Influential Woman · Dental Medicine

Theano Eliopoulos

Associate Professor and Practice Coordinator, Tufts Dental School faculty

Boston, MA 02111

2Awards received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Tufts University Degree Undergraduate Degree Degree Tufts University School of Dental Medicine Degree Graduated 1985 Member ADEA (American Dental Educators Association)

Her Story

About Theano

My journey in dentistry began in high school when I worked as a dental assistant - there was no credentialing back then, but I chose to do it part-time because I thought it was a field I was interested in, and it was the right way to get acquainted with the field. I had a keen interest in dentistry, and after completing my undergraduate degree at Tufts University, I graduated from Tufts Dental School in 1985. I worked as an associate for a couple of practices until 1988, when I started my own practice from scratch near my hometown - back then, i hung up a shingle and started asking friends and relatives to consider coming to me. I ran that practice until 2011, when I sold it to another colleague from Tufts Dental. I briefly helped at my husband's office (he's also a general dentist) for about a year in 2012, and then I thought, what should I be doing? I never thought about teaching, but a colleague said there's a position open at Tufts, for which I applied, and that's how I wound up there. After I started, I realized how much I was enjoying it. As an associate professor and practice coordinator, I supervise students on the clinic floor at Tufts Dental School, which is the second biggest dental school in the country. I've been doing this for 13 years now. I truly love helping people and working with my hands - I find that dentistry is a great meld of both science and art. Today, I enjoy interacting with the students and watching them grow into their own knowledgeable dentists. It's fun to see them progress and grow, and students come back and talk about how I said something and they took it to heart. That's why I still am doing it - because I'm enjoying it.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Theano

01What do you attribute your success to?

I truly love helping people and working with my hands. I find that dentistry is a great meld of both science and art. When I was entering the field, I wasn't thinking of it from the standpoint of being a minority in the dental field, but rather that this is something I love, and I am just as good as my male colleagues. Today, I enjoy interacting with the students and watching them grow into their own knowledgeable dentists. It's actually a lot of fun - it's fun to see them progress and grow. That's why I still am doing it, because I'm enjoying it. I try to explain to students that I'm talking to them out of a genuine concern for their benefit, for their success in the field, and that I'm rooting for them - how can I help, how can I support them to grow? I think that has a tendency to draw students in more, and therefore they may respect my suggestions and advice.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

My dad gave me advice many, many moons ago: “be able to support yourself, be able to have your successful career path, because everything else will then work for you.”

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Be fully immersed in the clinical aspect and keep thinking about how you will apply your knowledge to your practice in the future. Think of it in terms of what am I learning today that I will then apply to my clinical skills once I'm out of school. The more you think about that, the more you'll be engaged and interested in your day-to-day studies. Also, keep your heads high, knowing the future can still be bright, despite your financial obligations. The biggest hurdle right now is the cost associated with education, but I have numerous students who went on to successfully open their own practices, and I'm just so proud of them.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The biggest hurdle right now is the cost associated with education and the financial obligations students face. However, there are absolutely opportunities for women to open their own practices. I know several students who have done it successfully, and I'm just so proud of them. When I was starting out, I was a trailblazer opening my own practice from scratch, as a woman in a male-dominated field, but in today's world, there are more opportunities for women to open their own practices.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Honesty, integrity, and kindness are the values most important to me. As I talk to students, I try to explain to them that I'm talking to them out of a genuine concern for their benefit, for their success in the field, and that I'm rooting for them - how can I help, how can I support them to grow? I think that has a tendency to draw students in more, and therefore they respect what I'm suggesting and saying.

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