b'A YEAR IN REVIEWMeet the AAPs new President, Dr. David OkanoOn October 29, 2022, during the AAP Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Dr. David Okanoschool (UUSOD), and they were recruiting became President of the Academy for the 2022-2023 term. As both a clinician andperiodontal faculty. This was only 180 miles an educator, it was a milestone on a long journey of serving patients and preparingfrom my home and practice, so the location future generations of periodontists.allowed me to continue to enjoy all the outdoor recreational activities I had grown to As one who has always wanted to help others and with an interest in healthlove as a native of Wyoming.sciences, pursuing a career in the health professions was always a goal of mine, Dr. Okano said. Dentistry was a natural fit as it offered an opportunity to helpMuch like he did earlier as a student, others. As I started dental school, my original plan was to become an orthodontist.resident, and then clinician, Dr. Okano After trying to bend wires in the orthodontic lab, I realized this was not in my future. was determined to make his mark as an educator. There was an excellent Fortunately, it didnt take Dr. Okano long to discover his true passion. I wasopportunity to contribute to the development mesmerized with my introduction to periodontics early in my dental education.of a dental school curriculum, as the This offered the perfect match of integrating medical relationships with surgery.IUUSOD had a blank slate to build upon. particularly enjoyed the prospect of long-term chronic disease management andI had thoughts about how I could impact ongoing relationships with my patients. There could not have been a better fit for mydental education as a periodontist from my personality and approach to my professional career. years of clinical practice. Fortunately, this Dr. Okano immediately found his place in an underserved area. Followinghas been a great opportunity to develop a completion of my periodontal residency, I immediately returned to my hometown ofperiodontal curriculum from the lens of a Rock Springs, Wyoming.There were few periodontists in Wyoming, and I becameclinician. I continue to respect the science only the third periodontist in the state, with each of us about 225 miles apart.Thisand research that has been the foundation of was a great opportunity to open my private practice in an area of need. A significantour periodontal specialty. Adding the clinical benefit was to develop referral relationships in a manner I desired. It was truly arelevance and implications to our periodontal privilege to provide periodontal and dental implant services in my home state and Icurriculum has created an excellent still miss many aspects of my private practice career to this day. environment in which our students want to learn periodontics and why we must teach Running a private practice was only the first step of his journey. Though I plannedand learn in an interdisciplinary manner.on a private practice career following completion of my periodontal residency atDr. Okano sites his experiences as an the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry, it was always in theeducator as some of the most rewarding of back of my mind to return to an academic institution to complete my periodontalhis career. The rewards of the academic career as an educator.Fortunately, the University of Utah opened a dental AAP Periospectives| 8'