Resident Spotlight: Dr. Patrick Mugabe, D.D.S.
Compiled by Dr. Priscilla L. Carpenter
Dr. Patrick Mugabe is a first-year endodontic resident at The Ohio State University.
The Paper Point: Dr. Mugabe, so great to chat with you! Thank you for taking time away from your busy schedule for this interview. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: Thank you for having me! I am the son of Rwandan immigrants and 1994 Rwandan genocide survivors. I was born in Kigali, Rwanda which is nicknamed, “Land of Thousand Hills” due to its many beautiful mountains.
Growing up, I had the privilege to meet people from different cultures all over the world, which gave me a huge appreciation for individuality and differences in others. Most notably, I got to live in Egypt, Burundi, England, France, and the Netherlands before immigrating the U.S. I now call Colorado home and attended dental school at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. There, I was inspired by great educators; namely Dr. Emanouela Carlson, Dr. Eric Mediavilla, Dr. Amisha Singh, Dr. Kunjan Kakar, and Dr. Alison Morrison, who helped me excel as a student and strive to be a great clinician for my patients.
The Paper Point: That is quite the history! You truly have lived all over the world. Is there a certain place that you miss the most? Also, have you been back to any of those countries?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: I miss the Netherlands the most! I lived in Den Haag, which is such an amazing city right by the beach! The country is also huge on cycling, so being able to cycle everywhere on a typical day was part of the excitement. I learned English at The British School in the Netherlands with students from all over the world; I had friends from so many corners of the world growing up, which was so unique and enriching! I have been back to France and Belgium so far but hope to go back to Egypt and Rwanda after residency!
The Paper Point: That’s amazing! I know you also lived in Colorado for a while and were able to attend high school, undergrad, and then dental school there. Tell me, how was moving to Ohio after being settled in one place for a while?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: Having moved around a lot growing up, I knew I would be able to adapt. But this was a little different since it was the first time moving without my parents. I realized how spoiled I was living at home with my parents all throughout undergrad and dental school. Since I don’t have my amazing parents’ cooking, I have fallen in love with the air fryer!
The Paper Point: It’s rare to find someone who just graduated from dental school and was accepted into an endodontic residency program, congratulations!!
How was the adjustment period been for you starting your residency right after you completed your dental program?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: It’s been nothing short of wonderful and a blessing! Moving away from home for the first time to start a rigorous residency, I didn’t know what to expect. But Dr. Drum, Dr. Fowler, Dr. Nusstein, Becky, and all the wonderful staff at OSU Endodontics made me feel so welcomed and helped me settle in. It really feels like family here as our faculty are so down to earth and always available to help, discuss cases, and provide any advice we seek. Our program starts a little earlier than most, but it is so well curated that it did not feel overwhelming. Our faculty did a great job in easing us in.
The Paper Point: After such a great journey, what brought you to endodontics?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: Endodontics to me is like a puzzle; there’s so many pieces that we as the providers must navigate, solve, and put together to produce great patient centered outcomes! My interests in Endodontics started with my first Endodontics lecture. Dr. Carlson is a wonderful educator. It was the first class in dental school in which I felt things were “clicking” and looked forward to going to every week. The more I learned, the more I felt like I didn’t know, but the more I wanted to dive deeper! My interests were further peaked when I started tackling patients’ cases during my third year and there was a huge sense of gratification in getting patients out of pain. I got my first opportunity to shadow an Endodontist by reaching out to Dr. Ahmed Salman on Instagram (@abs.endo) and he welcomed me to his practice—eventually becoming my mentor. This really speaks to how wonderful the endodontic community is!
The Paper Point: I love that! What has been your favorite part of residency?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: The work and the people! There is so much Endo to do here, and diversity in the treatments allow me to feel like I learn and improve every day. The faculty and my co-residents, as well as 2nd year residents, make it a fun place to be. We are lucky here at OSU in that our core faculty have been teaching together for over 20 years which makes it such a cohesive learning environment. I always wake up with a sense of gratitude for this opportunity.
The Paper Point: What has been the most challenging part so far of residency?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: The most challenging part for me has been taking a step back and seeing how this root canal fits into the bigger picture. Sometimes when we are asked to assess restorability, it’s easy to end up hyper focusing on the root anatomy and forget the remaining parts up top as well as their functionality. Funny story, I once asked a patient to “tap, tap, and grind side to side” to check their occlusion after placing a temporary restoration, only to realize after that they did not have an opposing tooth in place :’D.
The Paper Point: Haha! Well, it can happen to the best of us. You’re right, it’s so important to keep the bigger picture in mind when assessing any tooth.
I know that you’ve mentioned having a passion for service to others and are interested in access to care. How has that influenced your path so far and what would you like to accomplish in the future?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: As an immigrant to the U.S, I benefited from community health centers. I want to make sure as an Endodontist that I give back and pay it forward. I really didn’t know what a root canal was until I started dental school. The ACTS program during my fourth year of dental school really exposed me to the lack of access to endodontics care within community health centers in Colorado. As a clinician, my goal is to help educate my community in the importance of saving your natural dentition and bridge the gap to access to care.
The Paper Point: That is such a great mindset! We all need to remember to reach back as we continue to climb forward.
Switching gears a bit, a little birdy told me that English is your third language! How impressive! Tell us about the other languages you speak. In your opinion, which language was the most difficult to master?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: I speak Kinyarwanda, which is my native language. I learned French first but that comes and goes as I only get to speak it when I visit my relatives in France and Belgium. I learned some Dutch in the Netherlands playing football (the real football) in the neighborhood, but that is long gone. I think Kinyarwanda is the hardest to master as there is so many variations in some words and phrases depending on what village you are from.
The Paper Point: Wow, that’s fantastic!
I know residency keeps you extremely busy. What do you like to do in your free time?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: Working out and playing sports such as soccer and basketball to balance the insane amount of sugar I consume daily. You can probably guess I’ve had my fair share of dental appointments.
The Paper Point: In terms of your career, where do you see yourself in ten years?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: Most likely I’ll be practicing in Colorado! You will also find me volunteering in communities with a need for Endodontics care. I would also love to someday be part time Endo faculty at University of Colorado!
The Paper Point: Dr. Mugabe, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! Tell me, any final words for our readers?
Dr. Patrick Mugabe: Thank you for having me! As a profession, we are in an incredibly blessed position to be able to relieve patients of pain and save their dentition. I encourage that each one of us sets a goal to serve our community and give back. Whether that be through teaching, community service, mission trips, or serving on a non-profit board. You never know who you will inspire! I have certainly been inspired by people in service.
Dr. Priscilla L. Carpenter is a member of the AAE’s Resident and New Practitioner Committee.