"Ernest Goodson had never met a black dentist, so he decided to become one"
Ernest Jerome Goodson was born December 16, 1953 in Concord, North Carolina where he was raised by his grandparents. He is a 1972 graduate of A. L. Brown High School and furthered his educational studies at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry (Chapel-Hill, NC), University of London (London, England), the University of California - School of Dentistry (San Francisco, California) and Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts). Goodson and his wife, Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson reside in Fayetteville, NC and they have two adult children.at and her husband are the parents to two adult children and currently reside in Fayetteville.
Dr. Ernest Goodson, DDS, MPA says the best thing that ever happened to him was being raised by his grandparents in Kannapolis, North Carolina. His grandfather could not read or write and his grandmother, Mrs. Willie Ree Thompson, only had a sixth-grade education, but she had high hopes for Goodson. Goodson took his grandmother's advice seriously and after completing his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel- Hill he was admitted to the UNC School of Dentistry.
Immediately after completing dental school, Goodson went abroad to serve a year-long fellowship in dental surgery at the University of London. Initially, Goodson was not sure which specialty of dentistry interested him most - surgery or orthodontics. But after spending a summer surgery externship at Mount Sinai Hospital of Cleveland - he realized that it was hard to stand without back pain for the number of hours to perform one jaw surgical procedure. So he opted for orthodontics and completed two-years in orthodontics at the University of California (UCSF) - School of Dentistry.
After numerous years in dentistry, Ernest enrolled in Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, completing his master’s in public administration in 2002. He has published a number of research papers, including but not limited to researching the role African-Americans have played in orthodontics.
Dr. Goodson has taken care of people less fortunate than himself throughout his career. From 1997 to 2010, he volunteered at the Fayetteville Care Clinic monthly - serving low-income and uninsured dental patients. He has provided free dental services in more than twenty mission clinics in North Carolina. He has also completed missions with the Medical Ministries International to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Maiawi providing dental care in the poor rural areas.
His approach to life is to keep his mind open and his feet on the ground. What matters most to him is treating people with respect and honesty. “We’re all traveling the same path,” Ernest said. “We should help each other along the way. We’re all going to end up six feet under some day.”
Education:
BS in Dentistry UNC-Chapel Hill
Doctor of Dental Surgery UNC-Chapel Hill - School of Dentistry
Certificate of Orthodontists University of California-San Francisco
Fellowship in Dentistry Royal Dental Hospital-University of London
Master in Public Administration Harvard University
Organizations:
North Carolina Dental Society American Dental Association North Carolina Association of Orthodontists Southern Association of Orthodontists American Association of Orthodontists World Federation of Orthodontists College of the Diplomates of the American Board of Orthodontics Dr. Goodson has worked in the Fayetteville community since 1986. He presently does volunteer work at the Fayetteville Care Clinic, contribut es to the Caring 7 (an organization that feeds the homeless at Thanksgiving and Christmas) and he tutors students at R. Max Abbott Middle School.
Awards And Honors:
Dentist of the Year Old North State Dental Society Academy of General Dentistry Fellowship Academy of General Dentistry Doctor of the Year Fayetteville Minority Health and Legal Professionals Volunteer of the Year Governor Michael Easley Professional of the Year Fayetteville Business League Citizen of the Year North Carolina Dental Society Harvey Beech Award UNC General Alumni Association American Board of Orthodontists
"When it comes to the history of African American dentists, Ernest Goodson is something of an encyclopedia." - The Fayetteville Observer. February 22, 2019
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