Learning from patients beyond the clinic

One evening while volunteering at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy Lin, DMD26, met a woman who could not eat most of the food being served. The woman repeatedly asked whether anything softer was available. As Lin spoke with her, she learned the woman had lost many of her teeth during childhood and could no longer afford the dental care needed to save her remaining teeth.

“With many other competing priorities, she wasn’t able to afford medical or dental care, and it continued to fall to the wayside,” said Lin.

The interaction stayed with her long after the shift ended. At the shelter, where Lin helped guests access meals, showers, and a place to sleep, she saw firsthand how oral health challenges often intersected with larger barriers to care. The experience reinforced Lin’s growing interest in prevention and community-centered care—values that first drew her to dentistry years earlier.

As a child, Lin spent countless hours at her pediatric dentist’s office, where the environment felt welcoming and familiar rather than intimidating. Early on, she realized she wanted to create those same positive experiences for others.

“I was particularly drawn to dentistry because it sat at the intersection of many of my interests,” said Lin. “It’s incredibly hands-on and procedural, but it also allows you to form lasting relationships with patients and create tangible change for every patient you encounter.”

At the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), Lin found opportunities to expand those interests beyond the clinic. She became involved with several student organizations, including the ASDA Pre-Dental Committee, the HSDM Bridge to Dental School Program, and the HSDM Pre-Dental Mentorship Program, where she helped connect aspiring dental students with mentors and resources as they explored careers in oral healthcare. Serving in leadership roles within those organizations became one of the most meaningful parts of her dental school experience. Through mentorship, she found opportunities not only to guide students interested in dentistry, but also to help make the profession feel more accessible and approachable.

“Mentorship can take on so many different forms,” she said. “It’s such a full-circle moment when I see my mentees matriculate into dental schools around the country and even here at HSDM.”

Her interest in mentorship and community outreach also shaped her work with HSDM’s Action for Children and Teens in Oral Health Need (ACTION) clinic, a student-led organization focused on increasing awareness of and access to pediatric dental care for children and families in Cambridge and neighboring communities. Lin spent many Saturdays helping coordinate clinic operations, recruiting volunteers, and applying for grants to support clinic supplies and programming. More importantly, she said, the experience showed her the power of collaboration in improving access to care for underserved patients.

“ACTION was a defining experience for me at HSDM,” said Lin. “I particularly enjoyed how it actively promotes and depends on collaboration across all four class years. It’s inspiring to see the ways students at HSDM come together for a common purpose: improving access to care for underserved patients.”

That collaborative environment was one of the reasons Lin was initially drawn to HSDM. Coming from a liberal arts background, she was excited by the School’s integrated first-year curriculum alongside medical students and the opportunity to approach patient care through a broader healthcare lens. Over time, those experiences reinforced her interest in pediatric dentistry and deepened her understanding of the role prevention, trust, and long-term relationships play in patient care.

After graduating in May, Lin will remain in Boston to pursue a pediatric dentistry residency through HSDM and Boston Children’s Hospital. She looks forward to working alongside interdisciplinary healthcare teams and caring for children with complex medical conditions and syndromes. 

“Early intervention sits at the core of everything we do in pediatric dentistry,” said Lin. “I have the privilege of caring for patients during a time in their lives when habits are still forming and where early intervention can have a lasting impact. I’m looking forward to challenging myself in residency and gaining exposure to as much as possible, so that I will have the skillset and confidence to tackle any case that comes my way.”