When discussing our core values Dr. Dan Fischer, founder of Ultradent Products Inc., often says “Honesty plus courage equals integrity.” It’s interesting to see how that value equation has played out over the years in everything, from the way Ultradent advertises its products to research and development.

What's the best thing you bought on Black Friday?

  ​Recently, Ultradent added two new vice presidents to its executive team—Dr. Jaleena Jessop as VP of Clinical Affairs, and Karen Phillips as VP of Sales and Marketing. Both women bring a rich background and breadth of experience to their new roles and are proven, outstanding leaders in their field of expertise. Today you'll have the chance to learn about both women's impressive professional backgrounds, and also a bit more about their dynamic personalities—their favorite movies, their favorite Ultradent products, and more! 

In honor of International Women's Day, we sat down with Jaleena Jessop, Ultradent's Director of Clinical Affairs. She is also a practicing dentist. In our conversation, she discusses how, through hard work and determination, she achieved her goal of becoming a dentist despite coming from a very conservative background where women weren't encouraged to pursue careers. 

​I have so many memories surrounding the holidays, like seeing kids pile out of the car after driving from another part of the country to come back home and reconnect with those they love for a few days or a week or two. It's so special.

The holidays are always special. What better way to kick them off than with an attitude of gratitude? Here are a few things that some of us here at Ultradent are grateful for:

What do you do at Ultradent? I’m a chemist in Research and Development. I started in Quality Control, but I wanted more hands-on experience with the products and having a hand in creating new products, so I moved over to R&D and I love it.  How many years have you worked at Ultradent? Just over three years. 

If you could choose anything, aside from being a dentist, what would you do as a profession? When I was a young boy, I often thought about hydraulic engineering, because that was the cutting edge of engineering at the time. I’m still fascinated by hydraulics. There are so many wonderful developments that have occurred just in my lifetime in that realm—through World War II and the hydraulics used in the war efforts, to hydraulics used in excavating. We even use hydraulics to a lesser degree at Ultradent, which brought about the trademark syringe delivery method that Ultradent has become known for.

“I’m a traveler and had been visiting Cambodia for about ten years and got to know quite a few people down there. My journey to Cambodia in 2006 left an indelible impression on me. I was deeply moved by the images of the extreme poverty and desperate circumstances in which many Cambodians live.  Kindredhouse was born from an idea in 2007 on a return trip to Cambodia with my daughter, Riley Bassett. The idea was to establish a group of friends, family, and volunteers to try to make a difference in the lives of rural Cambodians. This organization is an extension of our shared love of culture and strong belief in service,” says Erin West, of Draper, Utah.