Dr. Danielle Rulli

I grew up in south Florida where it was very hot and humid, but we didn’t have central air conditioning! It was great though. We had a swimming pool and we were outside almost all the time – fishing in the canal behind my house, riding bikes, and playing sports in the street with all the stops for every car coming.

Decorating and preparing for Christmas. My mom always made it magical! There was no spot in the house that was not decorated for the holiday. She would play Christmas music, and she’d cook and bake up a storm starting before Thanksgiving. Each year my brother and I received a special ornament so we couldn’t wait to get out our little collections and put them on the tree. Our home was always full of family, neighbors, and friends stopping by during the holidays. They loved the decorations and her cooking and baking. She was so good at creating this joyful, exciting time that drew everyone in.

I worked as a grocery store cashier for several years, and I dealt with many people in different situations – people with money, people who didn't have enough money to pay, people shopping for parties and occasions, people just trying to get whatever food they could. Angry people, happy people, frustrated people, patient people, lonely people. In the summers, I often worked the opening shift. There were a number of elderly customers who came in every day at opening time because it was less busy. I remember wondering why they needed to buy things every day instead of making a list and coming once a week. My mom pointed out that this was probably their only opportunity to socialize. When you’re 16 or 17, that’s a mind-blowing concept. So that job taught me patience and understanding because we never know what other people are dealing with in their personal lives. It’s a lesson that has lasted a lifetime.

Actually, I was in nursing school when my dental hygienist found a lesion near my right tonsil. After a few surgeries to resolve that health issue, I realized that dental hygienists are health care providers who have a significant impact, and I felt that dental hygiene would be a better fit for me than nursing. Just to be sure, I enrolled in a dental assisting program and was an assistant for a while to see if I enjoyed working in peoples' mouths. Then I went to dental hygiene school and found that I loved it and wanted other people to see the difference they could make as preventive oral health care providers. Later, I decided to earn a doctorate in health science so I could better understand health care systems, and learn how to better represent and advocate for oral health.

One of my undergraduate dental hygiene instructors told me I had a lot of potential and encouraged me to pursue an advanced education. And here I am, decades later. I’m still in touch with that former instructor, and I still thank her regularly for her encouragement. I've been really fortunate to have a few great mentors like her. It still amazes me that a simple statement about my potential had such a significant and lasting impact on my life and career.

It’s hard to pick just one aspect or experience. The Japanese model has a great impact because it literally brings oral health care to people where they are. As a dental professional, being able to go to people's homes to deliver oral health care and having the cost covered by their insurance is amazing – and people are so grateful. Oral health care is also delivered in hospitals and long-term care facilities in Japan. In fact, it’s the law for long-term care facilities to have an oral health plan. If we implemented such approaches here, imagine the impact we could have on the “access to care” crisis.

I would say any research finding that is the tipping point for dental procedures to become part of primary health care and insurance billing.

My mom. She inspired me in so many ways. She had her own business and worked so hard, but she still made time to have fun with my brother and me. It wasn’t uncommon for her to sit down in the evening and battle us on the Nintendo even after a long day of work. She also instilled in me important things like work ethic, integrity, and strong faith, which I credit for getting me where I am today.

My basic Japanese language skills? I do understand far more than I can speak.

How to install a sink faucet!

I want to visit the villages and towns where my grandparents came from in Italy. My grandmother is from an area in Naples that is famous for selling Nativity scenes. And my grandfather was a vintner from Chieti, a city near Rome that’s famous for wine production. I’d love to see the places that inspired him to continue making wine even after he emigrated to the U.S. My appreciation for red wine is due to him!

Jane Austen. She was a brilliant woman, ahead of her time. Even her juvenilia are brilliant, just wanting the maturity that would come. She wrote in a time when her manuscripts had to be submitted anonymously by a male intermediary. And yet, her writing is still wildly popular with film adaptations constantly being remade over 200 years later. She was so well read that even a brief time with her would be worth it – just to hear her perspective on other classic authors’ literary and poetic works, including her own. What a dinner conversationalist she would be!