After receiving an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene from Indiana University in 2002, I practiced clinical dental hygiene for 10 years in both a general and periodontal practice. I completed my Bachelor of Arts in 2009 from Indiana University and a Master of Science in Dental Hygiene from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio in 2012. I began teaching as a clinical instructor at Indiana University-Fort Wayne in 2007 and became full-time in 2012. In 2013 I moved to Michigan where I joined the Division of Dental Hygiene at the University of Michigan. Currently, the majority of my teaching responsibilities involve clinical education, including teaching periodontal instrumentation foundation courses to dental and dental hygiene student as well as pain management to dental hygienists. My research interests include dental and dental hygiene curriculum, assessment, critical thinking, and inter-professional collaboration. I also have an interest in cariology and the reduction of early childhood caries.