A natural mentor: Tim Fagan wins award
After 30 years of private practice, Tim Fagan, DDS, MS pivoted and began a second career in academics at the University of Oklahoma.
After 30 years of private practice, Tim Fagan, DDS, MS pivoted and began a second career in academics at the University of Oklahoma. It only took eight years for him to earn the “Dr. Ronald A. Bell Mentor of the Year Award” from the Foundation of the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
He knew the caliber of the previous winners and wasn’t initially able to reconcile being placed in the same category. Those deciding the award didn’t seem to agree with him, however. “I was totally surprised when they called me up and told me I was this year’s recipient. I was awestruck, humbled, and felt honored” Fagan said when we sat down to catch up with him during his time as an examiner during the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry’s 2025 Oral Clinical Examination.
Nominated by a fellow faculty member, Fagan has been instrumental in mentoring dental students and encouraging them to focus on the specialty of pediatric dentistry. He also mentors other faculty members at the University of Oklahoma as well as graduate students in their pediatric dentistry residency program. Though there is no formal program, mentoring has just come naturally to him. “For me, mentoring others is a way of giving back for all that was generously shared with me.”
Fagan recalls those who have impacted him: J. Dean Robertson, Art Nowak, Jerome Miller, Francis Miranda, Cathy Jameson, and his wife, Pamela. “I’ve had some great mentors over the years, and they’ve not only taught me how to be an ethical pediatric dentist but also taught me to run the business side of my practice,” he says. “Part of being a mentor is that you often learn more from those that you are mentoring than what you may give to them, and I’ve definitely found that.”
In an essay penned for the receipt of the award, Fagan says he appreciates the symbiotic relationship of mentoring. “Mentoring has allowed me to reciprocate for the rich life I have lived and the generosity I have received, yet it continually rewards me through the invaluable lessons and insights I learn from my mentees.”
Congratulations on this recognition, Dr. Fagan!
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