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Dr. Fawad Javed (GenDen ’17, GPR ’18) teaches part time in Orthodontics, and maintains a private practice.

Q. Why do you teach?

A.  I teach because I like to learn. When you are teaching, you are learning, and it’s a beautiful thing to see others grow. That kind of happiness can’t really be put into words, but when you know something and you can convey it to someone else, and then that someone excels, it’s wonderful. I remember something my supervisor taught me when I graduated with my PhD:  “I am teaching you how to think. I’m teaching you how to fly.” At that moment, I didn’t understand what he meant, but later on when I shared my experiences and worked with students, I understood. When you teach, you learn - it’s a win-win situation. I really enjoy it. 

Q. Describe your leadership or teaching style.
A.  I am a believer in communication. I am a believer of the saying, “Everyone does not know everything.” So when you are teaching, you are also listening. Problems arise when there is a lack of communication or the communication is one-sided. We can also agree to disagree. If we disagree, it’s okay. Let’s discuss this. Let’s talk about it. I believe in active listening, sharing, and understanding the other side.

There’s no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. For me, I am going to continue learning. One of my favorite sayings is “If we are making mistakes, then we are learning.” A leader is not only a person who gives orders. A leader is somebody who joins hands, works together, learns from everyone, openly sharing knowledge with everyone, and is not insecure about his or her knowledge. I want to thank Dr. Rossouw and Dr. Michelogiannakis for their leadership and teamwork and support.

Q. What or who inspires you?
A.  From a professional standpoint, my mistakes have inspired me. If we are making mistakes, we are learning. And when we learn, we are teaching.

Dr. Javed and his co-residents during a hands-on training in 2017.

Q. What was your experience like as an EIOH resident?
A.  The AEGD program was an intense program and a very valuable program in the sense that we got to practice and learn more about all aspects of general dentistry, as well as specialties. I did cases with Endodontics, some Prosthodontics cases, and supervised cases with Dr. Ghanem. There was dental research work that I managed to pursue.

I also learned about cultures, met different people with different perspectives, so it wasn’t only a learning experience from an academic perspective. It was an experience into how different people think and about meeting different cultures, different traditions, and making friends from many parts of the world.

Q. Sometimes one particular teacher makes a significant impact on a resident. Was this the case for you?
A.  The knowledge I gained from all my instructors was valuable. There was always something to learn from the instructors, mentors, full time, part time and visiting faculty.

Q. Do you have a favorite memory as a resident?
A.  There were a lot of favorite memories but from an academic perspective, when I joined the program, there was a big emphasis on dental research in general dentistry, and I wanted to share my knowledge with my peers and colleagues. There were some colleagues who had absolutely no experience in dental research and I became a groomer of research in a way.

Some of my mentors assisted me with dental research work, and I got a chance to give back a little when I shared what I knew with them. Overall, in the department of general dentistry I published more than 100 articles over 2 years, for which I received an award (which was given for the first time in the history of EIOH). That was definitely a memory that I cherish.

Q. What are you doing now (aside from teaching)?
A.  I have my own practice in Brighton, New York. I’m still collaborating with research from different institutions. Right now, I’m working on an implant book with colleagues from Stony Brook University. I’m very honored to be a part of this because we have renowned authors from all around the world working on it. Likewise, I’m on editorial boards for several journals. I was recently a guest speaker at the IDR conference in China. Besides that, I am trying to take care of my family and spend as much time with them as I can.

Q. Are you involved in any professional associations?
A. I’m a member of the American Dental Association, 7^th District Dental Society, International Association of Dental Research, Academy of Laser Dentistry, American Dental Education Association and the Pakistan Dental Association