PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY

My career has taken me through clinical healthcare, public health, education, and instructional technology. Each role has expanded my experience in training, program development, communication, and performance evaluation.

 

Clinical Practice & Patient Education

 

I began my career in dental hygiene, working in private, pediatric, cosmetic, and corporate practice settings. Along with providing clinical care, I educated patients, adapted explanations to individual needs, and developed the communication skills that would later become central to my teaching.

 

Public Health & Program Development

 

Working in school-based dental health programs broadened my responsibilities beyond individual patient care. I coordinated with schools, supported preventive care initiatives, and helped expand school partnerships by more than 50%.

 

This experience strengthened my skills in program coordination, stakeholder communication, and developing educational resources for different audiences.

 

Education & Clinical Instruction

 

My transition into education included K–12 teacher preparation and dental hygiene instruction. I have taught in dental hygiene education and currently serve as an adjunct clinical instructor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

 

My responsibilities include clinical coaching, procedure coding instruction, and supervising an offsite community clinic rotation. I also evaluate the competencies students must pass to be eligible for licensure. My Spring 2026 student ratings averaged 4.92 out of 5.

 

Graduate Education & Instructional Design

 

I pursued a Master of Science in Learning, Design & Technology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to build on my teaching and clinical experience.

 

Through graduate coursework and applied projects, I developed learning experiences using instructional design models, learning management systems, multimedia development tools, and interactive technologies.

 

My portfolio includes a 17-module asynchronous Canvas course built for a faculty client, a hand-coded cybersecurity training game, an interactive clinical module, and scenario-based decision training.

 

The Next Chapter

 

I am bringing this combination of healthcare, education, program development, and instructional technology into broader learning and development opportunities.

 

My focus is on designing practical, engaging training that supports measurable performance in healthcare, corporate, and higher education environments.