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Why This Mid-Career Dentist Chose to Serve
Irwin Army Community Hospital
May 11, 2026 | 5:47
CPT Mara Pagan is an Army dentist who left a lucrative but stressful 15-year career in the civilian sector to find deeper meaning in Army service. She describes burnout, corporate pressure, and how insurance plans hampered her ability to care for patients.

Despite taking a significant pay cut, CPT Pagan highlights how the Army gave her the clinical freedom to treat patients based on their medical needs rather than their financial limitations. In the Army Dental Corps, she has found a renewed sense of purpose in being the dentist she always wanted to be.

Music title "Phoenix" by Scott Buckley (@ScottBuckley) – released under CC-BY 4.0.
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dentistryFort Rileydentist
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