The Campbell Academy Blog

A sort of carpool karaoke

Geneva are coming.

They will arrive tomorrow and be at The Campbell Clinic on Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday.

Geneva consists of Professor Irena Sailer, Bjarni Pjetursson and Vincent Fehmer.

We have worked on and off, back and forth with Irena Sailer for some years, and Vincent Fehmer was supposed to present a master class as one of the world's most famous dental technicians in 2020 at The Campbell Clinic.

It was supposed to be one of our grandstand master classes the first year we opened, but we all know what happened there. He presented on Zoom to a group of appropriately socially distanced people in the academy (phrases that I'd forgotten about).

Bjarni, we haven't met yet.

If you don't know about the University of Geneva and its position in the hierarchy of ivory towers in dentistry, where have you been?

Urs Belser was the professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Geneva for many years and effectively 'wrote the book' and actually wrote the book on Restorative Dentistry with Pascal Magne.

After his retirement a few years ago, Irena Sailer took over the professorship in restorative dentistry and is married to Vincent Fehmer, the genius technician who lectures globally and everywhere and is one of the most renowned technicians in the world.

Vincent is a lovely guy. I have met him only once in South Africa this year, but I have also spoken to him many times and corresponded with him on WhatsApp.

He was a big social media supporter of us as we built the clinic, although he's never been in it yet, even though his name and picture are on the Hall of Fame from speaking in 2020.

As it happens with these global superstars who travel everywhere, even though Vincent and Irena are married, they will arrive separately from different departure points on Wednesday.

Irena is not arriving in Birmingham until nearly midnight, and Bjarni is arriving in Birmingham at some other time, but Vincent arrives at 2.30 (funny dental joke).

I've set aside some time this week to be able to pick him up from the airport in Birmingham and drive him across to Nottingham, and why would I not do that?

The opportunity to spend 70 minutes in the car with someone of Vincent's stature, who exists at his level in dentistry, is absolutely priceless.

What would people pay for 70 minutes of uninterrupted time with Vincent (or Rony Jung or Daniele Cardaropoli, who are also coming this year)?

That is a golden opportunity, and I have done this many times now with people who exist at the very highest points of dentistry.

It's an interesting exercise.

There was one occasion when I collected one of the world's most famous people in dentistry from a train station to drive them to a study club in Nottingham, and they were particularly horrible and vile.

That specific individual has never been invited back and never paid a penny for anything to do with us ever again, which is the total opposite of when you pick up someone like Rony Jung from the airport, and you realise what a genuinely wonderful person he is.

It's something we don't do in dentistry enough.

We never make time to go and see people that we respect or like, spend time with them, and pay as much money as is required (none on this occasion) to get some snippets of genius from people who have made it to a level way above us in a world that none of us can possibly comprehend.

I think I might even get Vincent to sing a song in the car with me, and then it will be a proper carpool karaoke.