Foundation for Success

Born in the Bronx and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut, Viera graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts and an eye toward dental school. Despite his resolve, it took him three full application cycles before he was accepted to dental school. Eventually, Viera reached out to several schools to find out what he could do to improve his candidacy, and only Touro responded, taking the time to help him refine and improve his application.

“They really coached me and helped me through that process, when other schools just looked at me as if I were an applicant number not worth their time. Touro took a deeper look,” he says, and was particularly grateful for the guidance of James DeMaio, Sr., the director of admissions. “I don’t know if they saw potential, but they treated me like a person, not a number. They gave me tips and helped me improve my scores on the Dental Admissions Test, so I became a candidate for admission.”

By 2019, he was a student at the Touro College of Dental Medicine.

Viera quickly embraced the school’s collaborative and supportive atmosphere. He thrived in the preclinical years, finding mentors in faculty members, like Dr. Golda Erdfarb, an associate professor of dental medicine, and taking on a teaching assistant role to help first-year students. “I genuinely looked forward to going to school every day,” he says.

In his clinical work, despite finding the treatment of his patients rewarding, Viera found it frustrating that, at his current level, he could not treat every patient, specifically those who required advanced specialist care for their restorative treatment. Instead, these patients were mostly sent to a prosthodontic clinic, a dental specialty that focuses on replacing or repairing missing or damaged teeth and jaw structures.

Observing the prosthodontists at the clinic combining creativity, science and artistry to restore patients’ confidence and smiles made Viera realize that he wanted a career in the field. “Seeing patients transform and regain their joy is incredibly rewarding,” he says.

Viera applied for a spot at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s advanced graduate education program in prosthodontics after seeing a presentation by a Touro alumnus about his experience there, and this time he was accepted on his first try. He is now in his third year.

While his professional growth has been fulfilling, it comes with personal sacrifices. Viera commutes weekly from Boston to Connecticut, where his wife teaches and cares for their young son. “My family has been incredibly supportive,” he says. “They encouraged me to follow my dreams, even if it meant being apart.”

Reflecting on his journey, Viera credits Touro University’s supportive educational environment for laying the foundation of his success and its commitment to him from the very beginning. “Had it not been for select individuals and Touro opening the door to me, the trajectory of my life would have been radically different,” he says. “I am eternally grateful to everyone at Touro who gave me the opportunity to grow and believe in myself. They gave me a shot and treated me like a student even before I was one.”