Published at 22. Headed to McGill. Nives Braunstein Is Just Getting Started.

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Less than a year after graduating Queen’s University, this Hudson alumna has a clinical publication, a North American research presentation, and a place in McGill’s MSc program — fuelled by a trip to Guatemala and a deeply personal reason to get it right.

When Nives Braunstein (Class of 2021) graduated from Queen’s University with a BSc honours in Life Sciences last June, most of her peers were still figuring out their next move. Nives had already landed a full-time clinical research role at one of the largest dental facilities in North America and would soon be working towards her first publication.

Nives had arrived at Queen’s with a curiosity about medicine and an eagerness to explore where her interests might lead. Through the guidance of a University of Toronto-trained dentist who became a trusted mentor, she discovered a passion for dentistry that grew through hands-on clinical exposure and genuine mentorship. “She was an incredible mentor throughout my undergraduate years.” says Nives. “Having a female mentor in the field, someone who really believed in me, made a huge difference.” 

But it was a trip to Guatemala during university that truly set her course. 

Travelling with Queen’s Global Brigade, Nives spent two weeks treating patients in a remote village, working out of an abandoned elementary school that served as their base camp. People had stood in line since 1 a.m. Some had come from seven hours away. She saw cleft palates and facial abnormalities that went untreated for years. It was there that she discovered the full-scope of opportunities within dentistry, which sparked a particular interest. 

“When someone mentioned maxillofacial surgery, I went home and looked it up and became fascinated by it. It’s the perfect intersection between medicine and dentistry — the ability to help someone who has an abnormality, to make someone happier again, smile again.”

Her motivation runs deeper than professional interest. Experiences close to home gave her an early, personal understanding of just how much trust patients place in the people who treat them — and how much is at stake when that trust is broken. “Building real connections with patients and making sure they're truly supported — that matters more to me than anything,” she says.

“Hudson cultivated my ability to know who I am and what I like. I went into university with direction — and I think that made all the difference.”

She credits Hudson with giving her the foundation to chase all of it. The extracurriculars, the community, the friendships — they built a sense of self that carried her through university with clarity and curiosity in equal measure. “I felt like it was very open at Hudson,” she says. “You could immerse yourself in so many different things. It really helped me figure out what I liked and who I was.”

Today, Nives is working at the forefront of implant research — leading a longitudinal study that follows patient outcomes over five or more years. “I’ve been trusted with running these longitudinal, five-plus-year implant follow-up appointments,” she explains, “collecting standardized data sets like X-rays, photos, intraoral scans, and inflammatory biomarker information  across a registry of about 350 cases.” It’s the kind of long-range, real-world data that forms the backbone of her first publication.

Her first publication introduced the data collection methodology at the foundation of the study. A larger, peer-reviewed paper focused on soft tissue outcomes is on the way. This spring, she presented the early findings to a North American audience of dental professionals — PhDs, practicing specialists, people with decades in the field. “By the end,” she says, “I was answering their questions and realizing I actually knew the answers. I need to give myself more credit.” This fall, she takes that momentum to McGill, where she will begin her MSc (thesis) in Dental Sciences.

“You don’t know what you like until you’re actually in it. And don’t close all the doors, especially the ones you haven’t thought to open yet.”

To students still mapping their paths, she’s direct: get in the room. Shadow someone. Cold email a clinic. The opportunities that shaped her career — the mentors, the Global Brigade, the research role — all came from saying yes to something before she had it fully figured out. “It’s not about the endpoint,” she says. “It’s about what you learned getting there and who you became along the way.”