1. Brianna Stahl
April 26, 2015
KNH103
Report 8: Job Shadow
I shadowed and interviewed Dr. Lisa Palermo-Edwards, Periodontist and
President of Palermo-Edward and Cacchillo Inc. in Reynoldsburg Ohio. Dr. Edwards
duties and responsibilities range from the diagnosis and surgical treatment of patient with
severe dental conditions to running a multi-doctor business with 13 employees. Her
responsibilities as a doctor and business administrator overlap daily.
Dr. Edwards received her BS from Heidelberg College in 1986, DDS from Ohio
State University College of Dentistry in 1992, and her masters MS from Ohio State
Periodontology program in 1995. She then entered practice with her father, whom is also
a periodontist (practicing for over 40 years). She worked in her family practice since she
was 13 years old on all her summer breaks as her father’s dental assistant, and learned the
business aspect from her mother, who was the office manager.
The most challenging aspect of Dr. Edwards’s profession is managing her
professional obligations and her personal obligations. She is a single mother and
considers that to be her most important job. She is unbelievably passionate about her
work and how she can help people improve their quality of lives. “Although managing
certain patients can be challenging at times, but most people are appreciative of the hard
work I do for them.”
Dr. Edwards has used all aspects of her educational background and continues to
learn every day. “If you stop learning, your profession becomes boring and you are not

2. being the best that you can be.” With that being said, Dr. Edwards noted that the area she
has benefited the least from would be calculus or high-level math.
As for her profession, she believes that it would be better off if insurance
companies would remain uninvolved in the treatment of patients. “They often make it
very difficult in treating the patients delaying treatment and making judgments on issue
they have no training or expertise. Implants and 3D scanning has made me a better
surgeon and has changed the face of dentistry.”
In order to be a Periodontist you must complete 11 years of school and required to
obtain an masters in conjunction with your specialty training. After a 3-4 year specialty
program you receive a certification to practice periodontics. They are also required to
attend a Continued Education (CE) session, and obtain 40 hours of CE every 2 years. “I
feel it is important to be a member of your local, state and national organizations. I am on
the Board of Direction for the Columbus Dental Society, voted in by my peers, and attend
monthly meeting discussing issues that affect our profession.” She also started two study
clubs geared toward General DDS and hygienist providing semi annual CE over the past
10 years with well over 3500 hours of CE being provided. Dr. Edwards believes that
education is important as well as giving back to the dental community to make her
profession into the best it can be.
As a student shadowing and interviewing Dr. Palermo, I have learned you must be
passionate about what you do. She emphasized that being passionate is the most
important thing for a successful profession and life. I also learned that periodontics is a
lot of work and school but it is definitely worth it in the long run.