He's dedicated to dental care for all
For as long as he can remember, Mark Doherty wanted to be a dentist. He wasn't sure why. All he knew was that his Uncle Jim was a dentist and his Uncle Jim was cool. And if Doherty could do what his Uncle Jim did, that would make him, in his words, ''wicked happy."
Doherty, 58, says things like that all the time. In this way, he's real -- not so much like your dentist, as he is like, perhaps, your own Uncle Jim. He has biceps as thick as coffee canisters. He played linebacker in college and until recently spent his weekends racing jet skis. That, too, made him wicked happy. He became a champion. He beat cancer.
But what defines Doherty more than anything else is the work he does, day in and day out, as the director of oral health services at the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center. It's a job he's had since 1979, when, as a young man, Doherty finally figured out why he wanted to be a dentist: He wanted to bring quality dental care to those who couldn't afford it.
It sounds simple enough. But as Doherty learned, it's not. Of the 5,000 dentists practicing across Massachusetts, fewer than 800 treat MassHealth Medicaid patients. That means many poor people aren't getting the treatment they need, Doherty said, and he has dedicated his life to changing that.
He often speaks to lawmakers on Beacon Hill. And he testified before a federal judge who recently ordered the state to improve its dental coverage to the needy. But Doherty is happiest in his Dorchester clinic, which he opened in 1979 with one assistant, one hygienist, and one dentist -- him.
''It was 10 people trying to get into one seat," Doherty said of those early days. ''You couldn't keep up with the volume. There was a tremendous need. And for a young dentist with a lot of energy, it was great. You couldn't get enough work."
But Doherty wasn't happy with that alone. In 1981, he helped found a mobile program that continues to bring dental care to children across the state. That same year, he made sure incarcerated teenagers also got dental services.
Meanwhile, back in Dorchester, his clinic grew and expanded. Today, Doherty oversees two dozen dentists at three locations, including one that opened at Taunton High School in 2000 to serve children where they are.
''This is in his soul," said Mary Foley, director of oral health at the state department of public health. ''He's not just about, 'Let's fix some teeth and send you on your way.' He's about improving the lives of people."
That makes him a powerful advocate, colleagues said. But it may make him an even better dentist and a mentor to those still learning the craft. On a recent morning, inside his Dorchester clinic, a young dentist approached Doherty with a question.
A 21-year-old woman had a badly decayed first molar on the upper left side and the young dentist wanted to know if it was worth saving. Doherty -- in scrubs, his biceps bulging -- held the X-ray of the woman's mouth up to the light.
It wasn't going to be easy work. The tooth was that far gone. But Doherty said they had to try. If the woman lost that molar this early in life, he said, the teeth around it would tilt and move, creating gum problems and possibly other issues. He handed the X-ray back to the young dentist and said, ''I think it can be done." Then, he paused, pondering the tooth, and added, this time with more confidence, ''We'll save it."
Home: Born in Taunton, lives in Lakeville.
Family: Wife, Debbie, two children, and four grandchildren.
Education: Graduated from College of Holy Cross in 1970, and earned his degree in dentistry four years later from the University of Pennsylvania.
His cancer: About five years ago, Doherty woke up one morning and found a lump in his neck. It was diagnosed as oral cancer and took aggressive treatment to address. He still has scars on his neck from the surgery, but the cancer has been in remission for four years, he said. What amazed colleagues most was that it hardly slowed him down.
His hobbies: Doherty enjoys fishing, collecting antique furniture, and perhaps, most of all, working out. He's at the gym before 5 a.m. most days, lifting weights or playing racquetball.
His award: Health Care For All, a Boston health care advocacy group, honored Doherty for his work this year, giving him a 2005 community leadership award. ''It was humbling," Doherty said. ''In public health, you kind of grind it out and keep on plugging, and then something like that happens."
His work: Of the 5,000 dentists practicing across Massachusetts, fewer than 800 treat MassHealth Medicaid patients. That means many poor people aren't getting the treatment they need, Mark Doherty said, and he has dedicated his life to changing that. A recent court ruling may help matters. On July 15, a federal judge ordered Governor Mitt Romney's administration to improve dental coverage for the poor. Laurie Martinelli, executive director of Health Law Advocates and one of the attorneys on the case, said Doherty will likely help determine what those improvements should be. ''He's not just a dentist," she said.
