HWS News
29 April 2025 • Alums • STEM Davidson '24 to Upenn Dental School
Opportunities on campus provided real-world experience to a career in dentistry and acceptance into six dental schools.
Using career-influencing experiences at Hobart and William Smith as steppingstones, Alexandra Davidson ’24 is getting closer to becoming a dentist by attending The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine this fall.
Graduating summa cum laude in biochemistry and a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society, Davidson was accepted to six dental schools prior to making her decision. They included programs at Rutgers University, New York University, Stony Brook University, The University of Maryland Baltimore and Touro University.
“When I visited the Penn Dental Medicine campus, I knew it was the right choice for me,” says Davidson. “They have beautiful dental facilities and the UPenn campus is reminiscent of HWS. I also love the Philadelphia area and am looking forward to city life for the next four years.”
Davidson was also excited by the university’s stellar clinical experience and its reputation as a leader in dental research.
Davidson says she wanted to work in the health professions since arriving at HWS and met with Health Professions Advisor Scott MacPhail during the application process for dental school. She gained further knowledge shadowing at Littlejohn & Barbi Orthodontics in Waterloo, N.Y. where she enjoyed the connections built with patients, along with the hands-on and creative work done, and served on campus as the Chief of Staff for the HWS Emergency Medical Services club.
“As a dentist, you’re creating smiles and building relationships with people and to me, that’s really important,” says Davidson.
Additionally, she conducted research at Cornell AgriTech on the effects of diseases such as fire blight and apple scab on apple trees. In the fall of 2022, she studied human health and disease while abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Since graduating, she has worked as a dental assistant at Periodontal and Implant Surgery Associates on Long Island. In her role, she assists Drs. Anthony Ienna and Alex Pappas during operations, including handling equipment.
Davidson is excited about the future of the profession and the role technology and AI can play in dentistry, and what that means for areas such as pre-surgery imaging.
Associate Professor of Chemistry Christine de Denus, Davidson’s advisor, applauded her passion for science and leadership roles fostered while at HWS.
“Each time we talked about her career choice in my office her face lit up and her excitement bubbled to the surface,” says de Denus. “She was a wonderful young woman to have as a student and advisee and I know she will make an outstanding dentist.”
In her community, Davidson is a tutor in honors biology for local high school students.
On campus, she was a Teaching Fellow in biology, a Study Mentor and a lead at the biochemistry Study Table. Davidson worked as an O’Laughlin Ambassador in the Office of Admissions.
Top: Alexandra Davidson '24 and Dr. Anthony Ienna perform an extraction on a patient at Periodontal and Implant Surgery Associates.
