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Dr. Brenda R. Palmer

I must admit, I have had a very enriched life so far, and it just seems to get better and better.

As a small child, my first memories include playing with our pet pig "Squeaky" and our pet calf "Gruff", picking fresh asparagus along the railroad tracks behind our home, playing hide & seek with my younger sister in the corn fields, going to Camp Fire Girl meetings with my mom, and watching my dad study. We lived on a farm in Iowa , in a small town near Ames . My dad was studying to be a veterinarian and my mom was busy watching me and my sister.

Once my dad graduated from Iowa State University in 1976, we moved to a different small Iowa town where I lived until I graduated from high school in 1986. The town's total population that year was 1200 people, which includes the rural residents. It was a great place to grow up, but opportunities were limited. The nearest franchised restaurants were 15 miles away, consisting of Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Hardees.

I was always active in athletics, all four of them in fact (our school only had softball, volleyball, basketball, and track for the girls, although golf was added my last year there) and was a cheerleader for the boys basketball and football teams. I held school records for interceptions and blocked shots in basketball, and for the 4x400 relay in track. While I couldn't tell you the actual statistics, I am sure they have been long surpassed! Being from a small school, those who do, do everything, and so I was also very active in the arts - band, choir, and theater, as well as student government. And you may be quite surprised to see photos of Homecoming Queen Brenda in the year book, too.

After high school graduation, I attended The University of Iowa, in Iowa City where I received my B.S. in Dental Hygiene. Here I was less active in the extra-curricular events and focused more on my studies. Most of our dental hygiene classes were in the Dental College , along with the dental students, and the thought of changing career paths and becoming a dentist had crossed my mind several times. But it wasn't for several more years that I followed through on that desire. After graduation in 1990, I moved to Chicago , IL (Northbrook , and then Winfield) where I practiced as a dental hygienist for 5 more years before starting dental school at the University of Illinois at Chicago .

In 1995, I began my studies as a dental student at The University of Illinois at Chicago , in Chicago , Illinois . I again became very involved with activities and organizations and really maximized my opportunities. I performed extremely well academically, graduating in the top 10 percent of my class and was granted many honors. Some of which include:

In 1999, I moved to Kettering , OH , in order to participate in the General Practice Dental Residency at Miami Valley Hospital . This exceptional program was a valuable experience that not all dentists choose to participate in. It is an elective year that I choose to do to further my dental education before going into a dental practice. I was taught by some of the best specialists in all areas of dentistry; oral and maxillofacial surgery, endodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics. I also participated in non-dental functions, as we rounded with family practice and internal medicine residents, and rotated with medical students through anesthesia. In addition, I was trained to become one of the limited number of dentists who are certified in conscious sedation.

Another reason this General Practice Residency has meant so much to me, is that I met my wonderful friend and husband, Gary Palmer, at Miami Valley Hospital . Although we didn't get to know each other until after I completed my residency, we soon became great friends and decided to commit ourselves to each other. We were married in June 2001 and said our vows in front of our immediate families on a cruise ship at sunset off the coast of Jamaica . It couldn't have been more like a fantasy!