Alumni adjuncts provide insight and inspiration to clinical learners
Teaching the next generation of oral health care professionals is an essential part of the mission of the School of Dentistry. It’s part of a personal mission for many alumni, too.
As part of its educational program, the School of Dentistry maintains a robust team of more than 100 adjunct faculty members—many of whom are practicing or retired dentists and alumni themselves—who provide instruction across our programs.
Kathy McCann, DDS ’79, and Mary Anderson, DDS ’85, both recognize the value of the education they received from the School of Dentistry, and decided to give back to the school as retired alumni. After opening their own practices and teaching at the school earlier in their careers—Anderson in the operative department in the 1980s and McCann in removable prosthodontics between 1979 and 1985—they both choose to return to the school more recently as their work life slowed down.
Both McCann and Anderson found their way to dentistry after pursuing other plans. “A moment of clarifying panic” in her undergraduate years steered Anderson away from pursuing medical school and toward dentistry, as she discovered she was “unusually interested in all things dental.” McCann discovered her love for dentistry while working in the dental research labs as an undergraduate studying biology and secondary education, witnessing the building of Moos Tower. “I decided that studying dentistry in this new, state-of-the-art dental building would be a great choice,” she recalled.
Today, McCann and Anderson are both retired, but enjoy teaching in the Comprehensive Care Clinics once per week. They enjoy the challenge, the variety of work and the growth they witness in students.
“I look forward to teaching in the clinic each Friday, knowing I will be interacting with a diverse group of students and patients,” McCann reflected. “My job is to bring the realities of private practice into the school clinic. I teach them about new products, alternative procedures, business and employee management, the psychology of communicating with patients and most of all, how to keep a positive attitude.”
McCann has enjoyed mentoring students who wish to follow a career path similar to hers. “I enjoy teaching students how to create the ‘wow!’ experience for their patients,” she said. “There is so much more to being a good dentist than clinical skills; a true sense of empathy, humility and open communications make an excellent provider.”
Anderson also enjoys sharing her perspective and experience with the students. “I love being able to share tips and techniques that help students think, ‘aha! I can do this,’” she reflected. And she appreciates how the students continue to help her grow, too.
“Students are excellent at challenging the status quo,” Anderson said. “This leads me to ask why we do things a certain way. Sometimes, the answer is not obvious, and that leads to researching and reflection.”
McCann feels the same way, and appreciates how teaching impacted her own work. “Teaching in the clinic made me a better clinician, because I have to clearly explain the process of each procedure,” she explained. “I keep current with the curriculum the students are learning, while also bringing in some alternative methods. I especially enjoy encouraging a spirit of entrepreneurship in my students.”
Though outside obligations, like Anderson’s hobbies knitting, weaving, baking, sewing and participating in a community choir, and McCann’s work on her historic farmhouse and barn in Watertown, keep both instructors busy, they love giving back to their alma mater and inspiring the next generation of oral health care professionals.
“Dentistry blessed me with the opportunity to blend solo practice ownership with raising a family, enjoying horse sports and being involved in the day to day operations of my farm,” McCann reflected. “I was able to balance my hours at the practice with my family. I continue to love being a dentist, and teaching the next generation of young dentists to always continue learning.”