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Isaam
B. Lutfiyya, H Sci ’98
 Isaam Lutfiyya graduated from Marquette’s dental hygiene
program in 1998. Three years later, at the age of 24, he
became the director of the Milwaukee’s Madre Angela Dental
Clinic, providing oral health care to those who do cannot otherwise
afford it, many with an average household monthly income of less
than $500.
In
the past four years Isaam has nearly doubled his operating
budget, enabling him to expand clinic services from the limited
focus of emergency care to that of comprehensive preventive and
restorative care.
Isaam’s career path emerged
through his student experience in Marquette’s dental clinic.
He learned Spanish while treating non-English speaking Hispanic
patients, was introduced to Hmong refugees while seeing patients
from the Indo-Chinese Learning Center, and treated homeless,
handicapped, minority and other disadvantaged people.
Once
he realized how much impact cultural understanding and sensitivity
had on quality of care, he resolved to continue in this direction.
Isaam
notes that in his work he is frequently presented with opportunities
to try something new. “At these times,” he says, “convention
would dictate (and in many instances, correctly so) that we
travel along a proven route. However, I have enjoyed the greatest
personal and professional rewards when I have been unafraid
to act upon a new idea while equally embracing the possibilities
of success and failure.”
Isaam
is currently pursuing graduate school to continue his mission.
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