How fast is your dentist? No, not how fast does he or she crown a tooth or fill a cavity. The question is, how fast does he or she actually run? In a few years, Oberlin College may be able to add another success story to its long list of distinguished alumni in the form of the "World's Fastest Dentist."
 
In the future, senior track and field standout Jerry Choi may be able to add that title to his business card. The school record-holder in the 400-meter hurdles outdoors (53.71) and 60-meter hurdles indoors, Choi is making the most of his senior year both on and off the track.
 
A biochemistry major, Choi has deep passion for dentistry and all it entails.
 
"I love everything about it," he said. "I enjoy the uniqueness of building a relationship with your patients, I love the science of it, the art of it and getting to use your hands to sculpt someone's teeth."
 
Already accepted to both the University of Pennsylvania and New York University dental schools, Choi is still interviewing, but is leaning towards Penn.
 
In the summer of 2013 he was one of just six people nationwide to be accepted into the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, which afforded him the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field of medicine. He was paired with Professor Natalie J. Serkova, PhD, at the University of Colorado Denver Department of Pharmacology. Together they tested the metabolic response to targeted treatment of pancreatic cancer. Under Dr. Serkova's guidance, Choi gained proficiency in tissue and cell culturing, drug treatment of cells, and extraction of tissues.
 
"I was really lucky to get into the SURF program, it was a great experience for me. I liked being in Colorado a lot, but it was really interesting learning about the process as we analyzed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data for metabolites and MRI data to find tumor volumes."
 
More recently, Choi has been gaining knowledge by shadowing dentists. This past summer and winter term, he was a mentee to Dr.Michael Yeung, DDS, in his hometown of New York.
 
"I learned a lot about the daily routine of dentistry from Dr. Yeung. I was able to watch all different types of procedures and see how he interacted with his patients."
 
Choi has been an active member of the campus at-large, serving as a teaching assistant and tutor in the chemistry department, while also being an active member of the Chinese Students Association (CSA).
 
"I have been a part of CSA for four years and it is a great group. We strive to help spread awareness of the Chinese and Asian-American cultures here through events such as Asian Night Market or having panel discussions."
 
After his freshman year, Choi had a chance to see his Chinese culture first-hand when he visited Guangzhou, China, the birthplace of his parents. Before shadowing doctors there, he worked as a volunteer for the Integrated Services Center, where he assisted with the elderly, visited children with cerebral palsy and spread AIDS awareness.
 
He mentions some differences between medical practices in China compared to the United States.
 
"The system there is a lot cheaper and is not so reliant on insurance as we are here in America. Overall it is just much faster as the whole operation works so quickly, but it also results in less privacy for the patients."
 
Speaking of operating fast, Choi plans to do just that on the track this season.
 
"My goal is to go to nationals in the 400-meter hurdles this year. If I am going to nationals, that is going to be my race. That is the event I care about the most."
 
He also cares about the relationships he developed and life lessons he's learned as a member of the track and field team.
 
"I learned a lot about organization and interacting with a diverse group of people, which I believe will benefit me in my dental career. Just how different athletes on team react differently to certain things, patients have different ways in which they prefer to be dealt with." 
 
Choi, who speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish and English, has certainly excelled off the track, but his favorite Oberlin moment thus far took less than a minute.
 
"When I broke the record in the 400-meters to become all-conference and an Academic All-American in just that one race, that was the best feeling."
 
Choi likely has even better moments ahead both on and off the track, but none will be better when he becomes the "World's Fastest Dentist" – Jerry Choi, DDS WFD.

To read previous GoYeo Storyteller features, click here.