Stephanie R. Ganter DDS, MS, FACD, FICD | Surgical Leadership
Dr. Stephanie Ganter is a board-certified periodontist and implant specialist. She also runs an outpatient clinic for five partners at The Dental Specialists in Garland, TX, and is an American Dental Association council member. A Stephen F. Austin State University graduate, Dr. Ganter completed her periodontics residency at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry. Her peers recently selected her as 'Class Speaker' for the Harvard Medical School’s Surgical Leadership Program, which she completed in early March 2023.
Surgical Change Management
Dr. Ganter describes herself as 'a seeker' and states, “I don’t like the status quo. I’m very different, and I want to be around people who are also seekers. The coolest thing about this program is that with everybody I’ve talked to, I recognize the similarities. We might be from different backgrounds or different countries, but we all have that one thing in common: we do not like the status quo. We want to change something at our hospital or our private practice. We want to change something about our community, about the world.” Dr. Ganter adds that part of the reason she enrolled in the Surgical Leadership Program was that she believed in the concept of the program, which is to imbue transformational change across the surgical profession.
Connecting with Surgeons Across the World
She emphasizes that a big part of her learning in this program has been through conversations with colleagues she has met from around the world. The program workshops offer networking sessions, and she has found immense value in connecting outside the classroom. “I have learned more about the state of health care in the world by interacting with my classmates than I would have ever read about…You can read about a lot of things, but it’s tough to replace someone’s first-hand account.” She noted meeting colleagues from Kenya and the UK and hearing about their experience in health care versus the United States was eye-opening. Her connections with colleagues have been a key takeaway from the program. “On one of my adventures, I even visited one of my classmates in Zurich. He opened his home to me and taught me several lessons on connection with others.”
Advice for Surgeons Seeking a Leadership Course
Dr. Ganter enrolled in the course because her business partner had a great experience in Training to Teach in Medicine, another Harvard program. She noted that her participation in the program has been transformational. “The Surgical Leadership Program has afforded me so many experiences.” She went on to say, “Perspectives change with time; I can easily take this course again-ten years, fifteen years down the road and have a completely different takeaway. If you are somebody who wants to learn and change yourself and the people around you, this is the program for you.”
Learn more about the Surgical Leadership Program.