Bernadette Alvear Fa1, Jin Ye Yeo2
1Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California, USA; 2JOMA Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company
Correspondence to: Jin Ye Yeo. JOMA Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email: joma@amegroups.com.
Expert introduction
Dr. Bernadette Alvear Fa (Figure 1) is a Professor at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. She is heavily involved in pain management and has introduced pedagogical methods that emphasize patient-centered care, wellness, and self-care. Implementation of the instrument retraction technique (IRT) since 2011 has shown significant results in reducing intraoral needlestick injuries in predoctoral clinics.
She has to her credit 25 peer-reviewed publications; 14 posters; 3 non-peer-reviewed publications; and 39 invited presentations since earning promotion to professor in 2024. Her work has been published in well-known national and international dental journals.
In 2012, Dr. Alvear Fa became a certified personal trainer and in 2014 became a Women’s Fitness Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is currently a member of the American Dental Association, American Dental Education Association, California Dental Association, and San Francisco Dental Society. Dr. Alvear Fa became a fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy – Northern California Section and in 2017 was recently inducted into Omnicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Honor Society – Northern California Delta Delta Section.
Figure 1 Dr. Bernadette Alvear Fa
Interview
JOMA: What initially inspired you to pursue a career in dentistry education, and how did your experiences shape your approach to teaching?
Dr. Fa: My Papa was a dentist, he met Mama in the Philippines at the dental school where they attended. When I was born, Papa received his license to practice dentistry in the US. The idea of dentistry was never forced upon me as a child, I just had a fascination with my teeth at an early age when we would visit Papa’s office, which led to my involvement in academia.
As a graduating dental student from UOP, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, I had an instructor approach me asking if I was interested in returning to teach. I never thought that I was qualified to teach and that I was going to work in Papa’s office forever. When my husband and I moved to Chicago, I was able to teach at the Univ of Illinois, Chicago School of Dentistry as a clinical instructor. My love for teaching in the profession became a true passion and solidified. Upon moving back to California in 2010, I knew that I wanted to do what all my other instructors did for me as a dental student and I returned to teach.
JOMA: How have your mentors influenced your career path?
Dr. Fa: One of my greatest mentors, Dr. James Dower, was the Director of the Local Anesthesia Curriculum, so as a new faculty in 2006, I always thought, “I want to be Dr. Dower when I grow up!” When I became an assistant professor in 2010 at UOP Dugoni, within 4 months of me returning to teach at my alma mater, Dr. Dower declared, “Bernadette, I’m so glad you’ve returned, I’m ready to retire!” I was happy but not ready to take on the role of Director of Local Anesthesia. When he did retire, I had other great mentors who worked alongside and supported my efforts. One person in particular who also influenced me in the research of anesthesia was Dr. Alan Budenz.
JOMA: Your pedagogical methods emphasize patient-centered care. How do you incorporate these methods into your teaching, and what outcomes have you observed in your students’ practice and patient interactions?
Dr. Fa: The doctor is a team member in patient–centered care. Listening is crucial for all parties to partake in working together. There is accountability and respect for every person on the team and there is no judgement or condemnation for what has happened in the past. I am simply not choosing the treatment for the patient because it is my idea, but rather we are all discussing based on what the patient realistically wants to accomplish. The approach is modeling to students what patient-centered care looks like when engaging the patients before treatment.
JOMA: As a certified personal trainer and Women’s Fitness Specialist, how do you integrate your knowledge of fitness and wellness into your professional life and teaching?
Dr. Fa: I am the chair of the Health and Wellness committee and we organize many events. I am also the content coordinator the Self-Care and Wellness. I have opportunities to lecture on self-care and wellness. When I teach aspects of local anesthesia, I bring up chair positioning and ergonomics. How a provider administers care can directly affect their ergonomics. Again, I do my best to be intentional about what I am doing in every situation. Students have said, I see that you’re always so happy and cheerful, how do you do that? I answer, “I choose joy, because the other option does not sound like a great option, and it causes wrinkles.”
JOMA: Could you comment on the general differences in anesthesiology? What insights have you gained from existing publications and/or your own experiences?
Dr. Fa: There are general anesthesia, IV sedation, and local anesthesia. They all involve helping to manage a patient’s pain while they are receiving some form of dental treatment. There is not always the same delivery method for each patient. We are all wonderfully and miraculously made into our makeup, and my pain perception is extremely different from another’s. Knowing all of the options gives us better insight into what options I can consider for each individual. Communication is the other aspect of understanding that I fully comprehend the options that I may deliver to a specific patient. If I do not understand that a patient has had a previous negative encounter at the dentist, then I may struggle to achieve a successful result of providing profound anesthesia or even successful treatment.
JOMA: Can you elaborate on your involvement with professional organizations such as the American Dental Association and the Pierre Fauchard Academy? How do these memberships contribute to your work and the broader dental community?
Dr. Fa: Being a member of organized dentistry helps me stay involved in current changes that are happening in the profession nationally. Organized dentistry was something that was infiltrated into us as students by our Dean, Arthur A. Dugoni, who was a truly inspirational leader for many in the dental profession. We learned that organized dentistry was an opportunity for us to become leaders in the profession.
Getting inducted into Pierre Fauchard was an honor because my colleagues recognized me and nominated me to become a member. I am grateful for these opportunities because it means that my accomplishments have not gone unnoticed, and encourages me to lift other colleagues up and recognize them for their accomplishments.
JOMA: Moving forward, what are your research priorities, and how do you hope they will influence the future of dentistry education and or/pain management of dental procedures?
Dr. Fa: I hope that many understand that anesthesia and how we provide it means that we do more than deliver anesthetic. There are methods that are modified from traditional methods but still accomplish the purpose of achieving patient pain management in a comfortable way. Incorporating wellness and self–care allows the provider to reflect on their own journey and acknowledge if they need to step away from a situation and return revived and ready. Hurt people hurt people, so as the provider, if I can choose to be well, then I am better for myself, my patients, and my team.
JOMA: How has your experience been as an Editorial Board Member of JOMA?
Dr. Fa: I appreciate the opportunity to be a board member, it gives me another chance to mentor others and expose junior faculty to outside opportunities that they were not considering. I appreciate the timely review process and the helpful checklists that JOMA has in place but not in other journals.
JOMA: As an Editorial Board Member, what are your expectations for JOMA?
Dr. Fa: That the journal continues to thrive and grow within the medical profession. JOMA has already set a great framework for what they are looking for. I appreciate that my team members are approachable and ready to clarify questions. They have made my life less stressful with deadlines and revisions. That is key! Thank you for looking out for us as authors and working with us, not dictating to us.