2009 Student Event: Transition to Education

Dr. Maria Geisinger answers questions about her experiences joining the faculty of a university.

Photo of Dr. Geisinger Dr. Geisinger is an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She completed her periodontal residency at University of Texas, San Antonio in 2006.

What was your ideal plan after graduation?

My intention after graduation was to associate in a private practice setting and eventually become a partner periodontist. It was always my intention to teach clinically at least one day per week after I was settled in my practice.

Did you practice as a periodontist prior to making a transition into education or did you transition right after your residency program?

I was an associate in a private practice Limited to Periodontics in Goodlettsville, TN, with Dr. Deborah R. Robbins for one year after completing my postdoctoral residency program.

What was the appeal of teaching vs. practice?

Although I loved private practice, the rapport with my patients, and particularly the congeniality of my relationship with Dr. Robbins, my family moved from the Nashville area and the reality of being a solo practitioner (as most periodontists are) was daunting. Initially, I volunteered at UAB in the Department of Periodontology while I was sorting out my licensure and deciding upon a location and business model for my practice. During the time while I was volunteering, I was able to see what a vibrant environment academic periodontics can be. I was welcomed into the department and allowed to participate in discussions about resident education and in literature reviews and Mock Board examinations. I was also privy to the ongoing research projects at UAB, which allowed me to glimpse the possibility of not just doing the best for my patients now, but also being a part of fundamentally changing the paradigm of how periodontal patients are treated in the future, which was really exciting!

If you practiced as a periodontist prior to becoming an educator, how did you transition from practice into education?

As I mentioned previously, I initially volunteered as a part-time faculty member at UAB Department of Periodontology. During my time volunteering, Dr. Michael Reddy approached me to let me know that a position had become available on the faculty and to ask me to consider academic periodontics. When I thought about all of the things that I would now have to give up to return to private practice, it really became a “no brainer”. I truly credit an off-hand remark made to me by Dr. Brian Mealey, my faculty mentor, who stated that in practice you do a lot of good helping your patients on a day-to-day basis, but as an educator, you get to influence and help not only your patients, but also all of the patients of your students and residents as well.

What expectations did you have? Were they met?

I thought that I would be able to just “jump in” and, of course, there is such a steep learning curve with teaching (as with anything one is unfamiliar with) that I definitely needed quite a bit of guidance and help in many arenas that is thankfully ongoing for me. I was able to take a course offered at UAB for new faculty members to improve my teaching skills and I had wonderful mentors in my department who were always willing to help, but learning a completely new skill set when I had spent the better part of 12 years training for a career that required other skills was difficult.

What obstacles did you encounter and how did you overcome them to be successful in your transition?

The start-up in my department was probably faster than it would have been in a larger department. Approximately 3 months after I came on the faculty full-time, I was made the Predoctoral Periodontal Program Director at a time when as a faculty we were revamping and reimagining the undergraduate curriculum. It was really uncharted territory and I was (likely rightfully) frightened, but the mentorship from the other members of my department and their willingness to help me during those initial months up to now has been invaluable and allowed me to really become deeply involved in the predoctoral and postdoctoral periodontal curricula as well as ongoing and new research projects and faculty practice.

When making the transition, what resources did you find the most helpful?

Having a faculty mentor is invaluable. Making time to discuss your expectations with other faculty members to determine if they are reasonable and having someone to look over your work and proposals is key. I also try to avail myself of the larger learning opportunities offered through the UAB campus, including faculty courses on Excellence in Teaching, Scientific Writing, Teaching Portfolios, etc. Remembering that you are not a trained teacher and therefore need to be a student is humbling and most helpful.

What is the most valuable advice you can offer individuals transitioning into education?

It is scary to make the transition, but having a supportive framework and a mentor (or mentors) can make all the difference.

What was your biggest mistake as a new educator?

I think that in the first course I taught as the course director, I made the mistake of coming on too strong. This may have been partially due to the change in the curricular structure and not knowing exactly what the knowledge the students had from their previous courses, but I needed to learn techniques to get my points across without becoming frustrated. I started attending lectures of teachers whose style I admired and attempting to emulate them. I think that this has made a big difference.

What is your situation now?

I am an Assistant Professor and the Predoctoral Program Director. I am the course director for 4 courses (3 predoc, 1 postdoc), I am actively involved in the Faculty Practice and I am involved in ongoing clinical research projects as a therapist and research coordinator.

What is the most important thing you have learned?

Do not be afraid to ask for help.

What do you like most about being a periodontal educator?

Getting the opportunity to share what I do with other dental professionals and getting to think about periodontology in a new way that may eventually help us treat our patients more effectively or efficiently.