Before teaching and practicing at Marquette University School of Dentistry, Dr. Cindy Dodo received three degrees from the University of Campinas in her native Brazil. But in between receiving those degrees, Dodo spent two years in a fellowship program at the University of Rochester, where she learned American dental practices.
Now Dodo, clinical assistant professor and predoctoral program director of prosthodontics and biomaterials, is leading the launch of a new externship program at Marquette for American and Brazilian students to discuss the similarities and differences in their dental education.
“We are all dentists, so the goal of dental health and positive results are the same, but the process can be different,” Dodo says. “That’s based on cultural differences.”
Marquette, through its Office of International Education, has partnered with São Leopoldo Mandic (SLM), a private university in Campinas, to create a virtual externship program — the first of its kind in Marquette history. Beginning in fall 2025, the program will consist of 20 students — 10 from each institution — and five instructors from each school. The students will be divided into five groups of four with an instructor from both schools to guide the conversations. At the end of each cycle, the groups will give short presentations to show their findings.
“This is a way for our students to see how a university in a different country would work and what the differences are,” says Dodo, who also received a specialist certificate in implantology from SLM. “Techniques are the same, but materials are different. Why?”
The student groups will meet virtually four times throughout the semester to discuss a variety of dental topics, including academic life, restorative dentistry, radiology treatment, pharmacology and handling medical emergencies. Dodo believes students may be surprised to learn the cultural differences, such as Brazil’s public health system versus privatized insurance in the U.S., educational requirements and grading, licensures, and even how the tooth numbering system differs in the U.S. compared to most other countries.
“I taught six years in Brazil, and when I started here, there were major differences in perspectives,” Dodo says. “I think this is a fresh way to start having conversations. The students will learn a lot about other worldviews and be opened to opportunities they have as dentists.”
The program is open to third- and fourth-year dental students. While not offered for credit, Dodo believes the program will be popular because it offers unprecedented experiential peer learning. She hopes the program grows and sustains so that participating students will someday be able to visit one another.
