Sherrie Tavtigian

I grew up on a farm in northwest Ohio, and it was a much simpler life with no electronic devices, internet, or social media. Our family worked together on the farm. My father raised tomatoes for the Campbell’s soup company and then Hunt’s food products. I raised livestock, drove tractors, and worked with other farm equipment. My siblings and I were all members of 4-H, which was a great outlet for farm kids. We spent countless hours visiting with our extremely large extended family when they came to the farm. Our family Thanksgiving regularly had 150 family members in attendance, along with lots of homemade Armenian dishes – salads, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and a wonderful dessert called “gata.” Eating together was an important part of life, so we had all of our meals as a family at the kitchen table. When I go home for a visit I still enjoy the exceptional food and visiting with friends and family.

At an early age, I was influenced by my uncle, Dr. Richard Tavtigian, who was a renowned periodontist in the Toledo area. His office was “state-of-the-art” and his dental hygienists were extremely professional and excellent role models. My uncle provided our family with all our preventive dental care. I shadowed him a few times, and those experiences made me decide to pursue a career in dental hygiene.

Mr. Blatnik taught biology and physiology in my high school. His passion for teaching and his genuine kindness, caring, and interest in the students’ well-being made him an exceptional teacher. He taught me to love science and his influence made the study of science and human anatomy something I always looked forward to. 

I enrolled at Ohio State because it was the best dental hygiene program in Ohio and it offered a bachelor's degree. Back then, Dr. Nancy Reynolds Goorey was the dental hygiene director and we had to wear white uniforms, shoes, hosiery, and hats. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then!

I met the love of my life! He was a dental hygiene patient in the office where I worked ¬– and the rest, as they say, is history.

I was a clinical dental hygienist and an orthodontic dental hygienist for more than 30 years. From there the path led me to positions in oral surgery, oral pathology, and the Dental Faculty Practice here in the College of Dentistry. Then I relocated to Toledo and worked in an administrative position in the Pediatrics Department at the University of Toledo’s College of Medicine.

When the opening for my current position in the Dental Oncology Clinic presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity! Being a member of a care team that treats patients with cancer is a privilege. Helping people is humbling, rewarding, and a daily challenge to keep improving what we do. We make a profound impact on the patients’ lives by supporting their dental health, and they greatly appreciate our services and express their sincere gratitude to our entire staff.

My children are my greatest success. They’re happy, well-grounded people in careers they enjoy.

An awesome fishing trip to Onaman Lake in Ontario, Canada. I caught my first Walleye ever there. It was 24 inches long! Not only was the fishing fantastic, but every day we saw bald eagles in the sky and bears ambling along the logging roads. One day we even saw a moose!

Just recently, my one and only grandson, Michael Junior – or MJ, as we call him – took his first steps. I saw the video and had a great laugh!

Gardening and growing all kinds of vegetables and herbs; walking on the beach in Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean; spending time with friends and family  – having dinners and taking trips together; walking with Bailey, my miniature dachshund; and watching my 14-month-old grandson grow up!