Dr. Alayna Schoblaske’s passion for patients, public health, and dentistry shines in all that she does

Whether she is treating patients at La Clinica public health clinic in Medford, advocating for dental policies in Washington, D.C., serving as the editor of the Oregon Dental Association’s Membership Matters magazine, or shedding light on public health dentistry through her social media presence, Dr. Alayna Schoblaske is an ambassador for the next generation of Oregon dentists wherever she goes.

Inspired by her own orthodontist at an early age, Dr. Schoblaske says she knew she wanted to be a dentist since the third grade. After earning her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at the University of Puget Sound, Dr. Schoblaske wanted to take a couple of years before dental school to do something different. She moved to Texas to work for a company that supported teachers working in low-income schools. Her experience would go on to shape her dental career.

“When I told the teachers that I wanted to be a dentist, so many of them told me about students with visible cavities or persistent toothaches that impacted their ability to focus and learn” said Dr. Schoblaske. “That broke my heart and opened my eyes that some kids didn’t grow up like I did. They didn’t go to the dentist every six months, and may not have even had access to a toothbrush. I wanted to be a part of the group of people addressing that problem. I didn’t know what exactly that looked like, but I knew I wanted to help patients like these students and their families.”

During dental school at OHSU, Dr. Schoblaske was involved with health equity groups, learned about Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community health care, and learned about the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). She applied to the NHSC, which has a loan repayment program called Students to Service where graduates make a three-year commitment to work in a health professional shortage area.

Dr. Schoblaske deferred her Students to Service position to do a one-year general practice residency in Washington, D.C. where she was first exposed to the policy and advocacy world.

“Being friends with people who worked on Capitol Hill and running past the Washington Monument on my Saturday runs made advocacy feel less ‘out there’ and more approachable,” said Dr. Schoblaske. “I knew people who were staffers for representatives and senators which made advocacy feel less intimidating – it’s just someone’s job!”

After her residency, Dr. Schoblaske returned to Oregon to work at La Clinica in Medford, a nonprofit public health clinic that provides medical and dental care for Jackson County residents who lack dental insurance, are on the Oregon Health Plan, or are underinsured for dental care.

“I love our mission at La Clinica,” said Dr. Schoblaske. “I was interviewing a dentist a couple months ago for a job and asked him what he thinks makes FQHCs unique and he said ‘you give people choices,’ which is truly what we do. Many people don’t feel like dental care is a choice for them because of language or cost or anxiety or transportation – we do things to lower those barriers and give people the choice of if and when and how they want to access dental care. We also offer a sliding scale and in-person interpretation services for our patients.”

Dr. Schoblaske notes that all of La Clinica’s call center and front desk staff are bilingual in Spanish and English, so patients never need to worry about communicating in the process of accessing care. She also appreciates the integrated behavioral health support specialist who is available in the clinic to support patients who may have anxiety or who are worried about coming to the dentist.

“In dentistry, people open up a lot,” said Dr. Schoblaske. “There is an inherent trust and vulnerability that patients have with their dentists, so people often share things about their life that they may not share with other health care providers because of that sense of immediate trust. For example, if patients share about depression or suicidal thoughts, we can get them connected with our behavioral health team member and he can be the bridge to getting them the help they need.”

La Clinica also has a community resource specialist in their office who can connect patients with food resources, cell phone vouchers, bus passes, or medical transport covered through the Oregon Health Plan or provided by other community organizations.

“We zoom out a little bit and come from the assumption that dental care has traditionally been hard to access, so how do we chip away at some of those barriers to get people the help they need,” said Dr. Schoblaske.

Not only does Dr. Schoblaske appreciate the expansive ways in which she and her team are able to treat patients, she is also grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the other nine dentists who work at La Clinica across their two sites in Southern Oregon.

“I love the community and having a second or third set of eyes for treatment plans, X-rays, and tough procedures. It’s also so nice to have colleagues to celebrate or commiserate with after a procedure,” said Dr. Schoblaske. “We also have fun at work. That’s something that a lot of patients will notice. We are always laughing, playing music, having potlucks as a team – we don’t take ourselves too seriously! People who opt into public health work are fairly adaptable and easygoing, and that reflects in our culture.”

When she’s not treating patients, Dr. Schoblaske is actively involved with the ODA, serving as the editor of the ODA’s Membership Matters magazine and advocating on behalf of dentistry and patients both in Oregon and in Salem.

“I was involved with ASDA (American Student Dental Association) when I was in dental school and I always knew I wanted to be involved with the ODA in some capacity when I was practicing,” said Dr. Schoblaske. “It was (former ODA executive director) Conor McNulty who made the ODA seem cool. He was such a compelling leader, communicator, and person that he made me want to be a part of it.”

Dr. Schoblaske was encouraged by now ODA executive director Dr. Barry Taylor to serve as the editor of Membership Matters and she says it was neat to get involved as editor and get more exposure to things she’s passionate about so early in her career.

“I do believe that it matters to have a place where all the voices in dentistry come together to figure out what is best for our patients and our profession,” said Dr. Schoblaske. “I also believe that my voice matters in that conversation. I believe that as a woman and a new dentist working in public health in Southern Oregon, it is important that my perspective is represented in those conversations.”

In addition to her work with ODA and her role with the ADA’s national New Dentist Committee, Dr. Schoblaske spends some of her free time working to peel back the curtain on what it’s like to be a public health dentist through her increasingly popular Instagram account @alaynathedentist.

“I think what inspired me to start the account was when I got involved with the New Dentist Committee,” said Dr. Schoblaske. “It was another layer of awareness. There’s so much that happens behind the scenes. Some of it is confidential, but to the degree that I can, my intention was to show what we were doing, what meetings were had, what was discussed, who was there, the networking that happens at those meetings, and the virtual meetings that happen in between. I want to create transparency around what it means to be in public health and what it means to be a volunteer in organized dentistry.”

Wherever her voice and skills are being utilized at any given time, Dr. Schoblaske’s passion for dentistry, for her patients, and for public health is unmatched. Her voice will undoubtedly play a critical role in speaking up for dentists and patients in Oregon for many years to come.