Before making North Carolina his permanent home, Dr. Usama “Uzi” Kamal grew up in London, Ontario. He received two Bachelor of Science undergraduate degrees at Western University in Canada, double majoring with honors in medical science and biology in 2012. During his last year in college, Dr. Kamal was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy and proudly served the Canadian Armed Forces as a Maritime Surface and Subsurface Officer. He was also a Sub-lieutenant for six years – four of which were served while he attended dental school. He was indelibly recognized at the national level for his extensive naval vessel training, in addition to his strong leadership and navigation skills by the Department of National Defense. In 2018, he decided to depart from the Navy to fully immerse himself in completing his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at the Indiana University School of Dentistry in Indianapolis. Today, Dr. Kamal still gives credit to the Navy for his foundation of discipline, work ethic, and dedication while he served, and he now applies those same qualities when serving patients in his community. Dr. Kamal had worked for several dental offices in Arkansas before bringing his professional skills to Black Bear Dental. He treated patients in Blytheville, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Paragould, and West Memphis as a general dentist, in addition to working at a pediatric office treating children and disabled patients in both hospital and private practice settings. Dr. Kamal also travels around the world to follow his passion of helping others and recently traveled to Lebanon to help treat refugees in need of urgent dental care. He plans on continuing to fulfill his passion both personally and professionally through future mission trips in Honduras and Jordan. Due to Dr. Kamal’s enthusiasm in committing himself to improving the lives of his patients and to a lifetime of learning, he has taken numerous opportunities to increase his understanding of medicine and surgery as it relates to dentistry. He is certified in Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique (SMART) through the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, as he takes pride in seeking the most natural and holistic alternatives to treatment. Dr. Kamal believes in the safest and healthiest biological approaches to dental care and always thrives on gaining more knowledge in the world of holistic medicine and dentistry. He holds memberships in the American Dental Association, the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, North Carolina Dental Association, American Academy of Facial Esthetics, and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. Currently, he is in the process of receiving his status of Diplomate of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. He is also immersed in the Progressive Orthodontic Seminars curriculum, as well as the McCracken Implant Education course – both of which are known in the dental community to be well-renowned postgraduate training programs. Outside of the office, Dr. Kamal can be found training at the gym, playing soccer, traveling domestically and internationally, and watching the Toronto Maple Leafs play hockey. He studied multiple languages, including French and Spanish, and is fluent in English and Arabic. Among all his outside interests, he most enjoys traveling and hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains with his beloved Samoyed, Jon Snow.