Who am I?
Hi! I’m Muruudul Otgonbold, but I go by Muuduu. I am a twenty-one year old undergraduate student who is just as confused and lost as many other millenials about the uncertainty that the future holds.
Little more?
I was born and raised in Mongolia until I was twelve years old, where I then moved and lived in Korea for five years. I’ve now lived in Washington State for four years now and even though it’s rainy all the time, I love it.
So, yes, I am trilingual. Even though I don’t think it is something to be proud about, many people are so amazed by it every time. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had a diverse cultural background and be able to learn these languages. It’s also allowed me to be more open-minded and understanding of the various cultures around the world.
What does DeRouen Center mean for me?
With my interest in science and dentistry combined with my cultural background, this has further shifted my interest towards global oral health. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health has changed my overall perspective on dentistry! Formerly, my understanding of dental field was strictly limited to clinical treatments and private practice as a future career. However, by assisting and learning about the current projects, I’ve realized the importance of oral health in relation to the overall health of the population in the communities around the world. I’ve also learned how every community has specific problems and solutions and what impact we can create as global healthcare providers.
Through DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health, I’ve realized that routine oral examination could help diagnose many systemic diseases the most accurately and in a timely manner compared to any other check ups. Furthermore, everything that we eat to survive has to go through our oral cavity and so oral examination can tell us a lot about the person: their living environment, eating habits, hygiene conditions, and more. Thus, promoting the importance of oral health care allows us to diagnose, intervene and possibly resolve many health related problems in any communities around the world.
On top of that, DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health looks at the problems that the communities facing holistically. This made me realize how there is no single right solution to any of the health disparities and problems we are seeing around the world today. Every community has its unique needs and specific factors that comes into play, including various environmental conditions the community is living in. Helping communities to be independent in keeping good physical health has to account for these specific circumstances, and I love the fact that DeRouen Center does it’s best at having a comprehensive look and thinking outside the box to resolve the issues.
The impact DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health is making around the whole is priceless. The current experience and learnings from previous works has helped us to serve better for the future upcoming projects, and its thanks to all the hard work from the staff, students, and more. I also believe that these global scale changes can happen thanks to all of the donations and financial supports we receive.
To summarize, dentistry is not only about teeth. Oral health is just like “Facebook”, but with every single detail in it: it tells everything about you and your health, which makes it one of greatest tool in global health intervention. I am learning a lot, enjoying my presence, and excited for what future might hold!
You can reach Muuduu at muruudul@uw.edu.