Jain receives AAPD Resident Recognition Award

Gaurav Jain holding resident recognition award

Gaurav Jain, DDS PASS ’16, Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry ’24, received a 2024 Resident Recognition Award from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry selected four residents out of a graduating class of more than 450 nationwide for the honor, which recognizes innovative contributions during the residency training program.

Jain’s journey to pediatric dentistry was long and, at times, challenging—spanning over 22 years—but his passion and commitment made it possible. After completing his dental degree in India in 2000, Jain attended the Asian Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Conference, where he first fell in love with pediatric dentistry.

After moving to the United States, Jain joined the School of Dentistry’s Program for Advanced Standing Students, completing his requirements in 2016. He began working at a Federally Qualified Health Center, where he remained until beginning his residency program.

“My entire life, I’ve worked in public health settings,” Jain explained. “Working in a Federally Qualified Health Center reminded me of the great need and shortage of dentists in underserved communities, which inspired me to achieve my goal of becoming a pediatric dentist.”

Even after matching into the school’s residency program, the obstacles didn’t slow down for Jain. Though he matched into the program in 2021, delays in the United States Customs and Immigration Services process brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to delay his studies another year.

During his time at the School of Dentistry, Jain embraced every opportunity he was given. He dove head-on into research projects, ultimately publishing two papers. The first, a study on working sedation which involved a data set of almost 600 patients, was published in the Journal of Dentistry for Children. A second paper focusing on the puzzling case of a young girl repeatedly hitting her face—which revealed a numbness on the patient’s face based on a missing mental foramen on the lower jaw—was published in Medical Reports.

In addition to embracing research for himself, Jain embraced interprofessional collaboration. “I worked with oral radiology, neurosurgery, neurology and pediatric medicine throughout my time in residency,” he recalled. “I think these fields are fascinating, and working with others helped me really enjoy my journey.”

Jain’s collaborations and his research went above and beyond what is expected of a resident—a testament to who he is, and the reason Jeffrey Karp, DMD, MS, Interim Director of the Division of Pediatric Dentistry and Director of the Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program, nominated him for the award.

“"It is truly remarkable that Dr. Jain identified a research question, conducted a literature review, developed a research plan, received approval from the IRB, completed data collection from 508 eligible patient care records, analyzed the resulting data, compiled data tables, wrote a manuscript with his advisors, addressed comments and recommended changes from journal reviewers, presented his project as a poster at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Annual Session and successfully saw his first author, peer-reviewed paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Dentistry for Children all while in his first year of residency,” Karp said. “Dr. Jain did all of this with grace, tenacity, curiosity and a positive attitude."

For Jain, this dedication and remarkable work is just part of who he is.

“I’m a lifelong learner,” he said. “I considered my time in residency to be like a free library card, where I could learn as much as possible.”

Jain was moved to tears to receive the award, and to learn that Karp had nominated him for it.

“The award is a testament to my hard work,” he said. “It proves that I’m a hard-working person, and validates my desire to always keep learning.”