Many of the students in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry initially became interested in the field at a young age because of positive experiences they had while visiting their family dentist.

That was not the case for Osvaldo Balmaseda Cápiro. Instead, Balmaseda Capiro decided to pursue a career in dentistry after enduring a negative dental experience in his home country of Cuba.

In an attempt to repair a narrow maxilla bone in his upper jaw that was causing his teeth to become crowded, Balmaseda Capiro said he visited a dentist who mishandled the procedure, causing him to lose two teeth.

“After that, it intrigued me to find out what had gone wrong,” Balmaseda Cápiro said. “Then when I found a good dentist who fixed my needs, I fell in love with dentistry. I loved how good people can solve many problems. That’s what inspired me, and from that moment, (dentistry) is what I wanted to do with my life.”

So Balmaseda Cápiro enrolled in dental school in Cuba, followed by a residency in oral surgery that he completed in 2018. He then became a practicing oral surgeon, but one who made a pittance compared to what such specialists can earn in many countries.

“In Cuba, we don’t earn too much, so we do things for love,” Balmaseda Cápiro said.

Balmaseda Cápiro eventually ended up in Tijuana, Mexico, where he met his wife, Dr. Valeria De Leon. After she was accepted into the UAB IDP program, Balmaseda Cápiro suddenly found himself living in Birmingham. A man in his 30s with a passion and a talent, but no way to practice it.

“My wife came home every day so excited, with different stories about what she had done,” Balmaseda Cápiro said. “I wanted to work and to serve like that again.”

So last year, Balmaseda Cápiro took a position as an assistant in the UAB Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic while he waited to see if he also would be accepted into the program. Now instead of performing surgeries, he sterilizes instruments and stands by to help however needed.

“Here he is, an oral surgeon who has practiced as the lead doctor, and now he has taken a dental assisting position,” said program director Stephen Mitchell, D.M.D., M.S. “That sort of humility and work ethic says a lot about Osvaldo. He is humble enough to work in that position and give it everything he has in pursuit of his American Dream.”

Group photo of the newest cohort in front of the School of Dentistry. Balmaseda Cápiro recently left that position to begin his studies as one of the 24 newest IDP cohort members. Mitchell says the program received more than 800 applications this year, nearly double the number from just four years ago.

“Osvaldo is a such a wonderful example of the caliber of students that this program has been able to attract,” Mitchell said. “He loves the work, but he also has a love of people. That’s the beauty of most of the candidates in this program. They are hungry to experience more themselves, but they’re also hungry to provide something more to the patient population.”

That is exactly what Balmaseda Cápiro said he wants to accomplish, both during his time as a student and in the years following graduation.

“I love to see people smiling when we relieve their pain. When you can solve a person’s problem, that’s the most important thing,” Balmaseda Cápiro said. “So I can’t wait to start the program. I’m very excited to begin this journey.”