Brown steers young talent toward dentistry
by Cindy A. AbolePublic Relations
For many South Carolina high school and college students, choosing a career can be just as confusing as following the right path in life.
1987
CDM alumnus Dr. Gwendolyn Brown, left, enjoys being around students. Here,
she is pictured with fourth-year dental students Stephanie Stephenson and
Derrick Barnes.
That’s what Gwendolyn Brown thought as a senior finishing high school.
“I really didn’t have any direction or road map pointing me towards a profession or career I wanted to enter,” said Brown, a 1974 Burke High School graduate. “I just knew I liked science and math.”
That same year, a visitor from MUSC came to speak to her class about the field of pharmacy. He talked about the curriculum and work, assuring her that it offered a good income and a chance to have a family.
“When I think about that time, I don’t think it was necessarily the most ideal way to influence a young person or make a positive impression. But it worked for me.” Brown said.
Brown completed her undergraduate degree in pharmacy at the University of South Carolina in 1978. After working a few years, she yearned to be challenged again in the health care profession.
With the encouragement of friends, she entered a road not taken by many talented black females. She chose dental medicine.
Now, almost 20 years later, Brown runs her own private practice on Rutledge Avenue. She also has played an active role within the coastal council of the South Carolina Dental Association (SCDA) and other statewide activities. In July, she returned to her alma mater in a role that she believes can make a difference for the careers of many young minority students in South Carolina.
Brown heads the College of Dental Medicine’s Office of Diversity.
“Students really don’t know about the field of dentistry,” Brown said. “Within South Carolina, we’ve found there’s not a great representation of minorities in the dental profession.” According to SCDA statistics, 84 percent of South Carolina dentists are members of the state’s premiere dental association; less than 15 percent are minority professionals.
For high school and college students, the image that most young men
and women have about dentists is not necessarily a positive one.
“Students just don’t see themselves in these positions,” Brown
said. “When you don’t see a lot of role models, it’s hard to generate a
lot of interest. Students won’t become interested in dentistry unless they
come into more personal contact with someone who fits that mold. This is
especially important in the younger years.”
Brown had the distinction of being the only African-American student in her class. Since 1970, the college has graduated about 35 black male and female dentists. Although it is still a male-dominated profession, Brown thinks that dentistry has evolved into a women-friendly profession.
“Dentistry has become a career where someone can chose an area of specialty and still be able to control the workload by the amount of time spent with patients and the office,“ said Brown, who is a wife and working mother of two girls, ages 8 and 5.
Women and minorities continue to make great strides through increased enrollment at MUSC and other dental schools. Within the Palmetto State, women dentists are stepping up to more leadership roles, especially within the SCDA. Harriet C. Reavis, DDS, serves as the president of the SCDA’s Coastal District, which includes Charleston, Beaufort and Georgetown. Robin D. Wilson, DMD, is a 1995 MUSC alumni and practitioner in the Piedmont District who serves as the SCDA’s state membership coordinator.
“Overall, the number of minority professionals has increased a lot,” Brown said. “I just wasn’t exposed to that many people growing up. We need to home into the stuff that sparks young people’s interest. Otherwise, medicine is what they think about, traditionally.”
Brown wants to begin her work by attending more health career fairs and giving speeches at South Carolina’s historic black colleges. She hopes to collaborate with SCDA membership and Medicaid coordinator Phil Latham to expand mentoring ideas and create joint educational outreach programs around the state. Latham wants to coordinate efforts by establishing ways to identify science-oriented high school students by working with the State Board of Education.
Like Brown, Latham is concerned about the future of dentistry in South Carolina. Considering SCDA records, he foresees a growing power shift as older dentists head into retirement. Today, more than 150 statewide dentists qualify for SCDA retirement and the numbers are growing. Yet the dentistry profession continues to be seriously understaffed within South Carolina.
Amon Martin Jr., DDS, is a 59-year-old dentist practicing in Seneca. As a young boy growing up in Pendleton, Martin wanted to pursue a health career. He attended Fisk University in Nashville and entered Howard University’s College of Dentistry in 1962.
“I was lucky to have two significant role models in my life,” Martin
said. H.E. Thomas Sr., DDS, and H.J. Hare, DDS, shared ownership
of a Seneca dental practice for more than 75 years.
“Hare was a Howard alumnus and he reassured me that a place would always
be open for me once I completed dental school.” Martin began work at their
practice following a tour in the military, joining as an associate in 1968
and bought the practice just 16 years later.
“Younger dental school graduates recognize the advantages of joining SCDA,” Latham said. He credits practitioners for taking younger proteges under their wing with the hope of preparing for retirement and selling off their practices.
Just this summer, Martin’s son, Theodore H. Martin, DMD, MUSC class of 1999, joined his father’s practice with hopes of continuing their dental legacy.
Through the College of Medicine, MUSC’s Office of Diversity has made great strides bringing alumni and students together in supportive roles to develop positive changes on campus. “I think it's important that students are open to talk about open prejudices and challenges as they begin life as an MUSC student,” Brown said. In bridging the gap, Brown met recently with James B. Edwards, DDS, MUSC president; Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., provost and incoming president; and Thad Bell, M.D., MUSC diversity director, plus other dental medicine faculty members and alumni, to discuss diversity issues and other student needs. To involve dental medicine alumni, Brown has planned other activities that would allow individuals to communicate concerns and issues that would improve campus life. She’s hoping to work with Martin and other alumni in mentoring roles across the state.
Brown would like to continue further interaction with student/professional dental organizations including the Student National Dental Association, South Carolina Dental Association, Palmetto Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Association, Hispanic Dental Association and the Society of American Indian Dental Students.
She wants to increase scholarship opportunities for minority dental students. Funding for the Dr. George C. McTeer Scholarship Fund is currently being established. The McTeer scholarship recognizes the college’s first African-American graduate in 1977. Brown is soliciting additional funding from other black dental medicine alumni.
“We’re very excited to have Dr. Brown on board,” said Tariq Javed, DMD, associate dean for academics and student affairs, College of Dental Medicine. “As an MUSC alumnus, she brings a unique perspective in strengthening our focus and promoting diversity within every area of the college.”
“Dr. Brown has a very important role to play in increasing diversity at the College of Dental Medicine,” Martin said.
For information on the program, call Brown at 792-4425 or Ericka Evans, CDM Office of Diveristy, 792-6874.