Final Words: Camila Pacheco-Pereira, DDS, MBA, MSc, MS, PhD

1) Your name, program, dissertation title.

Camila Pacheco-Pereira, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Title: Trends in Oral and Maxillofacial Career: A survey

2) Please tell me about yourself, why did you pick UT Health San Antonio, and your program.

I am a wife to a devoted husband and mother of two amazing young adults. Although my immediate human family is all in Canada, my dog has become a great roommate to have during the pandemic.

Coming to San Antonio was an old dream — The Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology program is well structured, focused on clinical practice, and considered one of the best in North America. Since I have a research background, I wanted exposure to the Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology clinical and reporting services.

3) What has been the highlight of graduate school so far? Have you won any awards or have there been any achievements you’ve been proud of?

A photo from the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology 2020, where I was the recipient of 2 of the 4 awards!

Grad school is pleasant so far. The Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology program was a dream for me and a challenge since I am considered as a mature resident when compared to my peers. I temporarity left my family behind (in Canada) and I had to face the beauty and the solitude of being here during a pandemic. The good side of all this time to myself is that I have become very productive!

I was able to defend a Ph.D. in Dec. 2020 while completing the requirements of my Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology program here at UT Health San Antonio. In addition to completing a second master’s degree few weeks ago, here at the UT Health San Antonio, I was awarded the Maria Yeung Award and was one of the recipients of the Image of Research. Nationally, I received the prestigious 2020 William H. Rollins Award for Research in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and the 2020 Howard R. Raper Graduate Student Award, the last two from the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.

4) Please provide a few sentences summarizing your dissertation. What was the experience like for you?

Last Year’s Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Group Photo

Our project aimed to understand the professional aspirations of the Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologists by exploring their career choices and their association with educational background, engagement in professional activities, professional values, and overall level of career satisfaction.

When comparing a career in private practice and academia, the Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology specialists willingness to have a multi-professional practice approach was identified. The Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologists satisfaction feeling was associated with mentoring and the broadened scope of practice of their specialty.

Personally, it is always a pleasure to develop scholarly projects, especially those having potential to be translated clinically or those which clarify and put out in the open the patients’ and professionals’ feelings and impressions.

5) Why are you passionate about your research topic? How did you first become interested in it?

For my master’s degree, I wanted to develop a project that would allow for the voices of the board-certified Oral and Maxillofacial radiologists to be heard — that’s why a survey was designed to assess the Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology from the U.S. and Canada.

6) What’s next?

I will go back to my family and this is the most important for me. Professionally, I like the full-time faculty life. For now, I will go back to Canada to resume my position at the University of Alberta — Edmonton. But, I’m already thinking of a post-doc and maybe some other academic adventures.

I left Brazil 12 years ago, nobody knows what the future brings!

7) Any advice for your fellow graduate students?

Yes, teamwork and hard work are the key not only to success but also to professional development! There is always time to have fun, travel and enjoy the beautiful San Antonio! Carpe Diem!