Mary Pham

Dental student Mary Pham has twice traveled to Asia as part of her studies at USC.

In September 2006, she and four other winners of the USC School of Dentistry’s Student Innovation and Discovery Day presented their winning posters at an international dental congress in Shenzhen, China, as part of a 13-day excursion that spanned Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Then, in spring 2008, Pham – a second-generation Vietnamese American – visited the country of her parents and grandparents for the first time.

The trip was organized under one of nearly two dozen collaborative agreements that the USC School of Dentistry has formalized with universities around the world, and represented the school’s first “externship” in Vietnam.

For Pham, who speaks conversational Vietnamese, a highlight of the experience was the chance to learn more about the country’s language and culture. “It felt as if I was reunited with a part of my family I had never met,” she said.

But she was even more deeply moved by the opportunity to use her skills to help people in need. “I had learned that many children in Vietnam have little or no access to dental care,” she said. “I thought it would be so good if I could go there and help.”

Pham spent the first two weeks of her journey volunteering with the nonprofit East Meets West Foundation to provide dental care and education to needy Vietnamese families, first in a makeshift clinic in rural Quang Nam province – where she and other volunteers examined and treated more than 400 children – and then in a clinic in the major port city of Da Nang. Afterward, she and three fellow students spent a week in week in Ho Chi Minh City, where they toured medical facilities and treated dental patients at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

“It was definitely a life-changing and invaluable experience for me,” said Pham about her travels. “I am now even more driven to learn about what I can do to contribute to the dental profession not only in America, but worldwide.”

• To read a USC News story about Pham’s trip to Vietnam, click here.