November/December 2016 | Page 36

Get to Know Your PDA Board of Trustees Did you always know you wanted to be a dentist when you were younger? If not, what did you want to be when you grew up? Yes, my earliest recollection is as a 6 year old, unfortunately, leaving the dentist office having had a restoration placed. I recall biting my lip until it was bleeding and thinking to myself how odd the feeling felt. What motivated you to pursue a career in organized dentistry? Samer Mansour, DDS, Ninth District Trustee Over the years, I have come to realize that the people making legislation have absolutely no concept how medicine or dentistry function. It is up to us to educate and inform. When and where did you attend dental school? The Ohio State University; I graduated in May, 1995. Where do you currently practice? Erie. What do you believe is the most challenging issue facing dentistry as a profession? Interacting with physicians to allow for better whole body diagnosis and treatment. What do you believe is the most challenging issue facing organized dentistry? Legislation. What do you think is the single greatest achievement in dentistry over the past 150 years of PDA’s history? Fluoride and dental hygiene instruction. 34 N O V / D E C 2 0 1 6 | P E N N S Y LVA N I A D E N TA L J O U R N A L Dr. Mansour’s personal story He grew up in Brookfield, Ohio, a suburb of Sharon, Pa. He has a brother (Nader) and a sister (Sahar). Dr. Mansour and his wife have four children: daughter Yara, 11; son Issa, 10; daughter Zaina, 8; and daughter Naya, 6. In his spare time, Dr. Mansour enjoys keeping up to date with current events an d reading. He also works with special needs patients. He has had the opportunity to travel a large portion of the world. As a child, he visited eastern and western Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East. Dr. Mansour and his wife are now giving their children the same experience. Name some fun/interesting things about yourself that others would be surprised to learn. I was born in Jerusalem and immigrated to Brookfield at the age of 8. I was accepted into dental school after 2 years of undergraduate study, graduating with a DDS at the age of 24. Who was your greatest role model? My parents. They worked hard to give us a better opportunity. What famous person would you most like to spend a day with? Albert Einstein.