Dear Sir or Madame,
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Janice Schmitz and I am a Registered Dental Hygienist. I have been practicing dental hygiene for 20 years. I earned my A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene at the Community College of Rhode Island and graduated in 2001. While attending the Community College of Rhode Island I had the benefit of learning from skilled and effective faculty that encouraged and developed my love of dental hygiene.
Upon graduation, I began my career working as a dental hygienist in private practice. I worked for a Prosthodontist from 2001-2006, developing skills in prosthetic and cosmetic dentistry. I treated a variety of crown, bridge, denture and implant patients and honed my skills working with the elderly and special needs patients. At this time I also worked in a general dentistry practice and in 2006 I began working solely in this practice, and remained employed there until 2015. I enjoy working with a variety of patients, performing a variety of dental hygiene procedures, and making a difference in the oral health of my patients.
In 2008 I began attending the University of Bridgeport, Fones School of Dental Hygiene and earned my B.S. in Dental Hygiene in 2012. I graduated with a 3.97 grade point average and was invited to join the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, where I am still a member. During my undergraduate education I completed my first original research study on the awareness of oral probiotics among graduate health students at the University of Bridgeport. A requirement of my undergraduate studies was to complete a dental hygiene internship. I interned at the Community College of Rhode Island, my alma mater, student teaching in the dental hygiene clinic. This experience ignited a passion for teaching and inspired me to pursue a career in academia. I was hired in 2012 at the Community College of Rhode Island and began teaching an introductory course in dental health careers, a pre-requisite for admission to the dental health programs. Also in 2012, I earned my license to administer local anesthesia, and in 2013 I earned my Certified Dental Assistant credentials. In 2013 I began working as a clinical instructor in senior clinic, teaching second year dental hygiene students.
Shortly after being hired at the Community College of Rhode Island, I made the pivotal decision to once again attend the University of Bridgeport, Fones School of Dental Hygiene to earn my Master of Science in Dental Hygiene, specializing in education and public health, and graduated in May 2015 with a cumulative 4.0 grade point average. I was hired as a temporary full-time instructor in the Dental Health Department at the Community College of Rhode Island in 2015 and added Dental Materials Laboratory for the Dental Hygienist, Oral Biology, and freshman clinic to my teaching schedule. I was hired full time as an Assistant Professor in December of 2015, and began teaching Dental Hygiene II lecture. In 2018 I enrolled in the Doctor of Health Science program at the University of Bridgeport, in the Clinician concentration. In this program I gained experience and developed skills in both quantitative and qualitative research. I graduated in May 2021 with a 4.0 grade point average. I am currently a member of the American Dental Hygienist Association, the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the American Dental Educators Association. I continue to welcome opportunities to become a better educator and improve my dental hygiene, research and teaching skills.
Sincerely,
Janice Schmitz, CDA, RDH, BS, MSDH
