91°µÍø

Alumnus Alan Rodriguez, DDS, has built his career in community health and credits the mentors who made his path possible.

Alan Rodriguez, DDS, knows what it takes for many of his patients to get to his chair. Some have taken time off work, often unpaid, to be there. Many have not seen a dentist in 10 years. He grew up in a family that weighed the same choices.

"I understand where they are coming from," said Rodriguez, a 2010 graduate of the UT Health San Antonio . "I grew up like them. I know what it is like to be without."

Rodriguez is dental director at  in San Angelo, a federally qualified health center, or FQHC. He has spent most of his 15 years as a dentist in community health centers and plans to finish his career there.

"At the end of the day, I want to give more of myself," he said. "I would like to have given more than I took."

Rodriguez grew up in Corpus Christi in a close family that did not have much. His father was a day laborer who worked seven days a week hanging sheetrock and laying hot tar roofs. His mother worked as a secretary at the Corpus Christi State School and spent nine years in night classes to become a teacher, graduating from Corpus Christi State University (now 91°µÍø A&M University-Corpus Christi) as the first in her family to earn a college degree.

"Combined, they weren't even making $5 an hour," he said. "My dad did hard, backbreaking work, and he never complained. That's where I get my work ethic. To think about where I came from, it is humbling."

"We grew up in an impoverished area, but you don't know what you don't have," he said. "My mom had a vision for us. She was inspiring because she was striving for something for the family." That vision became his own. If he worked hard enough, he could help the next generation of his family and others.

The idea of dentistry came from his own dentist. As he prepared for college, she asked what he wanted to do with his life and told him he should become a dentist. She pointed him toward 91°µÍø A&M University, which had programs that prepared students well for dental school, and introduced him to Thomas Teenier, DDS, MD, an oral surgeon who became an early mentor. Rodriguez worked in his practice during summers and saw a career that was rewarding and still left room for life outside work.

At 91°µÍø A&M, Rodriguez joined the Corps of Cadets, the highlight of his college years. "Being in the Corps was a defining moment for me," he said. "I think it opened a lot of opportunities to understand working in groups, working hard and working with the community." He also joined the predental society and later served as its president, which put him in contact with recruiting deans. He was accepted to all three 91°µÍø dental schools at the time.

He chose San Antonio, which he viewed as the top program, with a curriculum he describes as well rounded and holistic. He still remembers a course taught by , now associate dean for corporate and alumni affairs, on building a vision for a future practice. He also appreciated the welcome he received from Joseph Berrong, DDS, then associate professor of general dentistry, who was closely involved in recruitment and admissions for the DDS program.

Dental school, twice

Halfway through his third year, Rodriguez became seriously ill and had to leave school. He credits Kenneth L. Kalkwarf, DDS, MS, then dean, with making his return possible by graciously allowing him to come back as a second-year student.

"There were moments I wasn't sure I would make it when I went back," Rodriguez said. "But I am grateful, and I never regret it."

He names several faculty members he still thinks of today. Ridley Ross, DDS, took him under his wing. "He helped me through dental school. He was my go-to," Rodriguez said. "I can't say enough good about him."

From Vidal Balderas, DDS, MPH, he learned to serve. "He was a guy of the community, and I got the drive to serve the community from him," he said. "He had an infectious smile. He genuinely loved what he did. I think very highly of him." He also credits Frank Santos, DDS, and Norma Partida, DDS, MPH, from his practice group. "They were there any time I needed them," he said.

Reflecting on dental school, he pointed to the friendships he made there and still relies on, including classmate  now the school's associate dean for community engagement.

"Dental school is the most challenging time, but it's also when you make the most long-lasting friends of your life," he said. "These are the same people you follow through your career, so you aren't isolated. Dentistry is growing at such a fast pace that we need each other, so it behooves us to foster those relationships in school and then remain in touch."

A career in community health

After graduation, Rodriguez spent six years at FQHCs in College Station and Hearne. "Working in small towns, you get to know people like family," he said. "It is rewarding."

He then spent about a year and a half in private practice in Corpus Christi with Benjamin Vela, DDS, before moving to West 91°µÍø. When his own health required better insurance coverage, he went back to community health. "Working in FQHCs has been the highlight of my life," he said.

At La Esperanza, his first priority is relieving pain. The clinic sees insured and uninsured patients, and he also treats patients at the Tom Green County Jail. "We see anyone," he said. "We open doors and opportunities to people who don't have access to care. The most vulnerable populations."

"My philosophy is that I treat every patient as family," he said. "I tell my patients, if you were my sister or brother, this is what I would do."

Rodriguez noted that patients have changed over the years. They come in with more questions, often from the internet, and since the COVID-19 pandemic some are less accepting of certain recommendations. "It keeps me on my toes," he said. "But it hasn't changed my philosophy to treat people as family."

One patient from the past stays with him. She needed her teeth checked before starting breast cancer treatment and told him she was homeless and had been sleeping under a playground slide. He extracted three teeth, and she went on to her treatment. Some time later, after he had lost track of her, she walked back into the clinic for an appointment. He didn't recognize her at first. She had survived breast cancer, was living in a halfway house, had a job and was a different person.

"I was able to see the impact of my work," he said. "I never wanted any awards. But being consistent for the community I serve, I show up no matter what is happening in my life. They need me and I need them. They are family to me. That's my achievement. Being there for them and even being their voice in the community."

Opening the door for others

Rodriguez stays connected to the School of Dentistry because it gave him a career and a future. "I had a hard go, but I still tell others about it," he said. Two of his cousins are now on their way to becoming dentists.

"Growing up, we didn't think, let's be a dentist or a doctor. It was never an option we would see ourselves in or consider," he said. "I made it, and it shows you can achieve this. I feel like I helped trailblaze so others can see themselves in that role."

He also mentors young people in his community, helping them look at careers they may not have considered and map out the path to get there. One student he encouraged to pursue dentistry, Josh, called him over four years with questions about interviewing and preparing for dental school. He is now a student at the School of Dentistry.

"It takes a different type of person to spend their career in an FQHC," Rodriguez said. "I don't need a lot of recognition for that. But I want to know I made a difference in the community I served. I really changed a couple of generations of families."

Outside the clinic, he has volunteered with hospice, sitting with patients in their last two weeks of life. "Being there for people, often when they don't have someone," he said. "It is meaningful."

He and his wife, a former social worker who supported him through dental school, have been married since he was a student, and they have a daughter together.

"Our family's life is being of service to others behind the scenes," he said.

Asked if there was anything else he wanted to share, Rodriguez turned to the people who helped him.

"I want to thank all of the people along the way who were so generous and patient with me and made it possible for me to be a dentist," he said. "It has impacted my life and my family's life, and it has made it possible for my work to impact others' lives and help future generations."