Periodontist: Spear Study Club Strengthens the Interdisciplinary Team

San Diego-based periodontist Dr. Shivali Gohel prides herself on taking an attentive, personalized treatment approach and focusing on each patient's unique concerns.

For Dr. Gohel, the interest in dentistry began after she fractured her two front teeth when she was 9 years old. Once her teeth were restored, she was amazed at the difference in her life. Restoration of her teeth restored her self-confidence. Now she loves helping her patients regain their oral health and confidence in the same way.

Dr. Gohel earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine. She also completed specialty training in periodontics and implant surgery at Loma Linda University, where she earned her Master of Science in Dentistry.

She serves as an Assistant Professor at Loma Linda, where she teaches in the Graduate Periodontics Clinic, and attends continuing education courses throughout the country – focusing on dental implants, laser dentistry and the latest surgical techniques and technologies.

A Club of Her Own

Dr. Gohel had been a part of other study clubs in the past. She always thought they felt like a stuffy, overcrowded classroom with limited interaction between club members. So, when a mentor periodontist she was shadowing invited her to his Spear Study Club meeting, she was excited to attend.

Dr. Gohel noticed a key difference from her past study club experiences. A sense of camaraderie permeated the club.

Through intimate discussion of real-world cases, each doctor seemed engaged with each other on collective lessons and they had clearly fostered an environment of collaboration focused on improving patient care. She felt compelled to launch her own club.

Value of the Study Club Advisor

Dr. Gohel works very closely with her study club advisor and attributes the growth of her club to him.

“He’s always available and is very supportive,” Dr. Gohel said. “He does a great job of promoting my club. He emails me often to let me know that he’s found another doctor interested in joining.”

Her advisor also assists with study club module selection and helps her choose the best learning resources to benefit members, so they can get maximum value from their club experience. Tools like integrated curriculum with topics for the entire team, access to award-winning Spear Online resources like the Patient Education platform and tablet app, and office prescribed focused on taking them beyond single-tooth dentistry.

A Must for Dental Professionals

Dr. Gohel believes the camaraderie she has cultivated through her study club is extremely valuable. It strengthened her professional network and ensured collaboration on actual cases.

“Working together and not being on a lonely island doing dentistry the same way over and over again is invaluable,” Dr. Gohel said. “The club members develop trust and grow their skills as they bring in cases to present at each meeting.”

“It’s nice to come together and get a different perspective,” she said, adding that her club has been beneficial in teaching doctors to confidently treat more high-value cases.

“You just begin to do things differently, which makes it more fun because you think about it through a different lens,” Dr. Gohel said. “It’s not just fillings or just surgeries, it forces you to take a step back and look at the big picture to really help your patient get the best result. I know Study Club will help us to continue to grow from here.”