Clifford Pau, DMD 2004, is a practicing dentist, researcher and Clinical Associate Professor at UBC Dentistry, where he teaches pharmacology to DMD and dental hygiene students. We connected with Dr. Pau to learn about his unique career path.
What first got you interested in a career in dentistry?
I did a Bachelor of Science and went on to do a Master’s in Pharmacology at UBC, where I developed a model to study chronic pain. I was thinking about a career in dentistry or medicine, but wasn’t quite ready yet, and pharmacology felt like good preparation.
I decided to go with dentistry because it seemed like a better personality fit while offering more flexibility. I always liked working with my hands. When I was much younger, I enjoyed taking my toys and electronics apart to see how they worked. Of course, being able to put them back together was a more challenging journey. I liked the idea of having direct contact with patients and having the option of working in a big or small clinic. I also really enjoyed surgery and thought I’d be an oral surgeon—it’s hard to explain why! I did animal surgeries in pharmacology, which I found interesting, and, when I was a kid, I would watch and discuss surgical videos with my uncle who is a plastic surgeon.
Do you have a favourite memory of your time spent at UBC Dentistry?
I had great instructors including Dr. Babak Chehroudi, who offered interesting perspectives and great conversation. I considered everything from oral surgery to orthodontics to research, but ultimately decided to be a general practitioner. By the end of the DMD program, I had done 10 years of university and felt like it was time to start working—my parents were getting worried about me!
What did your career look like after graduation?
I was working on dental morphology videos over several summers with Dr. Chehroudi. Right before graduation, I asked if he knew anyone hiring. Turns out he was, so I associated with his office and a few others around Vancouver. I also got my licence to practice in Hong Kong, and would fly there a few times a year to practice at my friend’s clinic. I’ve also practiced in Toronto—I find it interesting to explore different cities and learn the dynamics of dental practice in each one.
How did you get involved with teaching at UBC?
I taught at a private dental hygiene school in Vancouver and helped establish the pharmacology component of their program. UBC Dentistry Clinical Professor Emerita Dr. Leandra Best and Assistant Professor Ian Matthew asked if I would be interested in teaching pharmacology at the university when we started our new curriculum in 2015. At the time, I had stopped teaching because someone close to me died due to their medications being mismanaged, leaving me with a lot of resentment towards pharmacology. When this offer was presented to me, I saw it as an opportunity to turn a negative experience into a positive by getting back into teaching. I love seeing young, smart brains—you never know what question you’re going to be asked when you stand at the front of a classroom! It takes a lot of courage to put yourself in this position, but you find out what you don’t know and you learn from students.
What advice do you have for current students?
It’s easy to get discouraged in school. One instructor teaches something in a certain way, and another teaches it slightly differently—everyone has their own ideas based on their personal experience. My advice is not to get discouraged, but to learn from each person and develop your own style of practice. What works for my hands might not work for yours. Keep an open mind and know that your instructors are here to help.