Why She Was Nominated:

Dr. Kang vividly remembers her father, a heavy smoker, losing teeth at the dinner table—an experience that would lead her not only to dental school, but to an oncologic-based maxillofacial implant fellowship program that would enable her to help people with head and neck deformities due to trauma or cancer. Her subspecialty is rehabilitating these patients by fabricating prostheses with the use of implants. She’s also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry at New York University.

Exciting New Trend:

“It’s not necessarily the trendiest aspect of dentistry, but I love fabricating removable prostheses. And with implants nowadays, there are many different ways to design for an implant over-denture.”

Philosophy:

“If you want to be in this profession, you need to be able to serve others. I always tell my students: ‘patients first!’ ”

Sage Advice:

“Learn something every day. Keep an open mind and work with as many faculties as you can, because you can always learn something from someone.”

Tool She Can’t Live Without:

“The Maty Retractor. It’s extremely helpful for taking intraoral photos and making impressions. Making great impressions is important, and this helps me get the job done predictably and consistently.”