by Susan Griffith

When Heather Petroff is called to receive her doctor of dental science degree from Case Western Reserve University, it truly will be a family affair.

With her degree, Petroff will join her mother Cynthia Petroff (1985), cousin Edward Marshall (1982) and her uncle Tom Marshall (1968) as dental alums from CWRU.

Heather Petroff

Petroff, 30, got an early introduction to CWRU's dental school. At 8 years old and with her hair in pigtails, the current All-American triathlete skipped down the halls at the CWRU dental school, accompanying her mother who was enrolled in dental classes.

Dentistry was a topic discussed in the Petroff's home in Broadview Heights, Ohio. Heather's cousin lived with the family while going to the CWRU dental school and graduated in 1982, the year Heather's mother began classes there in order to move up in her 13-year career as a dental assistant and dental hygienist.

"I never felt any pressure to go to dental school," Heather said.

She even kept the fact that she was applying to CWRU four years ago a secret, because she did not want her mother to know.

Petroff said her mother was surprised and thrilled when she found out midway through the application process.

A 1990 graduate of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, Petroff headed to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to study psychology. She graduated with honors in 1994 and later earned her master's degree in child clinical psychology from West Virginia University in 1996.

"I've always loved working with children," Petroff said.

As a clinical psychologist experiencing changes in her patients' insurance benefits for special needs, she said she felt restricted in providing the necessary care children needed and decided to make a career change.

At that time, Petroff also began to help her mother in the dental office while an office worker was on maternity leave. The younger Petroff said she liked what she saw-especially when working with children. Since then, Petroff has spent four busy years at CWRU.

In her first two, she became a master of time management: keeping up with her academic studies while training for amateur triathlon events that encompass running, biking and swimming.

Her efforts have earned her the status as an All-American triathlete for 2002, ranking her among the top 10 percent of amateur competitors. She has competed in events across the country and has moved into the professional ranks to compete against some of the country's top athletes.

Locally, she will compete in the professional division of the Cleveland Metropolitan Triathlon in July.

In addition to getting up and starting to train at 6 a.m. before classes or clinics and then returning to the gym after school, Petroff teaches spinning classes on stationery bikes at Peak Performance in Broadview Heights for road cyclists and competitive triathletes.

She also has taken time to serve as the Class of 2003 vice president and representative to the Faculty Relations Committee. She was awarded the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Award as an outstanding student in the field of dentistry for children and an award from the American Association of Public Health Dentistry in recognition of achievements in community dentistry and dental public health.

While at CWRU, Heather has worked with the dental school's Healthy Smiles Sealant Program, Give Kids a Smile Day and in the pediatric dentistry department.

Her future plans include combining work in a practice with competing in sporting events. After a year off from school, she plans to consider a residency in pediatric dentistry.

Although studying dentistry has been a family affair, practicing dentistry won't be-at least not for now.

"I want to keep it just a mother-daughter relationship," Petroff said.

 

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