The American Academy of Dental Hygiene recognizes outstanding graduate dental hygiene students through the SHIP Award, celebrating leadership, mentorship, fellowship, and scholarship in dental hygiene.

As a little girl, I have fond memories of spending time with my aunt in St. Louis who worked in a Medicaid dental office.

Everything I know about what happened to me on the day of my sudden cardiac arrest—July 12, 2013—is because those present told me.

When I speak to dental hygienists, I remind them of how far our profession has come since I graduated from dental hygiene school 40 years ago.

Our choices on how to practice within the dental hygiene profession are limitless.

I grew up visiting my Aunt Mary in a nursing home, and too soon after that, I found myself visiting my Grandma Louise in another long-term care facility.

Right after I was accepted to dental hygiene school, I was visiting my sister at a well-known hospital when she mentioned that her teeth felt awful from not being able to properly clean them.

When I was 8 years old, my family and I left our home in Kabul, Afghanistan, due to increasing violence.

Providing a critical healthcare service to patients through excellent clinical skills can be very rewarding. But you may want to add to your clinical duties and “climb the ladder.”

Throughout the past decade, I have grown professionally and personally on so many levels.