Dr. Adriana Semprum, recently hired as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, previously was on the faculty of the dental schools at the University of Detroit-Mercy and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
And she hadn’t even originally planned on becoming a teacher.
Hailing from Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Semprum noted that “at home, they don’t encourage you to teach dentistry, and it’s very hard to make a living attempting to do so.”
Dr. Semprum had earned a Venezuelan DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) degree and had done post-graduate work in general dentistry and oral pathology in her homeland. In 1999, she decided to come to the U.S. for the post-graduate program in restorative dentistry at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. After completing it in 2001, she moved on to the University of Detroit-Mercy’s Accelerated DDS program to earn an American DDS in 2004.
At UIC, Dr. Semprum is “helping with curriculum development, the restructuring of preclinic restorative courses, and the integration of those courses with patient care,” she said. Dr. Semprum spends about half her time in the clinic and half her time working on course development with Dr. Courtney Lamb, Clinical Assistant Professor, Restorative Dentistry, and Dr. Bill Knight, Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs.
As a native of Venezuela, she speaks fluent Spanish, which is a benefit in dealing with the many Spanish-speaking patients treated at the UIC College of Dentistry.
With training in cariology from the University of Michigan, Dr. Semprum would like to introduce that discipline into the College’s curriculum.
A newlywed, Dr. Semprum married Dr. Alejandro Clavier, a doctor in the University of Illinois hospital’s Department of Pediatrics, in July. “For two years, one or the other of us would visit either Ann Arbor or Chicago every weekend,” she said. “We decided to stay here¯he loves Chicago and so do I. We both grew up in Caracas, and like a big city rhythm.”
The couple enjoys competitive running and “anything outdoors,” Dr. Semprum said. “We’re always involved in some kind of race, and Alejandro is a triathlete.”
Dr. Semprum also is in private practice one day per week in Naperville, IL.