5 Questions With
1. What's the one piece of advice you would give to anyone in dental school?
Be sure this is not only what you want to do, but also that you know what it means to be a dental professional. That is, as those of us in the profession know, we are not just in the “dental business,” we are in the “people business.”
2. What’s the biggest challenge facing dental education today?
The biggest challenge today is all of the challenges—trust in decision-makers, misinformation/disinformation, research funding, student loans, use of fluoride, immigration concerns, the cost of dental education (both for students to attend and schools to operate), faculty recruitment and retention, AI and its impact and changes in the dental practice model—just to name a few! As an optimist, I believe we will find solutions to these challenges, but not all at once, and not before new challenges come on the scene.
3. What gives you the most satisfaction professionally?
Seeing others succeed! Especially by applying new knowledge and skills, and being able to say, “I can do that!”
4. What do you look forward to outside of work?
Spending time with my wife and family, getting some exercise (we walk and cycle) and trying to work on my bucket list, which, at the moment, has about 35 items on it.
5. What’s your favorite vacation spot—and why?
Hmmm, if I had to pick just one, it would probably be Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada. What a beautiful town, about 40 minutes north of Niagara Falls, on Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. Among other attractions, it has playhouses, water sports, parks and wineries. And speaking of wineries, one of our favorites activities is the bicycle wine tour.