A UNMC memory from Dr. Brown

At the annual faculty meeting on Wednesday, UNMC will recognize 15 faculty members who have worked at the university for 40 or 30 years.

Among those who will be honored is David Brown, Ph.D., professor of oral biology in the College of Dentistry, who has been at the university for 30 years.

Below Dr. Brown shares a memory from his time at UNMC.

I am a biochemist by training. Thus I am completely happy to spend my days in a lab with rats and test tubes.

David Brown, Ph.D.

One day several years ago, the dean of the college at the time asked me to come to his office for a brief visit. When I arrived he told me that he was contemplating retiring and that he was going to assign me to teach his course in ethics.

I was a little overwhelmed for a time since traditional and professional ethics is not a subject that an introverted bench scientist knows much about.

Well, there was no talking him out of it, so I got busy reading and taking courses in order to be prepared for my upcoming assignment. The odd thing about it was that I actually enjoyed learning about the material and it challenged me to think more broadly about subjects such as research and professional ethics and social justice issues.

I think that that brief episode with the dean set the stage for what has become my major professional interest for over the past decade, which is working to make dental services available to underserved populations throughout Nebraska.

Read UNMC Today in the coming days to hear from more faculty members who will be recognized at the annual faculty meeting for 40 or 30 years of service.