Read about how the clinical assistant professor has changed at least one life through his mentorship in the latest issue of “CATALYST” magazine.
Photo: Glenn Canares, DDS, who infuses his teaching with kindness, talks to four of his residents about caring for special needs children. The students are (clockwise from back left) Rachel Chang, DDS, Marshall Schwartz, DDS, Jhanavi Sivakumar, DMD, and Bikramjeet Dhaliwal, BDS. Photos by Matthew D’Agostino
It was the night before an exam, and a dental student emailed Glenn Canares, DDS, MSD, a common occurrence among students and instructors at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD). But it was the content of the email that was uncommon.
“She shares with me that she’s listening to my lecture on children with special health care needs. And she’s in tears,” said Canares, clinical assistant professor and director of UMSOD’s Advanced Specialty Education Program, Division of Pediatric Dentistry, and an advocate for the role of kindness in teaching.
The writer was Rachel Chang, DDS ’23, then a third-year student who told Canares that his showing deep respect for people like her brother, who has Down syndrome, was a first for her in academia. The lecture had conveyed the value that Canares places on making personal connections — with patients, students, and colleagues.
Hers were happy tears.
“I was moved,” recalled Canares, who spoke about their interactions during a recent speech. “And it could have ended with just that.”
Instead, he wrote a thoughtful reply that Chang received after the exam and still keeps on her phone nearly two years later.
“He reciprocated in such a kind and generous way,” she said. “Clinicians talk about different diseases, different conditions, and it becomes a list. But for him, he focused on the person, the story behind it. And that’s why I felt so connected to him.”
Canares became her mentor, providing resources in what he called a spirit of openness. “It’s that openness, not necessarily saying, ‘You need to do pediatric dentistry,’ but showing what we do, who we are, what we do as a specialty. That’s what kind of led her there,” he said.
Transforming Student’s Life
Chang, 26, chose pediatric dentistry and decided to stay at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) for her postdoctoral education. In July, she began her dental school residency. And in September, Canares spoke at the UMB Faculty Convocation, describing “a spark of kindness that would transform Rachel’s life.”
He exhorted colleagues to make compassionate behavior a routine. “Because when we practice kindness, it creates belonging,” he said. “And when we feel like we belong, we connect more with our work. Then we attract and retain the best people rather than being at risk to lose them. We move from being told, ‘You’re a good teacher,’ to being told, ‘You changed my life.’ ”
Canares’ teaching prowess was noted by the UMB Leaders in Education: Academy of Presidential Scholars (LEAPS) when he won a 2023 LEAPS Distinguished Educator award as outstanding preceptor.
He simultaneously strives to excel as a public speaker, saying, “It allows me to share my unique point of view to help make a positive difference in the world.”
Read more about Canares in the fall issue of CATALYST magazine.
You can read the Fall 2023 issue of CATALYST magazine, which highlights UMB's Center for Violence Prevention; the University's three new deans; UMB's many innovations such as the School of Pharmacy training students to administer long-acting injectables; community initiatives such as YouthWorks and workforce programs; UMB’s sustainability efforts to install a weather station; and much, much more!