• Please introduce yourself and briefly explain what you currently do. Hello, I hope everyone that is reading this is having a good day. My name is Sitthichai Tubsuwan. You can call me “Keng.” I belong to MUIC’s Class of 2019 and I’m currently a 6th year dental student at the Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University. I also run an account called @tofu.is.studying which is a channel dedicated to show you my journey through education. You can find me on Instagram and Tiktok.
• What sparked your interest in dentistry and led you to pursue it as a career? My journey in science started when I took a gap year after graduating from high school to explore various paths for my future careers. After facing countless dilemmas, I decided to apply for the Biological Sciences program at MUIC. My experience at MUIC had been enlightening and eye-opening. The most interesting concept I learned was “Lifelong Learning” which I have never thought of before. As years passed, I was seeking for a career that would enable me to keep studying and being able to use some of the skills from my arts background when I was in high school. Dentistry was a perfect choice for me as it is an intersection of art, science, and creativity.
• What are the main challenges you face as a dentist and how do you overcome them? Life is an uncertain roller coaster. The main challenges working as a dentist are that you are facing something unexpected every day and communication skills are crucial for interactions with patients. There is difficulty from the cases combined with the attitude of the patients from various backgrounds which could prove to be a handful. However, I believe that great communication requires you to be an empathic listener and a persuasive speaker. With these two qualities, you are all set in all situations.
• In your experience, are there any specific skills or characteristics that are particularly important in this field? All dentists would need a hand skill to be able to pull off everything—from deep cleaning teeth to making a crown. Almost everything in dentistry requires you to pay attention to the teeny-tiny little details. Moreover, the ability to incorporate art and science into the treatment is vital as well as the ability to convey scientific facts into comprehensible terms when communicating with your patients.
• Which skills or knowledge gained during your Biological Science program days have been most beneficial to your career? I was very fortunate to be able to learn so many things during my time at MUIC. Among all of them, the most helpful set of skills I obtained was research skills. All students in the Biological Science program were trained to identify, assemble, and analyze information in a logical way and presented to others. This does not only help me in my scientific research but also in improving my personal life when I want to become better at certain aspects of my life.
• Could you share a memorable moment from your time at MUIC that has influenced your journey as a dentist? The memorable moment that I fondly remembered was when I was working on my senior project during my last year at MUIC. There were lots of obstacles and challenges starting from choosing my research topic until writing the manuscript. My research advisor (Dr. Manchuta) would set a monthly meeting with all of her research advisees to come and talk about our projects. During the meeting, all of us would comment on each other’s works to find better solutions for our research problems. It was very beneficial to have a mental and spiritual support during hard times.
• Were there any extracurricular activities or courses that you found particularly valuable or enjoyable? The fun part of studying at MUIC is that there are so many extracurricular activities. Rubnong was absolutely thrilling for me personally. There were also the clubs such as Art Club, Diving Club and Volunteer Club which I joined. I also participated in the International Buddy Program in which we got to meet the incoming exchange students and able to share with them our culture and traditions.
• What advice would you give to current MUIC students who aspire to become like you? Believe that you are capable of overcoming all the challenges you face. Life would be so much boring without trials. Great challenges make life interesting! Laugh at your mistakes and learn from them. Have fun conquering the challenges and embrace all the emotional experience you have gained.
• Motto “There’s a plenty of life left to be lived. It’s up to you to make the best out of it!”

Name: Mr. Sitthichai Tubsuwan (MUIC Class of 2019)
Major: Biological Sciences
Position: Dentist