Adejoke A. Fatunde, BDS, MS, Sc.D.

Adejoke Ariyike Ayinke, Atanda is the first child of Professor Joseph Adebowale Atanda and Mrs Omoyisola Atanda. She has been blessed with eight brothers and one sister. She is married to Dr. Ayodeji Adeniyi Fatunde and they both live in Grapevine, Texas, in the USA. Their almost forty years of marriage is blessed with four children. She credits much of her professional accomplishment to the support and understanding of her husband and children whom refers to as ‘My Motivators and Destiny Helpers’. Her faith in God has been her sustaining factor. She enjoys listening to gospel music and would sometimes sing along. She enjoys reading, Danielle Steele being her favorite author.

Four Decades in The Dental Profession

A Personal Memoir

This memoir documents the experience of Dr. Adejoke Fatunde after her graduation from the University of Ibadan Dental School in Nigeria in 1980. In the introduction, we get a glimpse of her educational foundation and the role that her family and upbringing played in preparing her for the future.

Next, it tells of her experience as a member of the pioneer dental class at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and the different challenges that came with being one of the first in the field of dentistry at that institution. Being a pioneer at Ibadan also opened up opportunities to graduate dental education at the University of Michigan where she trained as an orthodontist with the Staff Development Scholarship from her alma mater.

The diverse experiences she has had as an orthodontist has presented her with a myriad of memorable opportunities. Capturing the memories of forty years after dental school has indeed been a release of the intriguing maze she has navigated.

Her diversion into dental public health appeared to have been born out of the uncertainty she faced during her orthodontic journey. It has actually proven to be non-accidental but part of her mission to help increase access to dental care for those who can otherwise not afford it.

This memoir is primarily for the purpose of sharing her life with her progeny, other people who have been of influence in her professional development and those who may to wish to know a little more about her. It is a testimony to the goodness of God to her.