Bright, flashing ambulance lights, high-pitched sirens, blood, guts, gore, and complex surgical procedures – all cornerstones of the long running, high-intensity medial drama, Grey’s Anatomy. It was more enchanting than intimidating to (at the time) USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry student Laurel Henderson. As she binge watched episode after episode recovering from her own illness, she excitedly paused to jot down procedure names, diseases, and medications. Laurel had always believed her organization and satisfaction with seeing quick changes lent itself to an interest in orthodontics. “The little voice in my head kept telling me to do something more medical; an orthodontist doesn’t handle medical emergencies,” she reflects.
The experience inspired her to begin shadowing in the USC Oral Medicine clinic. Dr. Laurel was enthralled by the care she saw the residents exhibit and the way her fascination with disease processes could be incorporated into patient care. Ultimately, Dr. Laurel went on to pursue a position at USC’s Oral Medicine + Orofacial Program. She went on to earn her next residency position in oral maxillofacial pathology at Northwell Health Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
In between juggling her many responsibilities, Dr. Laurel managed to compete in beauty pageants and win the Miss California United States 2019 title. She began competing in pageants as early as high school, eventually judging preliminary pageants and going on a casting call for Miss USA. Dr. Laurel dreamed of changing the landscape of pageantry in competing for Miss California. “If I could [win], I could make history - I could be the first doctor.”
Pageantry was the ultimate opportunity for Dr. Laurel to get to know herself. “Pageantry begs the question – how can I make one of my weaknesses one of my strengths? It’s not about competing with other women, it’s about finding a different iteration.” Dr. Laurel has used her warm, genuine personality and public speaking abilities (of which pageantry trained her for) to become an older sister figure to pre-dental and dental students. The power play you get with faculty interactions, patient interactions – there are no off-limits topics for Dr. Laurel!
Among Dr. Laurel’s passions is consent culture. During her time in dental school at USC, Dr. Laurel taught fitness classes for women survivors of sexual assault. Selling consent culture t-shirts and sweatshirts on Etsy, she donates part of the proceeds of every sale to the Joyful Heart Foundation – an organization dedicated to healing, educating, and empowering survivors of sexual assault. The description underneath the t-shirts applies to the other hobbies in her life – “if it's not a yes, it's a no.”
When asked how she juggles everything, Dr. Laurel uses the “does it spark joy” rule? If the answer is not a resounding, without-question yes, then she shouldn’t be doing it. “I don’t do anything that feels eh to me,” Dr. Laurel exclaims. Dr. Laurel recommends, what she calls, constant live autopsies – frequent examinations of how something feels and how it’s serving you.
Along the same vein, she reflects on dental school with the age-old adage – it’s a marathon, not a sprint. “It’s so easy to get in the mindset of ‘I have to be the best’ ”, she warns. “Having a bit of grace, loving the imperfect parts are keys to surviving the long journey. Start cultivating the practice of finding a silver lining every day,” she recommends.
Doing the majority of your thinking before clinic makes all the difference. Dr. Laurel advises making a list of what you need beforehand – plan your anesthesia prep, look over a patient’s chart the night before. “If you do that, you can really focus on making the patients feel comfortable. That’s the stuff you became a dentist for.” Dr. Laurel is an avid proponent of collaboration. “Try to collaborate more than you compete,” she says. “We are better when we work together. If you can help friends set up or track down patients, you will have so much good karma.”
This pageant queen, multi-specialist, advocate, and public speaker doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Next up – three more years of oral medicine residency at Harvard/Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Laurel practices what she preaches and dives into everything she does headfirst. “Your outcomes are dependent on your attitude,” she exclaims. “Be authentically you!”
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