2007 40 Under 40 Honoree: Dr. Carrie Arquitt

Her long list of work with academic, professional and philanthropic organizations includes the Missouri Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Tennessee Society of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and a stint in 2002 with the Ronald McDonald House Charities’ Tooth Truck. However, Arquitt is most proud of her work as the first dentist at Jordan Valley Community Health Center.

“We went from an empty building to a fully functioning dental clinic in a little over three months,” Arquitt said. “I hired all the staff, ordered the dental equipment and supplies, set the policy and procedure manual, and developed the patient paperwork and files.”

The population at the clinic, she said, goes largely untreated because of access-to-care issues.

“Because this is an underserved population, it is not unusual to have patients travel one to two hours for these services,” she added.

At home, Arquitt enjoys sampling the barbecue experiments of her husband, George, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at OMS Group, and spending time with their children, Katherine, 3, and Ansley, 2.

She’s also working on the next phase of her career ideally designed to allow her more family time and felxibility. “I am opening my own pediatric dental practice this summer and hope that it will be a successful practice that is a fun place to visit, catering to Springfield’s children’s oral health,” Arquitt said.

Stats

Position: Pediatric Dentist, Jordan Valley Community Health Center

Age: 37

Favorite professional sports team: None – “I really like college basketball.”

A quote to live by: "We are ladies and gentlemen treating ladies and gentlemen.” – Adapted from the Ritz-Carlton motto.