About

Si Nae Park is an Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. She earned her Ph.D. in Asian Studies from the University of British Columbia in 2012. Her scholarly focus is on the literature and literary culture of Chosŏn Korea (1392–1910), with a growing interest in pre-Chosŏn periods, the reception of premodern Korean textual artifacts, and digital philology for premodern studies. Her research emphasizes understanding premodern Korea as a literary universe within the broader Sinographic Cosmopolis, exploring how Koreans embraced and innovatively repurposed Literary Sinitic forms, rhetorical tools, and textual technologies as shared properties of East Asian literary cosmopolitanism. She aims to study Korean vernacular literature beyond ethnonationalist discourses and to illuminate the dynamic ecology of literacies and literary practices through close reading, archival studies, and sociocultural and historical contextualization, drawing insights from various fields including bibliography, historical linguistics, sound and media studies, and linguistic anthropology.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Psychology
• Pedagogy
• Medicine
• Medical education
• Computer Science
• Public relations
• Environmental health
• Family medicine
• Gerontology
• Nursing
• Internal medicine

Selected publications

• Practice‐Based Research and Education for Dental Pain: Coupling Risk Stratification and Artificial Intelligence for Clinical Translation

  Journal of Dental Education · 2025-06-18

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A Comparison of Admissions Data Between Virtual and In-person Dental School Interviews

  Journal of Education and Training Studies · 2024-06-11

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic forced many dental schools to conduct some or all of their interviews virtually. The purpose of the study was to evaluate whether an association existed between interview setting and applicant characteristics, specifically focusing on the difference in the interview score between applicants who chose virtual interviews and those who chose in-person interviews.Methods: Demographic and admission data were obtained from the 101 interviewed candidates from the XXXX 2021-2022 application cycle. Distribution of demographics and interview preference were assessed. Simple and multiple generalized linear models (GLM) were run to examine the difference in the applicants’ interview score between in-person and virtual interviews.Results: Of the 29 in-person interviews, 16 (55.17%) were offered acceptances, while 31 (43.06%) of the 72 virtual interviews were accepted, a difference that was not statistically significant (p-value = 0.380). Preference for the interview format was not associated with any of the applicants’ factors including gender, current residence (the four bureau-designated regions), overall grade point average (GPA), science GPA, Dental Admissions Test (DAT) Academic Average score, and perceptual ability test (PAT) score. In addition, there was no statistical difference in the interview score between the two interview formats.Conclusions: The effect of virtual interviewing on interview scores and applicants’ admission rate was found to be statistically insignificant. If further study with larger sample sizes confirms this finding, virtual interviewing could be considered as a viable alternative to in-person interviewing in the dental school admissions process.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Building a community of future leaders in dental education

  Journal of Dental Education · 2024-02-15

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating student performance assessment methods in Objective Structured Clinical Exam: perspectives and comparisons

  Journal of Dental Education · 2024-05-12

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate how student performance and perspectives changed when the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) assessment system was changed from a composite score to discipline-specific grading at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. METHODS: The retrospective study population consisted of all students (n = 349) who completed three OSCEs (OSCE 1, 2, and 3) as part of the predoctoral program during the years 2014-2023. Data on the students' OSCE scores were obtained from the Office of Dental Education, and data on students' race/ethnicity and gender were obtained from their admissions data. RESULTS: The likelihood of a student failing the OSCE after the assessment system change significantly increased with an adjusted odds ratio of 20.12. After the change, the number of failed subjects per student decreased with an adjusted mean ratio of 0.48. Students perceived the OSCE as being less useful after the change. Independent of the grading change, OSCEs 1 and 2 were seen as more useful compared to OSCE 3, which is administered in the last year of the Doctor of Dental Medicine program. CONCLUSION: The discipline-specific nature of the new assessment system helps focus on specific areas of remediation, rather than blanket remediation used previously, in order to isolate the actual areas of deficiency and to focus remediation efforts so that students can align their learning needs appropriately. Therefore, although the actual number of fails identified increased for the course, the assessment change has allowed for more directed, actionable information to be gained from the OSCE to prepare students to work toward competency standards.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Perspectives on virtual interviews for dental school admissions

  European Journal Of Dental Education · 2023-11-05

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  INTRODUCTION: Admissions interviews are an integral part of the dental school application process. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews had to adapt and become a part of the virtual realm. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the perspectives of interviewees and interviewers in this process. METHODS: Admission data for all prospective students were compiled for the classes of 2016 through 2025 to compare in-person to virtual interview scores. Additionally, surveys were sent to members of the admissions committee as well as interviewees asking questions regarding the virtual interview experience. A Likert scale was used for the majority of questions and free responses were also an option. RESULTS: The comparison data showed that the virtual candidates may have had higher overall undergraduate and application scores, in addition to better interview scores compared to in-person candidates. Interviewees and interviewers both agreed in their top three rankings of what was enjoyable about the virtual interviews, specifically the lower cost for applicants, the convenience, and the safety during the pandemic. There was also agreement with their top three aspects that were least desirable in the interview process, specifically the absence of visual cues/lack of body language, lack of personal contact, and connectivity issues. Around 74% of committee members would recommend virtual interviews in the future whereas only 49% of interviewees would recommend virtual interviews in the future. CONCLUSION: The pandemic brought about many changes, including the way admissions interviews were conducted. While this was a change made of necessity, it was valuable to explore the appropriateness of implementing virtual interviews in the future as a part of dental school admissions processes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Defining success in healthcare education: US dental student and faculty perspectives

  Journal of Dental Education · 2023-06-02 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Academic metrics and clinical performance are necessary but alone insufficient in describing success in dental education. This paper identifies themes critical for dental student success as commonly cited by both dental students and faculty. METHODS: Dental faculty interviews and pre-doctoral D2/D3/D4 student focus groups at two dental institutions generated data for thematic analysis. Themes were individually identified then merged, compared, and contrasted to establish a definitive list of key themes reflected in student and faculty comments. RESULTS: Twenty-five pre-doctoral students participated in one of four focus groups (two focus groups at each dental institution). Thirteen dental education faculty across two institutions participated in structured interviews. Thematic analysis produced five overlapping themes identified by both students and faculty across the two institutions: seeking understanding, collaborative spirit, personal ownership, organization, and broadened perspective. Faculty-specific themes identified long-term retention, a strong moral compass, and self-sufficiency as critical for student success. Student-specific themes identified their most successful peers to have a positive attitude, a perspective focused on personal investment and self-care, as well as access to professional mentors. CONCLUSION(S): Both faculty and students in dental education perceive behaviors illustrative of a growth mindset as hallmarks of success in the oral healthcare profession. Relatedly, students exemplifying resilience and/or grit must believe their efforts to be worthwhile and impactful.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Role of Peer Teachers in Dental Skills Education - A Phenomenological Study

  Journal of Curriculum and Teaching · 2023-08-31 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Learning a new clinical skill in dentistry is stressful as it is, coupled with large student to teacher ratios, this can sometimes lead to students being overlooked. Peer teaching was piloted at The Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences (FoDOCS) and seemed to be positively received amongst the students. Furthermore, cross collaboration with data from Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) helped to understand the lived experience of the students in relation to peer teaching from both the student’s point of view and the peer teacher’s point of view. The hope was to identify from the student’s perspective, if the scheme had any benefits and/or if improvements were needed. The study group consisted of 10 students from FoDOCS and 9 students from HSDM who were interviewed after clinical skills sessions with both staff teachers and peer teachers. Data was analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis to identify key themes. A number of important themes were identified that highlight the overall positive effect that peer teaching has had on both students and peer teachers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Is dental education meeting the oral health needs of older adults?

  Journal of Dental Education · 2022 · 21 citations

  • Political Science
  • Medicine
  • Nursing

  The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of promoting oral health for the geriatric population and implementing change to address their complex oral and systemic health needs. Oral healthcare providers are unequipped to meet the demanding oral health needs of the aging population, resulting in a geriatric oral health crisis that needs immediate attention and action. Despite the advancements in geriatric education over the last two decades, the geriatric curriculum in 2022 is still inadequate, and varies greatly among different US dental schools for both pre- and postdoctoral programs. Predoctoral students are graduating without being sufficiently trained to identify and treat the dental issues of older adults due to lack of a purposely planned curriculum with balanced didactic and clinical exposure. It is critical to have a trained and competent workforce that meets the oral health needs of current and future older adults. To change the present environment, there is a need for curriculum redesign, faculty development, and training. In addition, more research to evaluate pre- and postdoctoral geriatric dentistry curricula, their impact on increasing access to care, and the likelihood of graduating dentists competent to treat functionally dependent and frail older adults is needed. Furthermore, decision-makers in dental education, national dental organizations, and government institutions must support policies that integrate oral health into overall health through robust reimbursement mechanisms, including a dental benefit in Medicare, and recognition of geriatric dentistry as a specialty.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessing Dental Student and Faculty Views on the Transition to the Clinical Setting

  Journal of Curriculum and Teaching · 2022-11-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: Dental education reform has been a focus for many schools over recent years, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the presented study was to assess faculty and student preferences for feedback styles, learning modalities in the clinical setting, and transitioning from the preclinical to clinical environments.Methods: Two separate surveys were distributed to clinical faculty and students from classes of 2021, 2022, and 2023.Results: Notably, faculty had significantly more favorable views on interpersonal dynamics within the student clinic compared to students (p = 0.0255). While students and faculty differed in their views on the transition from preclinical to clinical practice, clinical performance, and teaching/learning modality preferences, these results were not statistically significant.Conclusion: Nevertheless, discrepancies in student and faculty responses to questions centering on feedback preferences, teaching/learning modality preferences, and transitioning to the clinical environment indicate potential avenues to explore for future development efforts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Developing Self-Assessment Skills in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations

  Journal of Education and Training Studies · 2022-08-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: The purpose of the study was to describe the integration of self-assessments into the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as a part of reflective practice in clinical education. An emphasis was placed on the process of student learning to complement the existing comprehensive patient care assessment model.Methods: Student self-assessment data was captured three times throughout patient care experiences during the clinical education period and measured against corresponding faculty assessments of students at these times in the predoctoral dental program.Results: Analysis revealed that there were some disciplines in which faculty and student assessments were moderately reliable; however, as students progressed through the clinical program, their overall self-assessments did not have a higher correlation with faculty assessments.Conclusion: The OSCE can be designed as a useful tool in measuring non-traditional competencies and provide an opportunity for students to self-assess their learning. However, further emphasis on self-assessment skills for students needs to be incorporated as they progress through clinical programs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Muath Aldosari

  16 shared

• G. Li

  Duke University

  9 shared

• Thomas J. Gill

  9 shared

• Shay Zayontz

  Cabrini Hospital

  9 shared

• T. Howard Howell

  7 shared

• Nadeem Y. Karimbux

  Tufts University

  6 shared

• Jeremy F. Suggs

  ECRI Institute

  4 shared

• R. Bruce Donoff

  4 shared