Statement of Purpose
 “I’m embarrassed to smile,” she said. “I made some bad choices when I was younger, but I’m off drugs now and I want to set a good example for my daughter.”
“There’s no reason to be embarrassed; we’re so glad that you’re here. And what a great example you’re setting for your daughter by taking care of your oral health now!” I said as I leaned her back in my dental chair and adjusted the light so it wasn’t in her eyes. “Let’s take a look.” When she opened her mouth, my heart dropped. Methamphetamine usage had destroyed her oral health and not a single tooth could be saved; this 25-year-old woman would have to be in dentures for the rest of her life. I told her the news and she nodded sadly.
Though I have only been practicing clinical dentistry for two years, I have already been overwhelmed by the poor state of oral health in my patients and seen too many sad cases like the one above. Dental caries are completely avoidable, yet, all too often, patients of all ages come into the clinic in an irreversible state of infection or decay. Many of my patients grew up without access to dental care, never received prophylactic care, and only come to the dentist when they have reached a level of pain they can no longer handle. At that point, the only treatment options left are likely painful and expensive. I would like to see better outcomes for my patients and eliminate the unnecessary cost, pain, and disease. 
I notice many problems in our current dental care system but feel powerless to stop them. I know how to treat one patient at a time but I do not know how to most effectively and efficiently treat a community. I would love to learn how to do the research to discover which problems are the most prevalent in my community, how to create effective community programming, how to use my resources in the most efficient way possible to do the most good for the most people, how to affect policy to advance dental health, and how to objectively measure the success of my programs. I am hoping these are the things I can learn during my time at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
I have always been interested in healthcare and felt compelled to address social and economic inequalities in access to and quality of care. I have always been interested in food systems, healthcare policy, advocacy for the disenfranchised, education, and preventive healthcare. However, it wasn’t until my senior year of college that I took a class that tied together and gave a name to these seemingly disparate interests of mine: public health. My experiences in the field of dentistry have only fueled my passion for public health by exposing to me the raw reality of the current U.S. dental system’s failings.
I feel that my educational background has set me up for success in the field of public health. Before I came to the University of Louisville for my dental education, I attended Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where I graduated with highest honors with a BS in Nonprofit Management. I hope that my experience with nonprofits will help me in my future in Public Health, whether I end up opening my own 501(c)(3) or simply collaborating with nonprofits in my community. In addition to my dental education and nonprofit education, I also had the opportunity to do research at IU; I worked at the Center for Cell and Virus Theory (http://sysbio.indiana.edu/) under Dr. Peter Ortoleva. Together, my research experience, my practical and academic experience in the nonprofit sector, and my background of demanding science and math classes in undergrad and dental school make me a good candidate for the rigors of a public health degree.
I have been asked why I want to study Public Health as opposed to the specific Dental Public Health programs that are available. I feel that the dental health crisis in the U.S. has arisen in large part because dentists are insulated from other healthcare fields. I feel that more collaboration among healthcare professionals can only help our patients. I have seen some wonderful examples of holistic healthcare collaborations from the Free Medical Clinic in Iowa City, Iowa and the Lee Specialty Clinic in Louisville, Kentucky, where I worked as an extern last summer. Dental health is related strongly with health of other parts of the body; one example is that periodontal disease and heart disease are highly correlated. Since dental health does not exist in a vacuum, neither should dental public health.
I joined the Navy in 2014 to pay for dental school, and I will be working as a dentist for the Navy for the next 4 years. Since I will be working full time and do not know where I will be from year to year, the online format that Johns Hopkins offers will be perfect for my career and my schedule.  I’m looking forward to my time in the Navy, as I think it will be a great time for me to hone my clinical skills and learn more about how centralized health policies affect large populations. Once I have honored my commitment to the Navy, I plan to focus on public health work. My current vision is to open a public health clinic. I would like to work closely with other healthcare providers such as physicians, nutritionists, addiction specialists, social workers, psychologists, and pharmacists, ideally with all of these professions working together in a single site. I would like to devote a large chunk of my time to educational programming and to research. My main topics of research will likely include identifying the various barriers to care among different populations and how best to combat them, how to affect patient behaviors positively, and which education techniques are most effective at producing change. I am hoping to solidify my plans for my future public health work throughout the next few years as I develop the resources I need to be successful in this field.

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A Notice of Mourning by Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center from January 11, 2018.
This week, we mourn the untimely death of one of our own. Navy Lieutenant Claire Elizabeth VanLandingham, 27, died Jan. 3 in Lake Forest, Ill. Lieutenant VanLandingham worked at the USS Osborne - Lovell Federal Health Care Center's branch dental clinic (Bldg. 1017) at Naval Station Great Lakes Recruit Training Command (RTC).
Lieutenant VanLandingham was new to the USS Osborne at Lovell FHCC and was partway through her first-year credentialing tour after completing dental school in 2017. However, in the span of a few months, she already had made her mark on those she worked with, and beyond.
In December, Lieutenant VanLandingham enthusiastically completed the FHCC Tactical Combat Casualty Care course to advance her deployment readiness level in the Navy, even though she wasn't required to do so as a dentist.
"I haven't done anything like this before," she told an interviewer after successfully finishing the course. "It's much more than combat lifesaving (training), more advanced training ... The class was amazing, and I learned a lot."
Lieutenant VanLandingham was commissioned a Navy Dental Corps officer Dec. 9, 2013. She graduated from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry early last year, was promoted to lieutenant in May, 2017, and was assigned to the USS Osborne at Lovell FHCC in August, 2017.
She was a shining star at USS Osborne, and was rapidly learning and advancing according to the officer managing and mentoring the new dentists completing their credentialing year there. "She was a fantastic dentist, who earned the respect of every patient ... I told her detailer she would be ready for wherever she would be assigned in the Navy," said Commander Kristi Erickson.
At her memorial service at RTC, Captain Bradford Smith, Lovell FHCC commanding officer and deputy director, said, "Our job is to ready warriors to go into battle. The work she did at the USS Osborne was absolutely critical. She cared for hundreds of patients ... the dental work she did is on the battlefield, under the sea, in the air. Her Sailors are stationed around the world and will be for decades. She will always be a part of the U.S. Navy, of Lovell FHCC, of the USS Osborne. She will always be in our hearts."
One of the final paragraphs of Lieutenant VanLandingham's obituary reads - "Everyone who met her wanted to be like her. Her friends' final gift back to her is a hashtag: #BeMoreLikeClaire."
Many will miss Lieutenant VanLandingham. May she rest in peace.

Ann Marie Neeley Facebook Post - January 3, 2023
I had a friend named Claire VanLandingham, who was a bright light in this world. She was intelligent, kind, compassionate, empathic, beautiful, giving, silly, gracious, and an all-around special and wonderful person. Five years ago (I can't believe it's been so long already) she was killed in an act of domestic violence. She did so much good in so little time and it hurts to miss out on what else she would have accomplished and done to help make this place better. I had hoped to help her get her baby latched one day. My heart breaks on this, the fifth anniversary of her death. Grief sucks and I miss her so much it hurts. Rest in love, dear Claire. I love you.
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Gigi Nieto One-year anniversary Facebook Post - January 2, 2019
"Today was a very difficult day, as it marks one year since one of my greatest friends was taken: Claire, who will always be an example of love to me.
Violent acts have no reason and taking someone's life by violence should NEVER happen. Domestic violence is a very serious problem worldwide and it strikes when we least expect it, marking the lives of so many people forever. I feel so angry and so much more sadness thinking about this but still, I try to remember our friendship, local jokes, deep talks and everything nice.
Let's work every day to be a kinder, more helpful society, filled with acts of love, hugs, laughter, dancing and kindness. If everything around us seems to be wrong, let us be that spark of light that illuminates life.
I miss you so much Goldie
#TwinSisters #BeMoreLikeClaire"

Hanover Vint Memorial Facebook Post - January 13, 2019
"Our sweet girl's memorial card has stood on this table for exactly one year today. I thought maybe it's time to start looking forward, but couldn't bear not seeing her precious face every day from here on. I choose a frame to complement the one holiding Micky's mother's pick and I trimmed down Claire's memorial pic. As I was fitting it into its frame, i realized that YOU gave me the frame as a gift when we all lived in Terre Haute, Shannon. A beautiful gift surrounding a beatiful soul.