Two graduate students at Stony Brook (N.Y.) University School of Dental Medicine developed a social media platform for medical professionals and aspiring medical professionals to connect.
Brendan Gallagher started an Instagram page with some of his dental school classmates three years ago that he said featured "the stories behind the journey of every dental student." The account had garnered thousands of followers within weeks of its creation, and Mr. Gallagher's classmate, Sean Zar, met with him to gain insight for starting a similar page.
The pair combined their pages under the name TopProfessionals and launched a platform to connect medical professionals based on their area of practice. The platform now features exam preparation activities, access to new research studies and a program that matches current dental students with aspiring students.
The program has connected hundreds of pre-dental students to mentors at dental schools they are applying to. Mentors offer pre-dental students guidance by coaching them through the dental school admissions process and explaining the expectations of certain programs.
"It's a free service we created for students applying to dental schools and looking for guidance," Mr. Zar said. "That was a stressful time. This is a portal we wish that we had when we were undergraduates."
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