{"661831":{"#nid":"661831","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Alumnus Puts Progress and Service Into (Dental) Practice","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs a Georgia Tech graduate, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/brookhavenfamilydentistry.com\/about#team\u0022\u003EAndrew Kokabi, D.M.D.\u003C\/a\u003E knows the Institute\u0026rsquo;s motto, Progress and Service, well \u0026mdash; and also incorporates that ethos in life and work at his Atlanta dental practice, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/brookhavenfamilydentistry.com\/about#team\u0022\u003EBrookhaven Family Dentistry\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKokabi, who graduated with a B.S. in Biology in 2000, credits his time on campus and in the College of Sciences for preparing him to advance in his dentistry career. \u0026ldquo;The habits I developed during my undergraduate studies enabled me to thrive in dental school,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;I specifically remember thinking biochemistry in dental school was a breeze compared to biochem classes at Tech.\u0026rdquo; Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prehealth.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Epre-health classes\u003C\/a\u003E can better prepare medical students for advanced studies at a specialized medical school, he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKokabi and his business partner, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/brookhavenfamilydentistry.com\/about#team\u0022\u003EJoon Koh, D.M.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, a fellow Georgia Tech graduate with a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, also enjoy working together on campaigns to help local schools and charities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe College of Sciences recently talked with Kokabi about his time at Georgia Tech, the ethos of the Institute, generosity and business values, and advice for pre-health students and those interested in a career in health and medical fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat was your experience at Tech like? How did it prepare you for your career as a dentist?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy academic experience was top-notch. It was hard and demanding, but looking back at it, that is exactly what my 18-year-old self needed at the time. It was a great introduction into what the real world expects of professionals. Socially, it was wonderful as well. I met people from all around the country. I became friends with people of various backgrounds, and everyone got along. It was right after the Olympics so it was an exciting time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy time at Georgia Tech also gave me great time management skills. The academic workload of dental school was a breeze compared to Georgia Tech. Meeting people from around the world enabled me to carry on a conversation with just about anyone \u0026mdash; this is an important trait that still serves me well today. I meet lots of patients at my dental practice from all over, and I can usually carry on a conversation about their place of origin relatively easily. This helps them feel more comfortable with me, and strengthens the doctor-patient relationship.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat made you want to be a dentist? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy parents are from Iran. As I\u0026#39;m sure most Persian and Asian children will tell you, from birth your parents are pressuring you to be a doctor. I did not want to be around sick people all day and did not want to be on call weekends. So dentistry offers the perfect balance of being a doctor, but having a more normal schedule and not having to treat serious life-threatening illnesses. I am very happy with my decision and cannot think of myself doing anything else.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0026#39;s motto, \u0026ldquo;Progress and Service\u0026rdquo; \u0026mdash; what did that mean to you as a student, and what does it mean as an alumnus?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt meant and still means a great deal. I think people have to start at a young age thinking about how they can serve others. That is where true fulfillment comes from.\u0026nbsp; One reason we have so much depression in our country is our self-absorbed \u0026quot;me, me, me\u0026quot; culture. There is a lot of happiness and joy that comes from helping and serving others.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026#39;s also great for business as well. People want to buy from companies that are doing more than just selling goods and services. They want companies that care about making a difference in the world. Of course, we do quality dentistry, and care about our patients\u0026#39; oral health. But we take it a step further and have a community mission. We strive to be active members of our community and help our local schools and charities.\u0026nbsp; Our Brookhaven community has given us so much, the least we can do is give back.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell me about the \u0026quot;Brighten Your Smile, Better the World\u0026quot; campaign and how effective it has been so far.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u0026quot;Brighten Your Smile, Better the World\u0026#39;\u0026#39; campaign is one of our two main initiatives.\u0026nbsp; Each month we partner with a different school or charity.\u0026nbsp; Any patient of ours that makes a donation to that month\u0026#39;s chosen partner gets a set of custom teeth whitening trays for free. It\u0026#39;s a win-win for all parties involved.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn its first year, we have been able to raise more than $15,000 for numerous schools and organizations. Featured partners have included Ashford Park Elementary School, Huntley Hills Elementary School,\u0026nbsp; Montgomery Elementary School, Chamblee Middle School, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Giving Grace, and The Kyle Pease Foundation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EY\u003Cstrong\u003Eo\u003C\/strong\u003Eu said you talk to many pre-dental students. What advice do you give them about whether or not they should get a degree at Georgia Tech before heading off to dental school?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA science degree from Georgia Tech is extremely valuable. It sets you apart from other candidates applying for the same spot in a specialty program. The healthcare school knows that if someone was able to get a Tech degree, they will be able to handle the academic workload of dental or medical school.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlso, know what you are getting into. Being a healthcare professional means a lifelong pursuit of learning. It is not just a job, but a career. It takes a lot of effort and time even after you have left work for the day (being on call, continuing education, representing your profession in the community, etc).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYou should also know that it\u0026#39;s worth it. There are not too many jobs that allow you to make as big of an impact in people\u0026#39;s lives as being a healthcare professional. I feel truly blessed and honored that I am in my field of work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Andrew Kokabi, B.S. BIO 2000, credits Georgia Tech for his work ethic and community service goals, sharing that a sciences degree can boost students\u2019 opportunities in medical school"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAndrew Kokabi, B.S. BIO 2000, credits Georgia Tech for his work ethic and community service goals, sharing that a sciences degree can boost students\u0026rsquo; opportunities in medical school.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Andrew Kokabi, B.S. BIO 2000, credits Georgia Tech for his work ethic and community service goals, sharing that a sciences degree can boost students\u2019 opportunities in medical school"}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2022-10-04 20:30:24","changed_gmt":"2023-03-02 20:01:52","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-10-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2022-10-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"661680":{"id":"661680","type":"image","title":"Brookhaven Family Dentistry owner Dr. Andrew Kokabi presents Huntley Hills Elementary Principal Mia Ford with a check from his practice\u0027s \u0022Brighten Your Smile, Better Your World\u0022 campaign. (Photo Brookhaven Family Dentistry) ","body":null,"created":"1664477795","gmt_created":"2022-09-29 18:56:35","changed":"1664477795","gmt_changed":"2022-09-29 18:56:35","alt":"","file":{"fid":"250626","name":"Huntley Hills Kokabi check.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Huntley%20Hills%20Kokabi%20check.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Huntley%20Hills%20Kokabi%20check.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":257927,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Huntley%20Hills%20Kokabi%20check.jpg?itok=WVjm1mxL"}},"661681":{"id":"661681","type":"image","title":"Dr. Andrew Kokabi ","body":null,"created":"1664477922","gmt_created":"2022-09-29 18:58:42","changed":"1664477922","gmt_changed":"2022-09-29 18:58:42","alt":"","file":{"fid":"250627","name":"Andew Kokabi headshot.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andew%20Kokabi%20headshot.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andew%20Kokabi%20headshot.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1092693,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Andew%20Kokabi%20headshot.png?itok=DdMNMZLi"}}},"media_ids":["661680","661681"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/how-pre-health-tech-charles-winter-bio-12-anesthesiologist-assistant","title":"How to Pre-Health at Tech: Charles Winter, BIO \u002712, Anesthesiologist Assistant"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/how-pre-health-tech-jenna-nash-neur-21-physician-assistant-graduate-student","title":"How to Pre-Health at Tech: Jenna Nash, NEUR \u002721, Physician Assistant Graduate Student"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/how-pre-health-tech-alonzo-whyte-health-and-medical-sciences-advisor","title":"How to Pre-Health at Tech: Alonzo Whyte, Health and Medical Sciences Advisor"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/how-pre-health-tech-jeffrey-kramer-first-year-biology-student","title":"How to Pre-Health at Tech: Jeffrey Kramer, First-Year Biology Student"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/how-pre-health-tech-ritika-chanda-fourth-year-neuroscience-student","title":"How to Pre-Health at Tech: Ritika Chanda, Fourth-Year Neuroscience Student"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/hands-anatomy-one-foot-medical-school-one-foot-undergrad","title":"Hands-On Anatomy: \u2018One Foot in Medical School, One Foot in Undergrad\u2019"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"42901","name":"Community"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"191866","name":"C-PIES"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"191348","name":"Andrew Kokabi"},{"id":"39701","name":"dentist"},{"id":"5170","name":"pre-health"},{"id":"27251","name":"progress and service"},{"id":"1564","name":"community"},{"id":"506","name":"alumni"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Renay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEditor: Jess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}