Emergency care experience inspires future endodontist
Endodontic graduate Xixi Zhou receives fellowship to pursue her passion of caring for patients in pain
For Xixi Zhou, DMD20, MMSc25, the moment she knew she wanted to go into endodontics was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when she was treating a high volume of emergency patients in pain.
“I found joy in relieving pain and appreciated that patients were often motivated and grateful—wanting to save their tooth and feel relief. Through that time and my year in private practice, I discovered that I genuinely love endodontics.”
Zhou’s journey at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) started nearly a decade ago. After earning her DMD degree at HSDM in 2020, she completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program before pursuing Endodontics. At HSDM she found both a professional home and a community.
“I’ve been fortunate to call HSDM home for both my DMD and Endodontics residency,” said Zhou. “I appreciated being able to form close relationships with classmates, faculty, and staff, which made dental school feel supportive and personal.”
For Zhou, returning to HSDM as a resident felt like coming full circle. Through her residency, she formed deep bonds with her endodontic co-residents and faculty, people she now considers her second family.
As a pre-dental student and post-doctoral resident, Zhou had the opportunity to work with Dr. Shigemi Nagai, associate professor of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials Sciences, who served as her research mentor. Her master’s thesis, “Predicting Non-Surgical Root Canal Therapy Outcomes Using Machine Learning,” explored how artificial intelligence can be used in clinical endodontics. Working with Nagai, she discovered that having a satisfactory coronal restoration is statistically significant in achieving a successful endodontic outcome, and is an important feature necessary for the machine learning models to make a prediction.
“This work has deepened my appreciation for evidence-based dentistry and strengthened my commitment to high-quality patient care,” said Zhou. “My time at HSDM has been a transformative journey filled with growth, mentorship, and lifelong connections, where I discovered my passion for endodontics and formed relationships that will continue to shape both my career and my life."
Zhou had the privilege of serving as the endodontics chief resident this past year. In this leadership role, she was responsible for creating the resident schedule, coordinating with faculty, and ensuring that day-to-day operations ran smoothly.
She also has a passion for teaching and served as a tutor for the Treatment of Active Disease (TXAD) course for predoctoral students. She created a comprehensive, step-by-step endodontics study guide tailored to help predoctoral students succeed on the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA) exam.
“I’ve been teaching it ever since I made the guide—five years and counting. It’s incredibly rewarding when students recognize my name and ask, “Are you the one who made those CDCA notes?” and even more meaningful when they thank me after passing the exam,” said Zhou.
Recently, Zhou was honored with the inaugural Dr. Robert and Linda White Fellowship. Named after Robert White, former program director of Endodontics at HSDM, the fellowship will support Zhou as she gets started in her career after graduation.
“The award is given to someone who has demonstrated clinical and scholarly excellence during their time at HSDM,” said Dr. Jennifer Gibbs, director of the Division of Endodontics and associate professor of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials Sciences. “As a HSDM DMD and AGE graduate, Xixi is a great example of a member of the HSDM community who has demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning and service.”
“I want to sincerely thank all the donors for making this fellowship possible. It’s deeply inspiring to see past Harvard Endo residents supporting the next generation, and I look forward to giving back as well when I begin my own journey as an endodontist.”
After graduation, Zhou looks forward to returning to her home state of Maryland where she will be working full-time in a private endodontic practice and serving the community she grew up in.
“It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m so grateful to have been part of this community. It’s been a meaningful and memorable chapter, and although I’ll miss this environment, I look forward to staying connected with HSDM.”