Dr. Gary La Com

Dr. LaCom graduated from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in 1978 and enjoyed six weeks of serving the Navajo people at Monument Vallely, Utah as part of his curriculum.  So after starting a new general practice on the Oregon coast and working there for nine years he and his family answered positivily when asked to serve in Malawi, Africa.
Gary, his wife, Margi, and sons, Chris and Joe, packed up everything and moved to Blantyre, Malawi in 1987.  Dr. LaCom was Dental Director for Blantyre Adventist Hospital where he directed  an out-patient clinic with another dentist and five expanded duty assistants, did regular hospital dentistry, and directed  an in-house laboratory.

It was a very enjoyable nearly nine years, but as their sons got older it was time to return to the U.S.A. They chose Corinth, MS as a landing place and it seems to be a good fit.

After working at B.A. H. for a couple of years he was asked to teach dentistry to the  Medical Assistants at Malamulo Hospital, about 40 miles away.  Most of his work was in the clinic in Blantyre, but several times he got to travel around Malawi with a physician to visit the 16 “bush clinics”  where some of the Medical Assistants manning the “bush clinics” were his former students. But not all of the time was spent in dentistry.  Gary has many many interests and fixing things was an important part of the visits.  Everything from solar panels to dental equipment and the function of water wells were part of these trips as well as maintaining the clinic equipment at B.A.H.
It was a very enjoyable nearly nine years, but as their sons got older it was time to return to the U.S.A. They chose Corinth, MS as a landing place and it seems to be a good fit.
Dr. LaCom has always been interested in continuing dental education and was able to not only keep up his required hours of classes but also upon returning to the U.S. he earned his Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry.