Dr. David Julian Discusses His Decision to Teach

On Monday, October 14, students gathered in classroom 140 to hear from patient care leader and assistant professor Dr. David Julian as part of the College of Dental Medicine’s “Why I Teach” lecture series. Dr. Julian shared important lessons from his career and demonstrated his teaching approach, opening the floor to questions afterward.

Dr. Julian began by discussing his early career challenges. He graduated from his dental program with debt “equivalent to the cost of a house and a Porsche” a family of four to support, and very little practical experience. Faced with high-interest rates and associateships requiring immediate buy-in, he decided to join the military. “My plan was to go four years and then get out,” he said. “I was going to get faster on someone else’s dime.”

Shortly after settling in Darmstadt, Germany with his family, the Gulf War broke out, and Dr. Julian was deployed to the Middle East. This challenging period fostered significant personal growth, helping him learn to trust himself and his training.

“I found my voice,” he shared. “I became less shy and more confident, and more importantly, I learned to stand up for what’s right.” He illustrated this with a story about a young Iraqi soldier he treated shortly after hostilities ended. The soldier, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the face, urgently needed surgery. Dr. Julian arranged for his care; despite knowing he would face backlash for using U.S. resources on a prisoner of war. “It was the right thing to do,” he said. “Fortunately, I had the backing of my commander.”

As the only U.S. Army dentist covering 43,000 square miles, Dr. Julian gained invaluable experience treating conditions he wouldn’t have encountered in private practice. “I was the only one available to take care of issues like impacted molars and root canals,” he explained. “That necessity built my confidence.”

After 13 years of active-duty service, Dr. Julian returned home to start a general dental practice in Murray, Utah. However, he wasn’t ready to leave the Army completely and joined the Army Reserve with the 143rd Dental Company at Fort Douglas.

“I actually enjoyed the Army Reserve more than active duty,” he shared. “I’ve been to the Dominican Republic and many Central American countries on humanitarian missions, providing free dental care and helping people connect with the United States.”

Rising to the rank of colonel and serving as a commander, Dr. Julian felt he had reached a pinnacle when a Black Hawk helicopter was assigned to him personally for a two-week mission. After a total of 30 years in military service, he was honorably discharged.

During this transition, Dr. Val Cheever recruited him for a teaching position at Roseman University, allowing Dr. Julian to share his unique experiences with a new generation of dentists.

One of his favorite teaching methods is using humor to facilitate learning. He shared a clip from the 2008 film Ghost Town, in which a crotchety dentist played by Ricky Gervais is confused when a nurse peppers him with an endless stream of seemingly irrelevant questions prior to a colonoscopy (Koepp, 2008). “What lesson do we learn from this?” he asked.

“In our interactions with patients, we often ask a lot of questions that they don’t understand,” he continued. “We should explain the reasoning behind our questions better.”

Dr. Julian also loves facilitating “aha” moments. “I love seeing the expressions on students’ faces when they finally connect the dots.” In his presentation, he guided students through several tricky scenarios, encouraging them to piece together appropriate diagnoses from available information.

When asked for advice, Dr. Julian emphasized the importance of flexibility and a positive outlook. “I learned to ask myself, ‘So what?’ Life is not always easy or fair. When things don’t go as planned, I focus on: ‘So what am I going to do about it?’”

References

Koepp, D. (Director). (2008). Ghost Town [Film]. DreamWorks Pictures; Spyglass Entertainment; Pariah.