FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: DR. EMILY WINFREY

To help make her chronic pain manageable and avoid a mobility-limiting medication schedule, Ziegler makes a trip from northern Ohio to visit the UK Orofacial Pain Clinic every six to seven weeks to receive treatment. These treatments have made it possible for her to significantly reduce her medications, allowing her to return to her routine daily activities.

Orofacial pain is a complex issue that affects 30 million Americans each year. As the oldest clinic in the United States, UK’s Orofacial Pain Clinic is a leader in the field, developing treatment and educating providers. In the clinic, dentists, psychologists, and physical therapists work together to help determine the cause and management of a patient’s pain condition. In this sense, the total welfare of the patient is considered and included in the management.

The UK Orofacial Pain Clinic is one of only 12 accredited programs in the United States, furthering the study and treatment of orofacial pain. To date, 70 dental residents from 27 countries and more than 50 pain psychology students have graduated from the various full-time programs. In addition, more than 775 individuals from 65 countries have participated in part-time programs.

Orofacial pain faculty have established themselves as authorities in the field and have contributed significantly to the practice, research, and teaching standards used worldwide. Faculty members have published 13 editions of three classic textbooks on topics in the field of orofacial pain and numerous research papers. The books are widely used in dental schools, graduate training programs, and by dental practitioners and have been published in twelve languages. Additionally, faculty have been involved in developing science-based treatment protocols for the management of orofacial pain conditions.

FACULTY PROFILE:

DR. EMILY WINFREY

Dr. Emily Winfrey realized her calling to be a teacher by the time she was five years old—it just took her a little longer to determine that dentistry would be her pathway to fulfilling her passion.

Graduating from UK College of Dentistry in 2013, Winfrey began working as an associate at a private practice in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, before returning to the college as faculty.

When asked about how she found her way into the profession of dentistry, Winfrey shares, “I had always gravitated toward the sciences. Those courses intrigued me and quickly became my favorite. In college, I thought combining my love of teaching and science could happen as a professor. Soon I realized though, how many of my instructors spent far more time in the lab than in the classroom. While I enjoyed research, I wanted more time face-toface. My brother was a physician, and I considered that path. However, when I shadowed a dentist, everything fell into place. I investigated other areas in the medical field/sciences. I spent time with optometrists, and I spent time with physical therapists. But for some reason, there was just a click with dentistry. I had finally found a path that gave me the time I craved to educate and help my patients through heavily evidence-based work. At the same time, dentistry provided a good work-life balance.”

The call to teach was still strong, though. Winfrey explains, “I finished undergrad a semester early, so the semester before dental school, I taught kindergarten. I knew at some point or another that I was going to come back to teaching. I just expected when I graduated with as much loan debt as I did, that teaching right away might not be feasible for me and so I went into a practice with Dr. Don Collins. He had been practicing for 40 years and was such a wealth of knowledge, experience, and wisdom. One of the things I value most about him is how much time he spent with his patients, in particular on patient education and on teaching his patients, so that really spoke to me. I loved my time practicing with him and enjoyed caring for my patients.” After working with Collins for several years, Winfrey contemplated buying the practice, but she knew she couldn’t go through with the purchase until she explored teaching. She talked to several former professors at UKCD, who offered her the chance to come back and work part-time with dental students. “I spent two and a half days at the college and two and a half days at my practice. At UK, I taught pre-clinical, clinical restorative, and prosthodontics, and I loved it. It was a feeling that could

“It is an honor to be entrusted with the leadership of our academic program.” only come from being exactly where I was meant to be. I made the difficult decision not to purchase the practice and instead seek a career in dental education.” After this revelation, Winfrey started working full-time at UKCD as an assistant professor and served as the Team Three Leader for the Division of Comprehensive Care, before being promoted to chief of the division. She recalls stepping back into the college and being able to help students troubleshoot issues as she was still very familiar with systems, such as the college’s electronic health record. She also credits the support of mentors such as Dr. Tom McConnell with helping her transition to best support student needs. Recalling her challenges as a dental student, Winfrey emphasized the importance of the relationships between faculty and students to navigate those inevitably hard days. “I know how

important it was to have those teachers who stepped up with advice,

encouragement, and empathy. It may be as simple as a ‘You will be okay. Go grab a muffin, a cup of coffee, take a nap. It’s okay.’ I think one of the things UK does so well goes back to how we were founded. Faculty should view students as future colleagues, and students should act like professionals. That shift in mindset changes the way learning occurs. The relationships students have with UK faculty continue after graduation. I think being that person for my students each year is such a gift.”

Over the years, Winfrey has been involved with many aspects of the college, helping it grow, embrace change, and transition to being more efficient. One such change she supported was the college’s move to the Epic electronic health record in June 2021. Winfrey serves on the Wisdom Steering Committee and the Wisdom Academic Advisory Group, an advisory group of academic institutions using the dental portion of Epic.

“I am a very big fan of Epic as a software program. I think it speaks volumes to what we want to do as we teach holistically how to treat patients. However, we have learned so much through the process of development and implementation. There’s no reason we can’t share that information to help others along the way.”

Speaking on other changes in the division, Winfrey shares, “With so many new faces in the college, we’re really making an effort this year to try to be more involved with the other divisions… stay updated on changes, learn together, calibrate, and improve. I’m excited about that and hope we can get out of the survival mindset prompted by COVID and move beyond.”

Speaking about students again, Winfrey shared that she keeps many numbers stored in her cell phone. “I have everyone likely from 2017 still hanging out in my phone. One of the things we tell fourthyear students before they graduate is to use us as resources. We have a lot of tools at our disposal at UK. We want to help…we don’t want you to feel like you’re out there by yourself.”

Winfrey encourages alumni to stay connected with the college. “There are a lot of good things happening here… it’s been a wild couple of years, but there’s good things happening. We’re still graduating students with a fantastic clinical education and providing care desperately needed by so many patients.”

Stressing the effort the college places on balancing traditional and newer digital tools and experiences in the offered curriculum, Winfrey shares, “I tell prospective students in admissions all the time, I truly believe that UKCD is one of the best values for your dollar in dental education. Students need to be smart consumers because most will graduate owing six figures. They need to make sure that they get the best return on their investment, and I think UKCD does that best.”

Dr. Emily Winfrey was recently named UKCD Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. We look forward to sharing about Winfrey’s efforts and future developments in this new role.

“It is an honor to be entrusted with the leadership of our academic program. As the National Boards have integrated to become more clinically relevant, I think my background will help keep the focus of our academic program heading in the right direction. Particularly, as we head into our next accreditation site visit by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, I am ready to spearhead the college-wide effort needed to prepare. However, I’m most excited for the opportunity to interact with, encourage, and guide all of our future dental colleagues through these challenging and rewarding four years,” shared Winfrey.

Supporting Our Students – the Future of Dentistry

The college greatly appreciates Mortenson Dental Partners and Delta Dental of Kentucky for their continued support of our students and their clinical experience.

Mortenson Dental Partners continues to assist students with the financial challenges of attending dental school, providing 13 scholarships to dental students who demonstrate excellent clinical skills and patient interactions, along with a professional demeanor and behavior. Eleven of the scholarships are awarded to Kentucky residents. The remaining recipients are selected from one of the following states: Indiana, Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Utah.

Delta Dental of Kentucky supported a student through their four-year dental school journey by providing a scholarship each of their four years. The recipient is a Kentucky resident who plans to practice in Kentucky, has financial need, and is active in community organizations and activities with a dental focus in Eastern Kentucky. The final award was distributed in August 2022. The student will complete their DMD this coming May.

Delta Dental of Kentucky also continued its support of UKCD’s Saturday Morning Clinic (SMC) in 2022, a free student-run clinic stared in the late ‘70s. The clinic treats children ages 4-12 from underserved backgrounds, who are uninsured or underinsured. SMC is held monthly for approximately eight clinics per academic year.