From Burnout to Public Health: Redefining a Career in Dental Hygiene
In this episode of Burnout Bites, Kari Carter-Cherelus, RDH, sits down with Pamela “Pammy J” Graboso-Saul for a conversation about burnout recovery, career reinvention, public health, research, and discovering opportunities beyond traditional clinical dental hygiene.
Pammy J is a licensed dental hygienist, researcher, educator, and public health advocate. She currently serves as a Research Dental Hygienist on NIH-funded projects focused on child and oral health in New York City while pursuing her MPH in Oral Population Health at CUNY. Passionate about equity, community, and mentorship, Pam blends her clinical expertise with public health research, leadership, and content creation to inspire the next generation of dental hygienists.
During the conversation, Pam shares how stepping back from an overwhelming season of work and school gave her the space to heal, reconnect with family and friends, begin therapy, and reevaluate what she truly wanted from her career.
But as life became more manageable, she discovered something important: recovering from burnout didn't mean she had to stop being ambitious. Instead, she needed to find a healthier and more meaningful way to use that ambition.
That realization helped lead Pam beyond the traditional operatory and into public health and research. She discusses her work as a research dental hygienist, her journey toward earning her MPH, her passion for addressing oral health disparities, and the importance of dental hygienists having a voice in research, public health, and interdisciplinary healthcare spaces.
Kari and Pam also explore a challenge that can emerge when new opportunities begin opening up: how do you pursue work you're passionate about without recreating the same habits that contributed to burnout?
This conversation is a reminder that career growth doesn't always require leaving dental hygiene. Sometimes it means expanding your definition of what being a dental hygienist can look like.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
• Recognizing the difference between recovering from burnout and finding career fulfillment
• Transitioning from traditional clinical practice into research and public health
• Pam's experience working on NIH-funded child and oral health research
• Pursuing an MPH in Oral Population Health •
Career opportunities for dental hygienists beyond the operatory
• Oral health disparities, health equity, and community centered care
• Why dental hygienists belong in research and public health spaces
• The importance of medical-dental and interdisciplinary collaboration
• Networking, mentorship, and professional organizations as pathways to new opportunities
• Letting go of guilt when your career begins moving in a different direction
• Setting boundaries even when you're excited and passionate about your work
• Creating space for dental hygienists in areas where our profession may be underrepresented
• Giving the next generation of hygienists permission to envision careers that look different from traditional clinical practice
Burnout recovery doesn't require you to become less ambitious. It may require you to pursue your ambition differently.
You can love dental hygiene and still want more. You can appreciate your clinical foundation while exploring research, education, public health, leadership, entrepreneurship, industry, or other opportunities.
Your career is allowed to evolve.
And sometimes stepping beyond the four walls of the operatory is exactly what helps you rediscover your purpose.
🎙️ Burnout Bites is hosted by Kari Carter-Cherelus, RDH, author of The Ultimate Guide for Dental Hygienist Burnout and founder of KMC Strategic Solutions.
