for the next chance to listen, learn, and contribute where I'm able.
Research is a thread I hope to keep pulling in dental school, building on the projects I took on in undergrad and looking for labs and mentors whose questions I can sit with for the next four years.
Across undergrad I split research time between three labs at the University of Arizona — at the intersection of medicine, materials science, and AI. Each one taught me a different way to ask questions.
Multiple trips across the border with the UArizona Flying Samaritans, supporting pop-up medical and dental clinics for the people of Agua Prieta, MX. Observing care delivery, assisting where I could, and learning what dentistry looks like when access is the bottleneck.
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Steady volunteer hours alongside dental teams: chairside support, sterilization, patient flow, and as much shadowing as the day allows. Where the textbook becomes muscle memory.
Conducted with the UArizona Sleep & Health Research Program (Aug 2025 to May 2026) and presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting in Chicago (May 1 to 3). The study examines AHI patterns in U.S./Mexico border communities and explores how everyday markers, especially frequent snoring, might help flag risk earlier in under-screened populations. A jumping-off point for the research I plan to do throughout dental school.
Four threads I keep returning to: the places I find myself learning the most, and the work I hope to keep doing long after dental school.
I'm drawn to communities that historically slip through the cracks of the healthcare system. Equitable, dignified dental care for every chair is the standard I want to practice by.
From school-based sealant days to teaching K-12 students about their own health, I love the moment a concept clicks for someone who's never had that conversation before. Education is preventive medicine.
My honors thesis on apnea-hypopnea index at the US/Mexico border lit this fire. Snoring, airway resistance, and disordered breathing are early signals we're only just learning to read, and I want to keep reading them.
I want to bring dentistry and medicine closer together, especially by weaving airway health into orthodontics. The mouth isn't a silo; it's a window into systemic health, and orthodontic decisions can change how a patient breathes for life.
She wanted to understand the thinking behind the decisions, not just what I was doing, but why. That's honestly what separates a good clinician from someone who just knows the motions. That quality is rare in pre-dental students, and Nadia has it.
I believe she possesses the type of intellectual curiosity and character that will be an asset to the field of dentistry for years to come.
If anything here sparks a question, an idea, or a chance to learn from you, please reach out. Shadowing, research, mentorship, advice, or just a coffee to talk dentistry. I'm grateful for every conversation.
Prefer email directly? nsardjev@gmail.com