Our very own Dr. James Younan has been honored as Humanitarian of the Year from A.T. Still University, this year.
James graduated from A.T. Still in Arizona, in 2017, and practiced in Wisconsin before returning to his home state in 2020 to join Open Door’s dental team, alongside his wife Kia.
“Sometimes I get so caught up in my work that I don’t take time to appreciate my achievements,” he says. “It is very gratifying to be recognized for my work and it helps me hit the pause button and see what I have done.”
In addition to practicing dentistry at Fortuna Community Health Center, James’s side hustle is his nonprofit, Entertainment Healers. Dr. Younan creates dental educational videos, remixing popular songs with oral health education, under his stage name: Dr. Gibbz.
Why Gibbz? Dr. Younan was inspired by an equation he learned about during his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry. The “Gibbs Free Energy” equation describes how certain chemical reactions produce “free energy.”
“Entertaining, performing, and educating give me ‘free energy’,” he says. “In the future, I see myself playing to big crowds, entertaining and educating people about importance of their health.”
Dr. Younan has been recognized by his alma mater before. In 2019, he received the Public Health Dentist of the Year Award from the university.
“I want to make health care popular. These awards fuel my fire and keep me pushing forward.”
Dr. Gibbz will be spitting fire this Saturday, May 15, 2021, at the virtual Humboldt Health Fest 2021, alongside other local bands.
Don’t bet against this renaissance dentist!
