I Chose ISU: JoAnn Gurenlian, dental hygiene professor

How many of us can say we can’t wait to roll out of bed and head to work?

JoAnn Gurenlian has been saying it for three decades and means it.

“I love the fact I get to contribute something to my profession. It’s always exciting to me,” said Gurenlian, a professor and director of Idaho State University’s online graduate dental hygiene program.

As president of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists, she also serves as the voice of the profession worldwide, building awareness about dental hygiene’s role in preventing oral diseases and improving public health.

For those who think dental hygienists merely pick at teeth and tell patients to floss, Gurenlian sets the record straight. Hygienists are skilled health-care providers who are trained to prevent tooth decay and other mouth diseases that can harm the entire body if left untreated, said Gurenlian , who holds a master’s degree in dental hygiene from Columbia University and a doctorate in educational leadership from University of Pennsylvania.

One of the most rewarding parts of her job is working with ISU master’s students. Because the program is offered 97 percent online, many are licensed dental hygienists working in dental offices and clinics around the country.

“My goal is to give them the best possible learning experience I can. I never lose sight of the fact they have made a choice to come to this program … so as a teacher, you better bring your very best and give it back to them every day,” Gurenlian said.

And she’s made the grade, says Michelle Smith, a 2014 graduate of the master’s program and education manager for the American Dental Hygienists’ Association in Chicago.

“As an instructor, she has a way of getting you to think about things in a way you’d never thought about before, to challenges processes, to get you to think outside of the box,” said Smith.

Passionate about the need for advanced education for dental hygienists, Gurenlian is working on the nation’s first doctorate in dental hygiene offered by ISU pending State Board of Education approval.
She says a doctorate-level program would create new opportunities for research in preventive care, improve access to oral care in rural areas, and enable hygienists to work seamlessly with medical teams treating patients for heart disease, cancer or diabetes.

In June, Gurenlian, who joined ISU in 2010, was awarded the 2015 Esther Wilkins Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to oral health, education and the dental hygiene profession.

Gurenlian, who joined ISU in 2010, is grateful for the support she receives from ISU’s Division of Health Sciences.

“This is the best of every world you could hope for in academia. That is why I chose ISU,” she said.