10. Professor John Featherstone on Forging Your Own Path
Contrary to Ordinary, Exploring the Extraordinary with Dr. Kim Kutsch
In his 1841 essay Self-Reliance, philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson tells us to “trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string”. In other words, we should all trust in the sacredness of ourselves and our own path, and not try to imitate the road others are destined to travel. Emerson wrote extensively about individuality, self-reliance, and non-conformism, and it makes sense that today’s guests would have a quote from him hanging on his refrigerator.
Professor John Featherstone has always followed his own, as he puts it, “weird” dreams. He’s the retired Dean of Dentistry at the University of California, San Fransico, and spent ten years in the role after joining the faculty in 1995 as a professor. He’s contributed so much to the field, but one of John’s greatest achievements has to be the Caries Management By Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) Protocol which he co-created during his time at UCSF. The CAMBRA Protocol looks beyond the traditional ‘drill and fill’ approach to dentistry towards more preventative, long-term solutions. John has won more prizes and titles than you can count but admits that sometimes his work became all-consuming.
If all that wasn’t enough, John is also an accomplished pianist, mountain climber, skier, and author. He’s also mentored so many people throughout his career, which he cites as his proudest achievement.
Resources
Follow your curiosity, connect, and join our ever-growing community of extraordinary minds.
Professor John Featherstone LinkedIn
What's In This Episode
- John’s whirlwind life of study and practice
- The importance of scholarships and mentoring to John
- How everyone should find their own path
- John’s road to peace
Activity