Tshepo Gugushe is currently the Director of the School of Oral Health Sciences and serves as a Senate Representative on the University Council.  He acquired his tertiary education from the Universities of Fort Hare, Witwatersrand and Stellenbosch (BSc; BDS; DHMS; M.Dent; M.Phil).  He is a registered specialist in dental public health.  He has served in several committees of the Medical Research Council (MRC), Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), South African Institute of Race Relations, International Association for Dental Research (IADR), the International Federation of Dental Educators and Associations (IFDEA) and as a member of Senate of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa.  He currently serves as an editorial board member of the European Journal of Dental Education.  He has published in both national and international peer reviewed publications.  He is married with two sons. Two recommendations for those interested in entering the dental profession: 1. Identify a niche area within dentistry and acquire the necessary qualifications in order to be an effective leader within the field 2. It is fundamentally important to know yourself (including your values) in order to be an effective leader