Dr. Jacinto Beard: Focused on the Future
It would be hard to find a more dedicated champion of the College of Dentistry or of The Ohio State University than Jacinto Beard, ’90 DDS. His recent appointment to the university’s Foundation Board of Directors is the first such appointment of a College of Dentistry alumnus. But it is only the latest in a lengthy list of positions in which he has used his time and talents to benefit Ohio State, its students, and the dental profession itself.
The road to his stellar career began with a B.S. in biology from Gannon University, in his hometown of Erie, PA. Then, it was on to Ohio State, where he received a scholarship for dental school — assistance he has never forgotten. That’s where he met his wife, Karen Stansberry Beard, ’08 PhD. She was then pursuing a Master’s in Educational Administration in the department where she is now an associate professor. They met on a blind date arranged by one of his patients. “It was during my junior year,” Dr. Beard remembers. “The patient kept telling me I should meet his sister-in-law. He needed a lot of dental treatment, and I wanted him to come back for all his appointments, so I called her and that began our relationship.”
That was thirty-three years ago. “I graduated on a Friday, and we were married that Sunday,” he said. The newlyweds immediately went to Erie, where Dr. Beard worked as dental director for Primary Health Care of Pennsylvania. In 1993, they returned to Columbus, his wife’s hometown, and Dr. Beard opened his first private practice, in the Northland community. “I started the office from scratch, renovating a building, with no patients yet,” he said. While building a clientele, he worked part-time for the Ohio Department of Corrections and was a consultant to the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
Today, Dr. Beard owns two practices in Columbus. He opened the second office specifically to meet the needs of patients on Medicaid. He has served on numerous boards and committees and received a list of honors too extensive to name. He is a past president of the Columbus Dental Society, the Columbus Association of Dentists and the College of Dentistry’s Dental Alumni Society.
Having served on the Ohio Dental Board, he was responsible for enforcing a standard in dentistry that protects the public through licensure and education. He has also been a delegate to the Ohio, American and National dental associations.
Closest to his heart, though, is his volunteer work. He donates dental services through the Remote Area Medical free clinic, Physicians Care Connection, Colgate Healthy Smiles’ mobile dental unit, and other church and community service projects.
As the national dental director for Molina Healthcare, he was instrumental in securing Molina Healthcare scholarships for the College of Dentistry. “When I chose to attend Ohio State’s dental school, I received a scholarship. I appreciated that, and I know how transformative it has been in my life,” he said. Recipients of the Molina Scholarship have expressed an interest in practicing in underserved communities in Ohio and accepting Medicaid.
What are his goals on the university’s Foundation Board? “I want to network with others on the Board to help Ohio State generally, to bring more public awareness to the College of Dentistry, and to help make it possible for more students to attend dental school. The university has set a goal to provide a path to free undergraduate education to all students. I’m excited to be a part of that by helping raise funds. If we could eliminate tuition for most freshman students, we could set an example for the nation to follow.”
With so many accomplishments behind him, Dr. Beard’s vision for the future is exciting and ambitious. With his son, David, ’13 BS, DDS, now a dentist and part of Beard Family Dentistry, daughter, Elisabeth, ’17 BS, a senior in dental hygiene school, and son, Matthew, ’20 BS, a third-year dental student, it seems likely that the expertise and community focus of the Beard family will continue for many years.