Public health specialist Dr. Brian Swann visited the Dentistry Club and Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Club via Zoom on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Swann gave a presentation about his career with oral health and journey changing career paths halfway through his life.

Swann, who is Black, said growing up in the mid-1900s was difficult because of the prejudice against people of color. He experienced segregation early on in his childhood. However, he climbed beyond the challenges and established a successful career for himself. He said from a young age, he knew he could be successful and worked hard to reach his goals.

Swann said that when he was 12 years old, his first experience with dentists inspired him to pursue a career in healthcare. When Swann saw that his dentist was a person of color like himself, he was inspired; he realized he could be successful too. Additionally, Swann said the values he observed in that dental office inspired him.

“I was impressed by the community aspect, that everyone in the community wanted to see these doctors,” Swann said.

Swann said he initially wanted to be an engineer, but he realized he wanted to work with real people, not machines. Swann studied pre-dental at Pacific University and went to graduate school at the University of California San Francisco. Further along in his career, he opened a private dental practice and worked there for 25 years before deciding to further his education, achieving a master’s degree in public health.

“[The master’s degree] helped me solve public health issues and healthcare problems, but it also showed me how to work as a team,” Swann said.

Later in his career, he became a lecturer on oral health policy and epidemiology at Harvard University, where he received the Albert Schweitzer Award, an annual award given to graduating Harvard students whose work can be seen as a reverence for life.

Attendee and sophomore Edward Lee said he appreciated how Swann found his purpose working with people instead of machines.

“I also like how he wanted to be an engineer, which is using machines, but the technology missed the human beings,” Lee said. “That part really inspired me.”

Attendee and junior Maxm Thompson said he found it interesting to hear an opinion from someone who has seen an industry evolve.

Thompson said that his favorite part of the presentation was being able to hear about the experiences of someone who has lived through the 1960s and 1970s and has understood the development of the dentistry and medical industries.

According to Thompson, hearing about Swann’s early life moved him to appreciate the innovative machines used in healthcare.

“It inspired me to be grateful for what I have now and all the advancements that we have now,” Thompson said. “It really made me more appreciative of all our technology.”