From Military Service to Dental Education

Iowa has long had an elite reputation as a premier dental education institution among each branch of the U.S. military. Veteran alumni consistently report that when they started their military dental careers, their dental officers expected the very best from them because of their Iowa pedigree. This reputation also means that military dentists often attend Iowa to receive their specialty education.

After graduating from Howard University, Catherine Hopkins was commissioned in the U.S. Navy and served at Walter Reed in Bethesda, Maryland. Shortly thereafter, the Navy wanted her pursue specialty training.

“I was told that the operative dentistry program at Iowa would be a great fit for me, and that was true; it felt like family from the start,” Hopkins said.

In her three years in the operative dentistry advanced education program, Hopkins says it was a great experience.

“The department and college were very military friendly—they made sure that everything the Navy needed and that I needed for my education were provided,” Hopkins explained, “and some of the faculty even gave me the scoop on what I’d experience at my current appointment at 29 Palms.”

For instance, after John Hellstein retired from the Army in 2002, he was promptly recruited as a professor of oral pathology.

“I knew everyone and everyone knew me,” Hellstein said with a grin, “so it was a great fit.”

Having residents and faculty who have served also shapes dental student life. Not only do students see what it’s like to wear the uniform through their personal encounters, but it has also allowed the Tau Sigma military club to become one of the more active dental student groups at Iowa. 

Tau Sigma helps students learn about what a military life and career is like while providing support and outreach to local veterans. Hopkins served as a graduate student advisor for the organization, Graham is serving as president, and Hellstein and Richard Williamson, clinical associate professor of prosthodontics at Iowa, have both served as faculty sponsors of the group.

Over the last couple of years, Tau Sigma has focused on encouraging Iowa dentists to join Everyone for Veterans while also raising funds to the 2011 Veteran Fund intended to support veteran patient care at the college.

“I was a Navy dentist for 10 years, and like many veterans, I feel a strong connection to those I have treated and served with,” Rummelhart said. “I know that having financial assistance available will greatly benefit our veterans who have sacrificed so much and suffered many hardships due to their service.”

For their efforts to improve veterans dental care at Iowa, both Hellstein and Rummelhart were recognized as 2022 Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans.

Our veteran dentists, like Hellstein and Rummelhart, have left a deep and abiding legacy at the college. Their efforts shape our culture and our education, and that, in turn, transforms how we provide dental care for our veteran patients. That legacy is bearing fruit today with veteran students like Graham, and active-duty young alumni like Hopkins, who are likewise committed to improving oral health care for veterans at Iowa and around the world.

Originally published in the Spring 2023 Dental Link Alumni Magazine.