Carla Cristina Cyrino: Enjoy every laugh you have, and don’t forget to smile

One of the most important lessons a person should learn is to believe in themselves. According to Carla Cristina Cyrino, a Brazilian General and Cosmetic Dentist at Cornerstone Clinic, this philosophy means that whatever job a person does, they should give their all to complete the task. Believing in yourself, in your dream, in your ability to achieve your goals, and honoring your choices are all significant.

This woman with a smile was born in the countryside of Sao Paulo, Brazil where she spent her childhood and early adulthood. She recalls a wonderful childhood filled with joy, health, and happy memories. She spent her time in school, piano lessons, ballet, gymnastics, and weekends at the coffee farm during that time.

Carla said, “Given my fascination with dentistry from an early age, I already knew the names of the instruments and procedure techniques when I started university. I felt that every day at the university was a great accomplishment, therefore those years seemed to fly by quite quickly. I graduated in December 1993 and by February 1994 I was already working in my own practice and also for the local municipality, taking care of the oral health of low-income children.”

She was invited to work in Lisbon, Portugal, the following year. She took the offer and relocated to Portugal. It was an incredible experience, and she was soon able to realize a long-held dream of owning her own clinic in Europe. During her

24 years in Lisbon, she specialized in various areas of dentistry by taking several courses and participating in many national and international congresses, always on the lookout for new technologies to better serve her patients.

Carla has 29 years of professional experience and can tell you that her passion for dentistry is as strong as it was when she first started. Seeing each patient’s satisfaction and self-esteem restored is still her greatest joy and professional accomplishment.

Her happiness is founded on the word smile. Smile is important to her vision because it breaks down barriers and connects people who may not speak the same language. According to her, bringing a smile to someone’s face is her main motivation, and she is happy to help those in need because she believes that we all come into this life with a purpose, and if she can make someone’s life better. She intends to do her part.

Loving her profession

She is always saying how much she enjoys her job, and she believes that her patients can tell. Her main interest in dentistry is undoubtedly aesthetics. Cosmetic dentistry entails a variety of procedures. For example, simple tooth whitening can often restore her patient’s smile. However, in order to have a more harmonious smile, it is sometimes necessary to strengthen the teeth with Invisalign.

Giving her patients’ self-esteem back makes her completely satisfied in her profession. Carla’s greatest satisfaction up to this point has been seeing her patients smile with joy at their new smile.

When Dubai Vibes Magazine asked her about her everyday struggles, she said, “What I have seen throughout all these years is that there are constantly more professionals who seem not to follow the ethics of our labor, which is to treat patients in the best possible manner by using solely high quality materials.”

For example, she frequently sees patients who have serious and visible dental problems that are the result of poor planning and execution of the popular “Smile Makeover” idea.

Some people still look for the cheapest deal to get the smile of their dreams, but what she sees in reality is a nightmare. It saddens and frustrates her to see some patients in pain, with abscesses, and frequently losing their teeth as a result of poor procedures.

Dubai life

She has lived in Dubai for nearly five years. She has been here as a tourist before, and she has been captivated by the culture and its beauty since her first visit in 2007.

“I feel embraced by Dubai and every day I am appreciative that this is my home. Living and working in Dubai has definitely been an amazing experience while surrounded by several different nationalities and cultures- truly amazing,” she said.

She went on to say that Dubai has welcomed her with open arms, and she is grateful! The people are friendly and helpful, and she enjoys living in the beautiful emirate. She also stated that she would never choose another city over Dubai. Dubai has a distinct vibe all its own.

Aspirations and dreams

Carla said that the family for her is the basis of everything. Despite the fact that they are separated by distance from Brazil, they remain very close and united.

Her dream is for them to live a prosperous life full of health and joyous moments together. It warms her heart and makes her happy to see her family happy.

Her plans for the future are to continue where she is. “ I live in a lovely city, work in a spectacular clinic at Cornerstone Clinic, take care of my health with balanced diet and exercise. And lastly, to continue bringing joy to my patients and to serve them better and better is my professional aspiration for the future.

Dr. Ahmed Hussein: Egyptian Doctor Reflects on his Caribbean Medical School Journey

Coming from the Middle East, I didn’t have much information about the US healthcare system, which is very different from Egypt and the UAE (where I used to work).”

“So, to be able to integrate myself into this system, when I was looking for a medical school, I found many graduates from SGU matched with US hospitals.,” says Dr. Ahmed Hussein, alumni of St. George’s University Medical School in Grenada.

After starting his career in pharmacy, he soon realized that he wanted to make a greater difference in the lives of patients and decided to try and follow his dream of becoming a doctor in the United States.

“We can all be helpful to the vulnerable, but being on the frontline, diagnosing and treating patients, was my main drive to pursue medicine,” he says.

He reveals that after much consideration and research, he started his application process to SGU’s School of Medicine. “Which was seamless,” he says, citing the availability of people to contact and discuss all elements of the process – from questions and aid queries to simple reassurance.

“When I got the news about my acceptance, I felt that I was about to embark on a new journey that would require hard work, day in and day out, to reach my destination: MD in the United States.”

“Once there, I particularly enjoyed the extracurricular selectives offered by SGU, such as dissection and wilderness medicine. I also discovered that SGU supports students in their preparation for the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). The modules taught and tested during the basic science years are very detailed. I was provided with all the tools that I needed to do well in standardised exams, such as DES (Department of Educational Services) facilitators who helped me set up study schedules, go over materials that I didn’t grasp well, and many other things.”

In addition to the varied and in-depth academic syllabus, there were opportunities to fully embrace SGU campus life. “The new campus gym and the intramural soccer league were my favourites.”

“And the beach! And I can’t forget the beautiful sunsets,” he adds, laughing.

Following basic sciences, he did his first clinical rotation at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York. “I had a wonderful experience rotating between different departments. Also, I met the love of my life in this hospital, who is currently my wife. So, this place will always be memorable,” he says.

He explains that it wasn’t all plain sailing, and the matching process was stressful. This is where you apply for a role of interest, and you get matched with a participating hospital or facility if there’s a vacancy.

“I tried to prepare as much as I could mentally by reaching out for advice from recent graduates, and the Office of Career Guidance (OCG) and Student Support at St. George’s University helped me a lot.”

His advice is to have a game plan to tackle the application process and interview season for Match Days. “But I was provided with assistance while still in Grenada. SGU’s Office of Career Guidance provided me with a framework for filling out the application and my CV, and they provided reviews before the submission date. In addition, my clinical site had mentors that tailored their advice based on my Step 1 grades, clinical performance, and the specialty I was applying for.”

Dr. Hussein says he didn’t believe it when he learned he had matched with his dream position in paediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center Program in New York. “I kept checking the National Residency Matching Program website every five minutes to be sure.”

However, he believes that once he graduated, the transition from student to MD is an ongoing process. “One thing I learned quickly in med school is you’ll never ‘feel’ 100 percent prepared for an exam or patient encounter during clinical rotations. However, I channelled this self-doubt to do my best, analyze my shortcomings, and try to address them before my next exam or patient encounter. With the same mindset, I tackled my first block of residency. It’s a lifetime journey of learning and it begins by being open to self, peer, and supervisor appraisals.

For students from the Middle East and North Africa looking to practice medicine in the US, he wouldn’t hesitate to recommend SGU. “Grenada is a wonderful island that accepts students from all over the globe and luckily for us (Egyptians) it doesn’t require a visa application process. In addition, in my experience, SGU was successful in matching me into the US healthcare system which was ultimately my goal.