Leading With Care: How Dental Hygiene Graduates Are Shaping the Future
Many of the skills needed to be a good dental hygienist—including patience, attention to detail, critical thinking, and others—are the same skills embodied in effective leaders. College of Dentistry dental hygiene graduates are consistently taking on leadership roles and making a difference in the lives of the people they serve, even when their career paths take them in a different direction from where they started. Here are profiles of a few graduates who are leading with care.
KEEP GROWING
Jill Rethman, ’74 BA, FADHA, has handled a number of different roles in dental hygiene, ranging from clinical practice and education to public speaking, organizational leadership, and publishing. An Ohio native, she currently lives in Prescott, Arizona, but her focus is global: she is president of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists, a role that suits her broad interests. “I love meeting new people and learning about the profession of dental hygiene around the world. Even though there are differences in where and how dental hygienists practice, there are many similarities. We all want what’s best for our patients, and we all have the desire to help our profession advance and continue to move.”
For Ms. Rethman, moving is a way of life. “Whenever opportunities arose for me to try something new, I would jump at the chance. Each new position led to another occasion to grow.” While doing clinical work, she was asked to speak at dental schools in the northeast. Her initial nervousness about public speaking was soon overshadowed by a need she saw for educational programs. So, she developed and presented programs at dental and dental hygiene conferences. From there, she moved to positions as adjunct assistant professor at Ohio State and visiting clinical instructor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine. Her husband, Michael Rethman, ’74 DDS, MS, is a retired Army periodontist and has encouraged her every step of the way.
While still in clinical practice, Ms. Rethman wrote for Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, a monthly peer-reviewed journal of which she is now editor-in-chief. She uses that platform to inspire readers to grow and seize opportunities. “My hope is to elevate the profession of dental hygiene all around the world,” she said.
Ms. Rethman credits her parents’ examples as her motivation to accomplish so much. Her mother escaped Mussolini’s Italy and her father was an entrepreneur. She says her Ohio State education also has driven her to excel. “The discipline instilled in me at Ohio State has stayed with me throughout my career. The reputation of Ohio State’s dental hygiene program is known around the world. People frequently comment on how they not only know about the program but have the deepest respect for it.”
When asked what qualities leaders need, she says listening skills top the list. “An effective leader needs to hear all viewpoints and determine how best to incorporate ideas. Every idea has value, even if it is not possible to implement them all. Good leaders must have the strength of conviction and remain true to those convictions that promote progress and the common good.”
LEAVE THINGS BETTER
For another dental hygiene graduate, a class assignment marked a turn in her career. As a second year student, Rachel Kearney, ’05 BSDH, ’07 MS, ’24 PhD, gave a presentation to the class. Afterward, a faculty member suggested she consider a career in education, something she had not thought of pursuing. She talked with faculty members about their 07 | Dental Journal Alumni News jobs and applied to graduate school, seeking a master’s in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science in the College of Medicine.
While still in school, Dr. Kearney worked in clinical practice and as a part-time clinical instructor at the College of Dentistry. In 2009, she took a full-time faculty position as assistant professor and, soon thereafter, graduate program director in the Division of Dental Hygiene. Later, she became chair of the division. In 2016, she co-authored a textbook, Dental Hygiene: Applications to Clinical Practice, which integrates foundational knowledge with clinical procedures.
Dr. Kearney continued her education and, after earning a Ph.D. last spring, was appointed to her current position as the college’s associate dean for Pre-Doctoral Education and Student Life. Her focus is research on the connection between education and technology. “We’ve looked at how educators use social media in dental and dental hygiene education,” she explained. “We just finished a study of how academic mothers use social media as a support system. We plan to do something similar about how dental and dental hygiene students use social media to support their educational goals.”
What advice would she give dental hygiene students today? “I would advise them to take advantage of all the opportunities they have in the dental hygiene program. Get involved in student organizations, say ‘yes’ to serving on a committee, and take part in all the events and activities that the college and the university have to offer. You never know what might spark your passion or you may learn about facets of the profession that you never knew existed.”
Dr. Kearney has served as secretary, vice-chair and chair of the American Dental Education Association’s (ADEA) Council of Allied Dental Program Directors. Her philosophy of life, which she shared during an interview with ADEA, is also her philosophy of education: “Leave things better than you found them.”
A LONG AND WINDING ROAD
The road from dental hygienist to attorney is not as circuitous as it may seem. For Cheryl DeVore,’78 BA, ’88 MS, JD, it was a logical progression. She became a hygienist because of a good experience with orthodontics during high school. After graduating from the college’s dental hygiene program, she worked in clinical practice from 1978 until 1991, initially with periodontists in Georgia. She continued to practice after joining the faculty at the College of Dentistry’s Division of Dental Hygiene, and was one of the first dental hygienists to participate in the College of Dentistry’s faculty practice. In 1995, she became director of the Dental Hygiene Program.
Then, Ms. DeVore’s career took an unexpected turn. “While working to become a tenured faculty member, I decided to pursue a position that would allow me autonomy,” she explained. “That’s when I decided to go to law school.” She earned a law degree and was granted tenure in the same year. In 1995, she was appointed director of the Dental Hygiene Program and was subsequently appointed associate dean of Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies at the College of Dentistry. “I was the first non-dentist to be appointed to that position,” she said.
After 30 years of service, Ms. DeVore retired from the university in 2011, but her commitment to health care continues. Now a senior partner with the Thomas Law Group in Dublin, Ohio, she represents many health care professionals, including dentists, focusing on business mergers, acquisitions, separations and dissolutions.
“I think that in life we should be inspired to continue to reinvent ourselves, and to use prior skills and education to expand on future career endeavors,” she said as she reflected on her career transition to the practice of law. “I think that my background in dental hygiene prepared me for future career development and challenges and allowed me to build on them. I have never forgotten my roots!”
"My hope is to elevate the profession of dental hygiene all around the world." Jill Rethman, '74 BA FADHA
SELLING BETTER DENTAL HEALTH
Rebecca Sexton, ’99 BSDH, RDH, traces her initial interest in the dental field to an experience with orthodontics during high school. “Getting braces was a great experience,” she said, “because my parents allowed me to get ‘clear’ ceramic braces, which were not common in 1990. I was thrilled that you could hardly see them. And I’ve always been drawn to people’s smiles.”
Once she was in Ohio State’s dental hygiene program, Ms. Sexton’s goals began to unfold as she realized that her interests and work ethic were influenced by both of her parents. Her mother worked in health care and her father, in sales, as co-founder and owner of a compressed gas business. “The combination of their fields led me down a path that suited my personality and my ethics,” she explained.
As an undergraduate, she worked part-time in the college’s business office. While there, she met company representatives who called on the dental school, and she asked them about their jobs. After graduation, she worked as a hygienist in private practice. “I loved the relationships with my patients and being able to educate them to make the best choices for their overall health. But I always knew I would not work in private practice for my entire career. I like change, and the feeling that I’m constantly moving throughout the day.”
Ms. Sexton was a clinical instructor in the college for five years before starting a consulting business with a former dental hygiene instructor to help dental offices implement dental hygiene protocols. She has served on the board of the Dental Alumni Society and the Dental Hygiene Advisory Board. For the past nine years, she has represented global dental and medical companies, and she is currently serving as an orthodontic territory manager at Align Technology, where she enjoys creating business plans, educating customers, and participating in product launches to help dental offices grow their businesses.
Sales is a perfect fit for her, she says. “There is always the opportunity to learn and grow, and no two days are the same. I’m constantly reaching goals while helping the offices I work with, and ultimately their patients. I have been able to be a part of surgery cases where I see the patients come out crying with happiness when they see their new smile, and that really is the best feeling!”
A “FELLOW” LEADER
Elijah Desmond, ’09 BSDH
Serving in the dental field is a tradition in Elijah Desmond’s family. His uncle was a dentist, his aunt a hygienist, and his mother managed a dental office. After earning his dental hygiene degree from Ohio State, he started his career as a dental hygienist in Hawaii. After three years, though, he decided he was destined to explore non-traditional ways to contribute to the dental field. “Growing up in Navarre, Ohio, on a large working farm, I was familiar with hard labor and outdoor work,” he said. “I knew I wanted a career where I could enjoy the comfort of air conditioning! I [ultimately] followed the path of entrepreneurship because I wanted to build a career around what felt fun and didn’t feel like work.”
Mr. Desmond’s winding path led him to a career as a dental entrepreneur, motivational speaker and two-time bestselling author. Although his home is now in Florida, his diverse business interests take him all over the world and range from presenting continuing dental education courses through “Smiles at Sea,” to selling dental offices, to several other ventures in between. He even DJ’s at dental conferences for the fun and excitement it brings. He said he has launched more than 20 businesses over the course of his career, failing at seven of them, and learning and growing from every experience. “I always embrace [failing] as part of the journey. Being my authentic self and showing up as a creator in the industry has allowed me to pursue things that others might shy away from.”
Mr. Desmond believes being able to identify and nurture other leaders is the key to being an effective leader. Mentoring others—and perhaps helping them avoid the mistakes he made early in his career—is his chance to give back. “What I enjoy most is mentoring and supporting individuals who aspire to explore non-clinical paths in dentistry. That’s my passion and my ‘why.’”
