As a kid, Jonathan Koby was never afraid of the dentist like so many are. In fact, he enjoyed those visits.
“It was just a friendly place for me,” Koby says.
It helped that his mom worked the front desk at an orthodontics office in Green Bay. Later, when he got to high school, Koby decided to shadow and learn more about dental practice.
“I found out it was more than, ‘Nice to see you. Alright, see you in six months,’” he says. “I saw problem-solving, the patient interaction and the community you can develop in dentistry. I think that was my biggest calling.”
Years removed from that introduction, Koby is prepared to graduate from Marquette University School of Dentistry this month and start building his own community, serving a population in need.
Discovering dental
Koby didn’t always want to be a dentist; he actually dreamed of attending Marquette Law School.
“In fourth grade, I had a teacher tell me that I like to argue a lot and I’d be a good lawyer,” he says, cracking a smile.
But in high school, Koby’s parents encouraged him to consider a health care profession instead because they felt it offered more stability. So, he decided to major in biology at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.
The first few years were tough, he admits. As the first in his family to attend college, Koby had some challenges navigating the courseload, and he knew only one other person on campus interested in dentistry. But, as he made it through those challenges, a conversation with two former high school classmates who were at Marquette’s dental school helped convince him to later apply.
Koby was also taking Spanish classes at the time and began pursuing a double major. He had taken Spanish classes since kindergarten — just the basics, he assures — and found himself enrolling in classes every semester.
“A big motivating factor of choosing Marquette was it being in a community that has a large Spanish-speaking population and the school getting a lot of those people as patients,” Koby says. “Knowing that helped me continue taking those classes to achieve that major because, I thought, if I just get a bit more practice, maybe that would help even one more person in the long run.”
Uplifting communities through a second language
Taking Spanish classes at St. Norbert was the first time Koby felt pushed outside the comfort zone he knew growing up in the Green Bay suburb of Suamico.
“It was the first time I was around people who weren’t exactly like me,” he says. “A lot of them were local to the Green Bay area and I remember being like, ‘How did we go to neighboring high schools, but our experiences were so different?’”
He recalls hearing from classmates who had to miss school to assist their parents at doctor’s appointments because there was no translator on site. Conversations like those and ones later at Marquette led Koby to act — and adjust course on his career.
“My plan was to go to dental school, specialize in endodontics, go into a private practice and maybe use a little bit of Spanish, as needed,” he says. “Through my education at Marquette and learning about vulnerable communities who need support breaking down these barriers — and learning more about public health in general — I thought that there might be more.”
Koby buckled down on learning Spanish — particularly, “dental Spanish.”
“‘Can you turn your head to the right?’ ‘¿Su cabeza hacia la derecha?’ ‘We’re going to take your blood pressure today.’ ‘Any medical changes?’”
You can see the change in demeanor when they get in the chair if they have a student who can speak their language.
Jonathan Koby, fourth-year Marquette dental student
He joined the Hispanic Student Dental Association at Marquette, becoming co-president. The club hosted Spanish nights to teach students the basics. He also helped lead a fundraiser to provide translation cards for all students.
“For my classmates, if there’s a Spanish speaking patient who needs translating, it’s like, ‘We’ll get Koby to go do it.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’”
Koby estimates 30% to 40% of his patients at Marquette have been Spanish speaking.
“You can see the change in demeanor when they get in the chair if they have a student who can speak their language,” he says. “I learned to understand how much it changes a patient’s perspective and their comfort of being in a place that’s already uncomfortable.”
Koby became invested in other areas of dental care access, too. He gained knowledge from dental peers at conferences throughout the country as a member of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA); he served on the National Council of Advocacy for the national ASDA this past year; he twice represented the Wisconsin Dental Association through ASDA in Washington, D.C., lobbying for better access to dental care, promoting oral health bills and oral health literacy, and advocating for the continuation of community water fluoridation.
“He’s a person who is always looking to help those in need,” says Dr. Jorge Velasquez, clinical assistant professor and Koby’s group leader. “He will come to me and say, ‘This patient doesn’t have any money. I’m trying to cover the most important things and get them out of pain. What can I do?’ He’s one person that truly worries about helping the community and connecting with people.”
It’s no surprise Koby no longer plans to go into private practice after graduation. As a National Health Service Corps scholarship recipient, he’ll spend at least the next four years in what the federal government deems a Health Professional Shortage Area. He’ll be splitting his time in the far northeast Wisconsin cities of Oconto and Marinette at NorthLakes Community Clinic to start his career.
“I could see myself staying in community health dentistry for my entire career because I feel like I can use my talents and what I’ve worked hard at to achieve,” Koby says. “The knowledge of dentistry from Marquette and the knowledge of the Spanish language to impact these communities, it feels too important right now to do anything else.”
