The November / December Faculty Interview features Dr. Ariel Bales-Kogan.  This article is one of an occasional series that profile the contributions of NESO’s orthodontic faculty.

NESO eNEWS:  Provide share your biographical information, e.g., name, degrees, dental and orthodontic educational background, etc.
Dr. Bales – Kogan:  My name is Ariel Bales-Kogan.  I earned a BSc Double Major Physiology and Mathematics from McGill University (1995-1999).  All my advanced study was completed at Boston Univerisity – DMD, AEGD (CAGS), MSD Dental Public Health, and an Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Certificate (CAGS).

NESO eNEWS:  Where do you teach, for how long and in what capacity (clinical instructor, research etc)?

Dr. Bales-Kogan: I started teaching orthodontics when I was a resident. It has always been something I loved to do. (I remember tutoring my younger brother in math; he’s almost five years younger than I. This was when my parents were both at work. When I was in high school, I also had a part-time job as a tutor for math/English, and even through my undergraduate studies, and continued tutoring students in lower years.) My first experience with teaching orthodontics was rather by chance. I was a third year resident at the time, and my chairman was supposed to give a lecture on growth and development but had to be somewhere else at the last moment. I was surprised but up to the challenge when he asked me to give the lecture instead. I enjoyed it, and the following year I was asked to give it again, along with another topic. I ended up revamping the presentation, but managed to find and create my own style of teaching along the way, and many, many hours later. After graduation from the orthodontic residency, with many loans to worry about, I devoted much of my time to private practice, but continued to teach at Boston University every year, in the orthodontics course as a guest lecturer. It was always fun. The bigger change to academics came more recently. I was recruited to the position of program director at St Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. After 11 comfortable years in Boston, this was a bigger change for me than just the geography. Yet, as soon as I decided that this is “what” I wanted to do, my mind was 100% committed to the task, and I’ve enjoyed it very much. Now, being in a hospital setting, I find myself enjoying the full scope of academics and clinical teaching, as well as research development. I really don’t think I could have asked for more, really, not more. Time has gone by, and it’s hard to believe that I’ve been the program director for almost a year now. I enjoy the program immensely, and I enjoy the interactions with the other wonderful educators at our hospital. It is a wonderful environment.

NESO eNews:  What are your primary areas of interest in teaching and/or research?

Dr. Bales-Kogan:  As a “young” member of an academic team, perhaps it takes time to find a “niche”. I often see many of the “big names” in orthodontics, and I can anticipate what topic they’ll be talking about, and though interesting, I find that the thought constrains me. I enjoy a full spectrum of interest which I hope to maintain. As program director I have the pleasure of doing it all. As tiring and taxing as it may be at times, it gives me a lot of personal satisfaction to be involved on all levels of teaching:  clinical, didactic, research, and practice management. I hope that in time, our hospital program will have this niche … an all-around do-it-all learn-it-all institution that produces excellent clinicians, cutting-edge research, and a motivated group of individuals that will eventually return to teach and complete the cycle. My niche, I guess, is to inspire every resident to be the best possible.

NESO eNews:  We are all aware of the challenges involved in contemporary orthodontic education including a shortage of qualified instructors and discrepancies in compensation for orthodontic educators compared to private practitioners.  How have you managed these challenges in your own career?

Dr. Bales-Kogan: I think in life we all have to make the right decisions for ourselves. Many times, we are forced to make decisions on behalf of others as well, and that’s something that I have tried very hard to avoid doing, when ever possible. In my opinion, we all have basic needs and minimal financial responsibilities to fulfill, and beyond that, it’s the extras that we want. They always come with a benefit and a cost. When I decided to take on a full-time academic job, in lieu of a full-time private practice job, I knew that the financial benefit would be less. However, my engagement in what I do is more fulfilling. I understand that’s not for everyone, or necessarily even a shared sentiment with all. I enjoy teaching, and I enjoy learning, and as a full-time academic, I get to do both simultaneously. The financial pay is compensated by other factors. Ultimately we all want to be happy at our work and proud of our accomplishments, and the differences we make in other peoples’ lives. This is what makes me happy, and so it is the right choice for me. I wish that there were many more individuals interested in academics and teaching, but we all have our priorities in life, and we’re entitled to that. We’ve all worked very hard to get to where we are, and we each have our unique vision and motivations. Each year, as residents graduate, I try to plant a little seed in their minds. Something that sooner or later, I hope will spawn into the reaping of others. It’s a simple reminder of how important it was for them to get to that point, and how important it is to give back to the profession, and the best way of doing that is by teaching. It’s not always the right time immediately after graduation, with loans to repay, young and growing families at times, or large relocations. However, if the passion exists in them, at some point in the future, I hope they realize that they should pursue it, when the time is right.

NESO eNews:  What are your thoughts regarding the future of orthodontic education?

I remember being awed by the “giants” of orthodontics, the likes of the late Dr. Tony Gianelly from Boston University. They had something special, aside from skyrocketing IQ’s, and an inherent gift for asking the right questions. Aside from incredible educators, they were also pioneers in their field, who sought knowledge without notoriety. Sadly, I feel those traits belong largely to individuals of a past generation. I was also recently inspired to reflect on this question after hearing Dr. Lysle Johnson share his theory about why our society is not producing academicians anymore. The “who will take their lead and continue their legacies?” question really hit my core, and sentiment, when I reflect back and reluctantly accept that, for example, Dr. Gianelly is no longer with us. Though not all hope is lost. I feel as educators, part of our task is to seek out individuals who share this passion for teaching. We need to recruit individuals who have both a gift and desire to educate the next generation or the one after that. When we find such a person, we need to encourage and cultivate that talent. Like many fields in dentistry, orthodontics is evolving and changing, and going forward, should imply that we evolve, too. That we invest in the power of science to produce the answers to the questions unknown, as well as invest in the people we educate, so that they can be the leaders of the science of tomorrow.