Dr. Sundeep Rawal (BS ’03, DMD ’06) is one of seven College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni selected as a UF 2020 40 Gators under 40 honoree. Dr. Rawal is Senior Vice President, Implant Support Services, for Aspen Dental, the largest branded dental service organization in the USA.
The University of Florida’s B.S.-D.M.D. accelerated degree program led Dr. Rawal to major in Microbiology and Cell Science. He shares that “understanding the intricacies of microbiology prepared me to better understand all aspects of dental medicine with respect to the human body from anatomy, physiology, immunology, genetics and much more.”
After graduating from the University of Florida College of Dentistry, Dr. Rawal began practicing in the Orlando area. His career led him to dental education, speaking at over 500 engagements over the years and numerous academic publications. Dr. Rawal also founded Florida Prosthodontics, a multi-doctor, multi-location specialist practice centered on state of the art innovative therapies to treat patients oral health needs.
Dr. Rawal’s goal for the future is to train the thousands of clinicians within Aspen Dental in ways to best treat their patients with life changing therapies that are efficient and offer them the best possible outcomes.
What do you find to be the coolest part of your job/career?
The coolest part of my career is how much technological innovations have changed how we offer dental health care in today’s world. From digital imaging and diagnostics to the use of robotics in surgery, technology has reshaped the landscape of what we are able to offer patients allowing us to treat our patients faster and more efficiently with less cost and better, more predictable outcomes.
What are some of the exciting projects you’ve been part of over the course of your career?
We were the first prosthetic-surgical team in the USA to offer Robot-Assisted Dental Implant Surgery and currently are the largest center for this type of dental implant placement in the world.
What is most satisfying about your career?
The most satisfying part of my career has been two fold: being able to impact life-changing therapies for my patients who were otherwise unable to live normal lives due to compromises in their oral health and secondly, to have been able to educate thousands of dentists over the last decade in innovative ways to treat their own patients better and give them the tools to offer the same life-changing outcomes for those patients.
What is your best piece of advice for current and future students?
Don’t be afraid to explore innovations in your respective fields. It may take more effort, cost you more time, have greater expense, but staying at the forefront of innovations in your field will foster an ideology of continuous improvement which will lead to success in the long term.
The study of small living organisms, Microbiology and Cell Science includes emphasis on molecular biology and genetics; immunology; virology; host-pathogen interactions; cellular ultrastructure; environmental microbiology; and microbial physiology, metabolism and regulation. Students study chemistry, physics, bacterial pathogens, and genetics. Find a CALS major that suits your interests by taking our majors quiz. You can also find information regarding our undergraduate and graduate programs on our website.
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