Dr. Cathy Hung draws on her past experiences when she advocates for diversity and inclusion, even authoring books on the subject. In 2020, the board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon earned the spotlight in IncisalEdgeMagazine.com as a Lucy Hobbs Project ‘Woman Who Inspires’ for her contributions in this arena. Most recently, Dr. Hung has been channeling her expert perspective into her next book, “Behind Her Scalpel: Practical Guide and Stories by Women Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons,” which is supported in part by Benco Dental. In 2021, Benco’s initiative The Lucy Hobbs Project, will honor exceptional women in dentistry for the 9th year. Nominate a woman who inspires in dentistry today here.

“My project is to design a resource handbook to encourage more women to enter surgical specialty.”

Cathy Hung, DDS, FAAOMS, Dip. ABOMS, who expects the book to be published later this year.

Dr. Hung noted that according to most recent metrics, female members comprise only 8 percent of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and 16 percent of residencies in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery training programs.

Hear how Dr. Cathy Hung advocates for diversity and inclusion in dentistry at the OralMaxFax Podcast

Learn more about how she inspires as she advocates for diversity and inclusion in dentistry in a recent discussion at OralMaxFax Podcast. Then nominate a woman in dentistry who inspires you here.

Most recently, Dr. Hung became a Certified Professional Life Coach and started the “Pulling Wisdom Coaching and Workshops, LLC” to help women and minorities to gain confidence in the professional world.

An alumni of the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership, Dr. Hung leads one-on-one coaching sessions and professional workshops, and spoke in April at the San Antonio District Dental Society on the importance of cultural competency as healthcare professionals.

“My whole life story is about being the minority and being different,” explained the clinician, coach, speaker and bestselling author in IncisalEdgeMagazine.com in 2020.

After immigrating alone to the United States from Taiwan at just 18, she channeled her efforts into higher education. First, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in music at the University of California, Berkeley, and a dental degree at Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine and then completed the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in New York

“Being an Asian female in a male-dominated specialty, I have had to try to convince others that I can do the job. But I feel that diversity has never been more important than now. … My goal is to help other people gain insight on how to become more comfortable in multicultural environments.””

-Cathy Hung, DDS, FAAOMS, Dip. ABOMS

Dr. Hung accomplished that goal in her first book, “Pulling Wisdom: Filling the Gaps in Cross-Cultural Communication for Healthcare Professionals,” which shares her experience as a healthcare provider and a caregiver for a cancer patient, her father. Dr. Hung authored the book to honor her late father.

Read about how she changes the lives of patients in her New Jersey practice, Prospect Oral Surgery Center, and how while treating a patient who immigrated to the U.S. from Egypt, she worked through the language barrier to uncover the source of the woman’s pre-treatment anxiety here.

Nominate a woman who inspires in dentistry for a 2021 Lucy Hobbs Project Award, as presented by Benco Dental

Nominate a woman in dentistry who inspires you here.