Dr. Allison Fowler ’13

In the midst of building her practice, which she opened in Dallas’ Park Cities in 2016, Dr. Allison Fowler ’13 is intentional about her desire to influence others. It is one of the prime factors that led her back to Texas A&M College of Dentistry part time as an adjunct clinical assistant professor just two years after graduating.

Fowler’s work with dental students caught the attention of fellow alum Dr. Joe Simmons ’98, ’99, clinical assistant professor in general dentistry and Alumni Association immediate past president, who nominated her for the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award.

“Dr. Fowler has a calming influence on nervous D3 students who are relatively new to clinical practice and instructs in a respectful but challenging manner,” Simmons says. “While trying to build a private practice and raise a family, she has made a commitment to help aspiring dentists in a positive, encouraging way,” he adds.

Fowler’s personal experiences have helped her realize the value of positive impact. During her teen years, trips in and out of multiple dentists’ offices to deal with several missing teeth made an impression in more ways than one. And after this West Texas native graduated from Southern Methodist University and made the decision to pursue dentistry, it was guidance from instructors, dental alumni and upperclassmen through the College of Dentistry’s Great Expectations program that inspired her to become a student mentor herself, something she continues to this day as an alumna.

Fowler stays on top of the latest professional advances through membership in study groups and even the L.D. Pankey Institute for Continuing Dental Education, which further benefits her work with dental students in the clinic.

Volunteer work isn’t limited to dentistry. Fowler and her husband, Chip, proud parents of a nine-month-old daughter, have served as youth group counselors for seventh graders at their congregation, Highland Park United Methodist Church, and currently volunteer with the church’s college ministry.

“My husband and I have been influenced by a tremendous amount of people, and we just feel like it’s our duty to give back in our community,” Fowler shares on her practice website. And as for helping that next generation of dental professionals, she recognizes a career-long learning curve: “Whenever I was in my fourth year of dental school, I started thinking, ‘I’m supposed to do this all by myself?’ After five years, what I have learned is that I still have a lot left to learn.”