Julia Izumi, RDT, 37

After working at the bench at Shanto Dental Ceramics Ltd., Vancouver, BC, for more than a decade, Julia Izumi took a two-year hiatus to be a stay-at-home mom. When she returned a year ago, she did so with gusto, stepping into a new role as Production Supervisor at the 25-person lab.

While the shift from bench to manager can sometimes be challenging, Izumi credits the smooth transition to her “street cred.” “I had an established rapport and trust with the staff members, having worked elbow to elbow with them for years. I try to take a soft approach to management, focusing on collaboration and sharing our knowledge,” she says.

Now she’s applying her years of experience to team building, a critical element for a happy and healthy company culture. In addition, Izumi keeps a close eye on ensuring the lab’s production flows smoothly, while QC’ing cases, exploring new materials, implementing new workflows, and treatment planning cases...