On a typical day, University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMD) pre-doctoral endodontics director Dr. Frederico Canato Martinho\u2019s schedule has him scurrying between various combinations of clinics with dental students and graduate residents; research; lecturing in graduate and undergraduate courses; and simulation labs.\u00a0 Also charged with re-establishing Maryland\u2019s endodontic research lab when a prior faculty member retired, he conducts his own studies in the microbiology of endodontic infections, inflammatory mediators and correlated patient symptoms, with the goal of securing future NIH support.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Moreover, Martinho\u2019s interest in clinical technology helped develop a national reputation for the program in this area while adopting a student-centered perspective on the research component of their training that synchs with the brief timelines of their education compared to clinical evidence research which can go on for many years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s one of the hardest people in the school to find sometimes,\u201d says UMD second-year endodontic resident and Foundation REACH resident advisory council member Corey Rollor. \u201cHe\u2019s always on the go.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, the days don\u2019t end when it\u2019s time to go home.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNights are work, weekends work, that\u2019s how I do it,\u201d Martinho says.\u00a0 \u201cWeekends I\u2019m getting lectures ready, writing a paper or a grant\u2026during the week, after work I go the gym and work some more\u2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s been like 24\/7, but I\u2019m doing what I love\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What Martinho loves with a passion and youthful Latin flair is inspiring a respect for endodontics among nascent dentists.\u00a0 He is universally heralded for a positive, encouraging, mentoring approach to education, and appreciated and admired for his compassion and high standards. Incorporating his own scientific background and research interests, he has created opportunities for students to participate in meaningful research which helps shape their view of how they will practice in the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFred is the whole package,\u201d asserts Dr. Patricia Tordik, UMD director of endodontics. \u201cHe really can do it all. He\u2019s very hands on involved with the D2s. He runs their first intro to endo.\u00a0 You make it or break it.\u00a0 If they don\u2019t like the class when they\u2019re introduced to it early on, that\u2019s it, they\u2019ll probably avoid endo in school and then beyond when they graduate.\u00a0 First impressions are important.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the big picture, Martinho\u2019s role is far more impactful than instructing a rudimentary knowledge of endodontic procedures among new general practitioners. He focuses both on engaging undergraduate students and giving them a healthy perspective on their limits relative to the training of endodontic specialists.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe important part is having the foundational knowledge to know how to refer and when, which helps them to treat patients who need a simple RCT, but also guides them to understand why they need to refer some patients when they don\u2019t have the equipment or skill set needed to deliver certain types of care,\u201d Tordik says.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI show them a case where a treatment failed and is being referred to post-grads,\u201d Martinho explains.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t just stop there because it\u2019s being referred out. If you leave it to just what\u2019s at their level, that\u2019s not engaging. Other specialties like implant dentistry are showing them how to place an implant.\u00a0 We need to show them our next level too\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Martinho acknowledges that \u201cwhen I started as a predoc director I had a feeling they always wanted to do any case just to meet their requirements\u2026 but they were never looking at the complexity of the case.\u201d\u00a0 He responded by instituting a requirement to complete the AAE case assessment questionnaire to triage each treatment plan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSince we introduced the app to the predoc students, I\u2019ve seen them not try to push to do cases for which they are not prepared.\u00a0 I think if we train them in the app they will follow the app in the future as a GP. Sometimes dental students who graduated have an endo case in their practice and they contact me to talk about it\u2026so it sounds like it\u2019s working\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe pre-doc director of education is really critical from that perspective,\u201d Tordik says.\u00a0 [The role is] \u201cnot just how do you have a successful site visit every seven years from the ADA or what are the requirements for them to graduate? It\u2019s not really about that.\u00a0 It\u2019s about how you want them to practice once they have their degree.\u00a0 If some of them become interested in endo along the way you can really nurture that\u2026\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe bigger role is so that the GP has a good understanding of what endos do, and can do, to help them make the right treatment decisions for their patients. They\u2019re the gate keepers\u2026 you\u2019re not going to get referrals unless they have an understanding\u2026 if they\u2019re more comfortable with implants and prosthodontics then that\u2019s what they\u2019re going to recommend to their patients.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe only have a small amount of time to make a good impression.\u00a0 So Fred has a lot of responsibility.\u00a0 In my opinion the most important position in the endo division or even in any endo dept in any school is the pre-doc director. Those are the ones who have the greatest potential to make the greatest impact.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Martinho\u2019s students universally agree he is a true teacher who doesn\u2019t simply broadcast knowledge but fosters learning itself, both in the moment and for a lifetime.\u00a0 He is widely known for embodying a positive approach to professional training and all that it means to wear the mantle of being an educator.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe really wanted us to learn—to focus on the big take home messages of how do I incorporate this in everything I\u2019ve learned and on our hand skills, and what to pay attention to every single time in a systematic way, rather than on the grades and how am I going to ace this exam\u2026?\u201d says UMD dental 2025 class president Keon Manesh.\u00a0 \u201cIt really was a phenomenal class\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Working with Martinho on studies of the GentleWave device, UMD third-year endodontic resident Tanvir Singh explains \u201cwe\u2019re doing a lot of bacterial samples before and after the different access designs. During treatments, I started to think more about the concentration of bacteria that could be present, and how doing different access designs could impact my ability to clean out the bacterial load.\u00a0\u00a0 Translating the research to clinical practice has helped me think like a bacterium along every step \u2026 not just about having a few steps in a procedure that I\u2019m following\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Martinho\u2019s positivity and patient, unfailing encouragement inspires confidence when his students need it most.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSometimes all you need is a little positivity when you\u2019re lacking confidence or feel like you don\u2019t get it,\u201d Manesh says. \u201cHaving that support from your mentors and instructors can take you to a whole new level\u2026.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI remember telling him one time, \u2018this lab is a hot mess because we all don\u2019t know what we\u2019re doing \u2026!\u2019\u201d said UMD D3 Brianna Abraham.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018No, this happens every year, Brianna, he said, everyone knows by the end of the semester how to do a good root canal.\u00a0 It\u2019s just the process but you will figure it out as you go.\u2019\u00a0 He\u2019s very reassuring of the teaching process\u2026 If something went wrong during a practical like suction or a light wasn\u2019t working, he didn\u2019t freak us out even more by saying you have to hurry it up\u2026 he was so calm about it, just move to another chair That\u2019s really how he talks\u2026so sweet and calming and fair.\u00a0 He understood that life\u2019s not perfect, equipment\u2019s not perfect, things are going to happen, and we\u2019re just going to deal with it as it comes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That same positive encouragement extends to the example he sets as a role model for residents in how they interact with dental students in teaching them endodontics.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFred rallies the residents as mentors and instructors in the preclinical labs,\u201d Dr. Tordik explains. \u201cThey do a great job\u2026he teaches them not to laugh at the students and to be kind and helpful and give constructive criticism. It ends up being a very positive experience for everyone.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019s very friendly but very strict about the standards and hasn\u2019t lowered them but at the same time gives opportunities to succeed and meet the standards.\u00a0 Not all of them get it the first time around.\u00a0 But he keeps the door open to help them improve and get better so they\u2019re ready to see pts in the clinic.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s very good at connecting and building relationships ..\u201d Rollor says. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t just focus on the school part. He would come out with us and if there was ever a school event he was there with us, always interacting and making sure we had a good experience in school.\u00a0 I have to push myself to be like him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I started residency I didn\u2019t know which mentor I wanted to work with.\u00a0 After just a few months I got the sense that every resident wanted to work with him,\u201d observes Singh.\u00a0 \u201cJust working with him, the majority of the time is stress-free.\u00a0 He won\u2019t take any excuses–if you give him nonsense, he\u2019ll smell it and tell you to your face, but if you\u2019re doing your work he\u2019ll treat you like a friend and colleague\u2026 And when you\u2019re doing your research, he\u2019s able to do some prospective thinking and put himself in the chair of the people who\u2019ll review it five months from now\u2026. He\u2019s very good at that!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not surprisingly, Dr. Martinho continues to cultivate and develop interest in endo both among dental students who came to school with previous experience and those who had never even considered it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWhen I give my lectures, I teach them the basic principles. I want to make sure they understand it,\u201d Martinho explains. \u201cThen right in the middle or toward the end I start introducing what\u2019s going on in the topic and then I show them future directions.\u00a0 I say this is where we are and what you need to know, but this is where we might be in the future\u2026 I want them to see what\u2019s advanced in the fields now.\u00a0 I usually incorporate some info from the residency program just to expose them to say, this is how we clean in the post-grad \u2026you\u2019re here, and if you do a residency, this is what we do now for cleaning\u2026 but look! Here\u2019s where we might be in the future\u2026\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important because maybe you\u2019re going to get some students interested in endo just by showing them\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI came in wanting to do peds only, and I still do, but he really tapped into a passion for endo,\u201d UMD D3 Keyan Bashiri notes. \u201cHe just made it sound so cool. I remember our first lecture\u2026 it was the idea that we can save these teeth!\u00a0 I worked in a general office for a little bit and the doctor would almost always revert to doing an extraction as the primary solution.\u00a0 But Dr. Martinho taught us that you\u2019ve really got to do the full test\u2026that really flipped a switch for me\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Abraham came to dental school after four years working in an endo office.\u00a0 \u201cI was always really Dr.awn to him to grade my work because it wasn\u2019t just about what\u2019s good in lab or what will get you an A or B or C?\u00a0 He was all about \u2018can you do this in the real world? is this clinically acceptable?\u00a0 Will this give you the best result for your patients?\u2019\u201d Abraham says.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAnd because he is so involved in research, he brought up the latest literature. I really valued his opinion of my work.\u00a0 If you told him you\u2019re interested in endo, he really kind of pushed you toward it!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Martinho\u2019s teaching style also influenced UMD D3 Cesar Hernandez.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn one lecture on pulpal inflammation he structured everything in sequence to understand pulpal health from the micro level to the macro level, but he would use research articles in between the slides to support our understanding \u2026\u201d Hernandez explains.\u00a0 \u201cJust the way he sequenced everything all made sense, it was a domino effect\u2026Coming into dental school I shadowed a GP and wanted to do general dentistry but after his course I fell in love with endo.\u00a0 I woke up every day excited to be there and be in the lab and now I want do endo!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A native of Brazil, Martinho first came to the United States as a high school exchange student.\u00a0 Knowing that he wanted a career in the health sciences, he followed an older brother into dentistry \u201cand loved it\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He is quick to point out, however, that dental training is very different in South America.\u00a0 His first endodontic case in dental school was a molar.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhatever shows up, you have to manage it,\u201d Martinho recalls. \u201cI was freaking out..what am I going to do?!\u00a0 But then I ended up completing the case in one session, and I thought, \u2018Alright I like this\u2026\u2019 The second (time in) clinic was another molar, I managed it .. \u2018OK, I think this is what I want\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Graduating from Estacio de Sa University in Rio de Janeiro at the top of his class, he pursued specialty training in endodontics while serving in the Brazilian Navy, but also discovered his own affinity for teaching and a desire to pursue an academic career.\u00a0\u00a0 He enrolled in a Master of Science degree program at State University of Campinas Piracicaba Dental School in S\u00e3o Paulo with a dual focus on teaching and research as a student of Professor of Endodontics Dr. Brenda Gomes, whose own positive mentorship forged his identity as an educator, particularly through her knack for engaging students in endodontics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe live endo all the time,\u201d Gomes says. \u201cI do lots of research but I need talk with undergrads to pique their interest because I want to have them with me later on at the masters and doctoral level. It needs to start in the early stages of the undergraduate courses\u2026 I talk with them and bring them into the lab..\u00a0 We help them early on when they have lots of difficulties.\u00a0 I just try to make endo the best thing\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gomes\u2019s creative openness to new study ideas helped lay the roots for his pursuit of a doctorate with her as his advisor.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUsually in most labs people have their research interest — not many PIs are really open if you come as a PhD,\u201d Martinho explains.\u00a0 \u201cYou have to fit into their ongoing project, or they\u2019re not interested in working with you\u2026they look at PhD students as just more hands for their own project\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gomes recollects that Martinho needed some fresh motivation to begin his doctoral studies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo something different,\u201d she counseled him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So Martinho headed back to the US as a visiting scientist in the periodontology lab of Dr. Richard Darveau, where he studied endotoxins and learned the laboratory techniques for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extraction.\u00a0 Armed with new technical knowledge he could bring back to Brazil, Martinho immersed himself in LPS analysis and host immune response to LPS, continuing to work in Darveau\u2019s lab during his doctoral studies. His research was recognized as the preeminent doctoral thesis for the year by the Brazilian Ministry of Education.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Subsequently serving as a full-time assistant professor of endo at S\u00e3o Paulo State University, Martinho cemented his own passion for education while teaching labs, courses and clinic and mentoring masters and doctoral research.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTeaching a variety of students with different skill sets and observing them become more proficient, I realized that I was also learning from them,\u201d he reflects. <\/span><\/p>\n Also driven to learn a different educational system and continue higher level research, Martinho uprooted his life five years later to join the faculty at University of Maryland\u2014a move Gomes says \u201cwas very difficult for me\u2026When he left the lab felt so vacant and empty.. he filled it with so much activity\u2026 I always talk about Fred to my students as an example of perseverance.\u00a0 He was able to motivate himself to complete his PhD. He\u2019s a great example to my students of someone who went further\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The change brought Martinho new learning opportunities as an educator along with all the personal challenges of getting re-established in a new continent and culture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n