Marvin Fisk Humanitarian Award: Dr. Steven Hoagland
Dr. Steven Hoagland spends much of his free time volunteering at the Stowe Mission of Central Ohio Dental Clinic. In recognition of his efforts, he will receive the Ohio Dental Association Marvin Fisk Humanitarian Award on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Callahan Celebration of Excellence, held in conjunction with the 152nd ODA Annual Session.
“Since 2010, Dr. Hoagland volunteers the bulk of his free time at the Stowe Mission of Central Ohio Dental Clinic, which provides a free six chair dental clinic and is run with volunteer dentists, dental students from The Ohio State University School of Dentistry, dental assistants, hygienists and an administrative volunteer who works to co-ordinate and schedule appointments,” wrote Dr. Fred Alger, chair of the Honors and Awards Committee with the Columbus Dental Society, in his nomination letter. “This program provides emergency dental services and was started in 1985. Currently the clinic provides extractions and is open six nights per month for approximately two hours per night.”
Hoagland said he is thankful and surprised to be receiving the award because he’s not doing what he’s doing for recognition.
Hoagland comes from a long line of dentists, and he said that family influence is why he decided to become a dentist. His grandmother Mary Hoagland and grandfather Benjamin F. Hoagland II were both dentists, and his grandfather was a Columbus Dental Society past president. They started practice in 1923, and his father, Benjamin F. Hoagland III, was also a dentist.
Hoagland earned his DDS from Case Western Reserve University in 1986 and then went into practice with his father at the practice his grandparents opened.
Since 2010, Hoagland has been volunteering at the Stowe Dental Mission a couple of times per month. At the clinic, he does oral surgery and removes teeth that are causing pain.
Patients give a small donation to the clinic if they can, but if they cannot do so they are still able to receive care. He said patients come from all over Ohio, and he’s had patients from as far away as Athens and Northwest Ohio.
Dental care at the clinic is provided on a volunteer basis, and OSU students also volunteer at the clinic through the OHIO Project.
Hoagland said the clinic has definitely had an effect on the community and there are a lot of people in need. He said he thinks it’s important to volunteer and serve people in need “because it’s what God asks us to do.”
“That’s my driving force and why I’m down there,” he said. “My kids are older, so it’s a little easier for me because I have less constraints on me from a family stand point.”
He said his favorite part about being a dentist is his patients.
“It’s nice interacting with different people, and in dentistry you do that all day long,” he said.
Hoagland is a member of the American Dental Association, Ohio Dental Association, Columbus Dental Society and Academy of General Dentistry. He said he values organized dentistry because of the CE that’s available and because of the ability to influence the profession and patients in a positive way through legislation.
Outside of dentistry, Hoagland enjoys outdoor activities like snow skiing and water skiing, and he likes to cook, spend time with his dog and travel. Hoagland has a son Benji and daughter Marielle.
The Marvin Fisk Humanitarian Award is given to dentists who are working to improve the oral health of people in need, of all ages and from all walks of life. The award winners give of their time and energy overseas or closer to home, spending hours and personal resources to help fight illnesses.