Doctor's CV
I was born in Fuzhou, Fujian, Mainland China. My parents are gynecologists and obstetricians. When I was little, I was sick often and got injuries sometimes. I was amazed by the fact that my wound could heal and that I could recover from illness. My father, who studied endocrinology in Soviet Union (Russia), encouraged me to learn as much as possible and to become a doctor and a researcher. When I was in the school age, there was basically no formal education in China. Anyway I loved to learn by myself as well as from my parents. There was no college education when I graduated from high school. I worked in an automobile parts factory for 3 years. When Chinese universities re-opened to public after the infamous Cultural Revolution for nearly 10 years, I chose to study dentistry in Shanghai Second Medical University. After that, I worked as a general dentist in Fujian Provincial Hospital.
As we know, children like to tease physically and/or mentally handicapped children. Since childhood, it has been a dream for me to help those kids with physical handicap, such as cleft lip. After a few years in general practice, I returned to my alma mater (Shanghai Second Medical University) to get Oral & maxillofacial surgery residency training. My mentors were Drs. Zhang Xizhe and Qiu Weiliu. I concentrated upon learning how to treat children with cleft lip and palate comprehensively. I also got master degree in the process. Then I returned to Fujian Provincial Hospital to sharpen my surgical skills.
During busy practice and training, I was not satisfied with the fact that I could treat limited number of kids with congenital (inborn) malformations. It would be much nicer to find solutions to help prevent these abnormalities from happening in the first place.
I entered School of Graduate Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to pursue for PhD study in Cell Biology & Anatomy Department at supervision of Dr. Kathleen Sulik. My doctorate thesis is how head and neck malformations are induced in animal models. At the same time, I was a teaching assistant for gross anatomy in School of Dentistry under Dr. Royce Montgomony. I also did 3-year post-doctoral research in California Primate Research Center, University of California at Davis at supervision of Dr. Andrew Hendricks. I was a lecturer for Embryology & Gross Anatomy at School of Medicine.
Maybe life is a circle. I returned to dentistry by getting my second dental education in an advanced program, University of Southern California. After getting DDS, I worked as an intern in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Emory University, under the direction of Drs. Robert Bays and Vinny Perciaccante. Then I became a Chief resident in General Practice Residency Program, the University of Kentucky under the direction of Dr. Ted Raybould.
In 2003, I moved back to Atlanta and worked as a general dentist in a Coast Dental office for 2 years. Then I had my own practice, first in Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Norcross and then in Abbotts Bridge Road, Duluth.
I am an active member of American Orthodontics Society and American Academy of Implant Dentistry.
In all, I love to learn (postgraduate training) and hope that I have enough knowledge and experience before serving you. Last, but not the least, you can have empathy and sympathy from your dental care provider. I will treat you tooth, body, and soul with respect and tenderness. Thank you very much.
Xin Wei, DDS, PhD, MS