Dr. Parris Wilkins is the Dental Director of Central Virginia Health Services (CVHS) – the oldest and largest Community Health Center organization in Virginia. Maintaining an astounding level of direct patient care - 4 to 4.5 days per week - Dr. Parris-Wilkins also juggles the administrative complexities of supervising dental care for 10 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC’s), providing for many their only access to dental care. It’s good that Dr. Parris-Wilkins enjoys diversity and problem solving because as she describes it “a typical day is one that is not typical.”
Originally Dr. Parris-Wilkins had aspirations to be a physician – NOT a dentist. But thankfully, through a program in which she shadowed a physician and was rated if she was well suited to medical practice, she determined early she loved health sciences but not in that capacity. In the process of looking for something else in the healthcare area, a graduate advisor connected her with a local dentist affiliated with the University of Michigan and the match was huge success.
After competing her Doctor of Dental Surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Parris-Wilkins went on to teach as an Associate Professor for three years, educating, mentoring, and inspiring a new crop of dentists. But when the unique opportunity to work at Central Virginia Community Health System opened up, Dr. Parris-Wilkins was thrilled and honored to be chosen as their Dental Director. Even better – Dr. Parris-Wilkins still feels that way after 4 years, providing direct care at Southside Health Center in Alberta, VA and managing sites in Alberta, Caroline, Charles City, Charlotte-Courthouse, Fredericksburg, Hopewell-Prince George, Louisa, Petersburg, New Canton, and Westmoreland.
In addition to juggling professional work at multiple sites, Dr. Parris-Wilkins is also a wife and mother with young children. Although Dr. Parris-Wilkins loves to be a “Jack of all trades” and has increased the quality and efficiency of dental care in her Community Health Centers, the balance of work and personal life is still a challenging process. Many of Dr. Parris-Wilkins accomplishments such as the Central Virginia Health Services Dental Digest, a quarterly teleconference schedule, and initiation of an annual dental department meeting including providers and supportive staff have all been instrumental in the 80% dental department productivity increase within 24 months.
One of the perks of the job, Dr. Parris-Wilkins met First Lady Michelle Obama when they were on a panel together at the Caroline Family Practice site last year. As both a mother and as a clinician serving the needs of the underserved, Dr. Parris-Wilkins felt a kindred spirit as they celebrated the opening of another Virginia Community Health Center improving access to care.
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