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Manglona begins dental residency in NY
Rota native Bernadita Manglona recently began her residency at a New York City hospital after graduating from the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry.
Manglona
Manglona’s residency at the New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn will last one year. The program is affiliated with Cornell University and Columbia University.
Manglona said she is grateful for the mentors she has had and the island community that raised her. “My goal has always been to provide access to care in a clearer way,” she said. “I hope to go home in the next five years to help improve the oral health of our community.”
During her time at UCSF, she served as a mentorship coordinator for the Student National Dental Association, facilitating programs to better equip pre-dental student relations as a form of public service. She led efforts to build community and empower the next generation.
Manglona hopes to refine her craft during her residency so that she will be a better physician when she returns to the islands. “I am learning and soaking it all in so that I can provide the best care possible. I am ready to come home now than I ever was before,” she said.
Manglona wants the next generation of islanders to know that their dreams are valid and that they matter. “I want the youth, really anyone of any age, to know that they should continue to immerse themselves in what they find joy in. Find an issue or problem that fires your passion and work toward creating solutions,” she added. “It is all about building bridges and the understanding that learning is a lifelong process.”
Manglona, 28, is an alumna of the Academy of Our Lady of Guam and a 2009 Gates Millennium Scholar. She received her undergraduate education in Public Health and Biology at the University of Washington. She is the daughter of Vincent and Benita Manglona. (PR)
