Jiwon Lim’s Success Story
In 2018, the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation proudly awarded a scholarship to Jiwon Lim, then a student at East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina. Her scholarship was made possible through the generosity of Bob Savage of Drake Precision Dental Laboratory, a gift that would help shape the trajectory of her career in ways she could not yet imagine.
Today, Dr. Lim is an Assistant Professor at UVA Dentistry, where she treats patients, guides residents in a hospital-based residency program, and is building an oral medicine practice, bringing her journey full circle.
Jiwon Lim’s Journey
After graduating from East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine in 2020, during the height of COVID, Dr. Lim immediately began a one-year hospital-based residency at the University of Michigan. She later returned to North Carolina to complete a two-year residency in Oral Medicine in Charlotte, finishing in the summer of 2023.
That same summer, she began working at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Staff Clinician Dentist, a position she hadn’t even realized existed until a senior resident introduced her to the opportunity.
By March 2025, Dr. Lim had stepped into her current role as an Assistant Professor at UVA Health. There, she works alongside residents in a hospital-based general practice residency program, much like the one she completed, while continuing to care for patients and expand access to oral medicine services. “I knew I didn’t want to go into private practice, but I wasn’t sure whether I would end up at a university or hospital. Now I can do both clinical and academic work together.”
Committed to Impact
During dental school, one story profoundly shaped her understanding of access to care: the tragic case of Deamonte Driver, a 7-year-old Maryland boy who died from complications stemming from an untreated dental infection. “I remember hearing about it and thinking how devastating it was that a mother could not find a dentist for her son,” Dr. Lim recalls.
The case led to sweeping Medicaid reforms in some states, but it also reinforced her commitment to addressing healthcare disparities. She learned that some counties in North Carolina still lacked a practicing general dentist, and that adults with special healthcare needs often struggle to find routine dental care.
Today, Dr. Lim is one of only two oral medicine specialists in Virginia, and the only one who accepts insurance. For her, removing financial barriers to care is central to her mission. “I’m the only oral medicine specialist in Virginia who accepts insurance. Ensuring patients can make an appointment without the barrier of finances is very important to me.” She also continues to volunteer at free clinics whenever possible, shifting from education-focused service in her student years to hands-on clinical care for underserved patients.
A Gift That Carried Her Forward
When Dr. Lim received her scholarship in 2018, she viewed it practically at first. “It was a proud moment to add ‘2018 DTAF Scholarship Recipient’ to my CV,” she says, a distinction that supported her applications to multiple residency programs.
The financial support helped offset the cost of board exams and practice materials, expenses that can quickly add up for dental students. “If I hadn’t received the scholarship, I don’t think I would have been able to afford all of the practice materials for the various board exams I went on to take.”
But the impact went beyond finances. Dr. Lim vividly remembers meeting her scholarship donor, Bob Savage, President of Drake Precision Dental Laboratory.
She even kept her original scholarship check for years, carrying it with her through multiple moves because it meant so much. “He might remember it as a small gift, but for me, it was so impactful and really made a difference in my experience in dental school.”
To dental students today, Dr. Lim offers simple but powerful advice:
“The dynamics of dental practice are always changing. Find the way that you want to practice and work toward that as the goal. Find out how you want to practice, and don’t give it up.”
Thank you to the donors who make scholarships possible. Because of donor support, students like Dr. Jiwon Lim are not only succeeding, but they are also expanding access to care, mentoring future dentists, and strengthening oral health for communities across the country.