Dr. Brian Shuman grew up outside of Boston, playing sports and watching his father practice periodontics in Brookline, MA. His childhood interests stuck with him through his time at Haverford College. He graduatedin 1978 after majoring in biology, captaining the varsity soccer and baseball teams, and playing tennis. He was named MVP of his soccer team; he received both theDochertyaward for sportsmanship, and the Haverford College Varsity Cup, which is given to the top scholar-athlete in the school. He was also selected as a member of the USA soccer team for the 1978 U.S.MaccabiahGames. In 2013, he was selected to the Mid-Atlantic Conference All Century Soccer Team.

After graduating, he decided to pursue his life-long dream of following in his fathers footsteps by practicing periodontics. He first attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, followed by the University of Pennsylvania School of Periodontology. He graduated in 1985 and immediately moved to Burlington to begin his career at Associates in Periodontics.

Today, Dr. Shuman dedicates himself to providing his patients with unparalleled care and personal attention: My staff and my patients are my second family. He believes in providing the highest quality care dentistry has to offer. In order to do this, he is always educating himself and staying on the cutting-edge of technology.

Dr. Shuman believes strongly in teaching and giving back to the profession. Committed to this philosophy, he has served more than 25 years as Chairman of Vermonts Board of Dental Continuing Education. He also serves as the Dental Consultant for oral appliances at the Fletcher Allen Hospital Sleep Center and as Chief Supervising Dentist at the Vermont Tech School of Hygiene. In 2014, Dr. Shuman received the Distinguished Service Award for exemplary leadership and dedication of his time and talents to the betterment of the profession and to the dental health of the people of the state of Vermont. This is the most prestigious award given by the Vermont State Dental Society and was last awarded in 2009.

Outside of dentistry, Dr. Shuman loves spending time with his daughters,Alexx(a graduate of Smith College andThe New England Culinary Institute),Meika(a student at South Burlington High School), his wife Cindy (former CEO and CFO at several corporations) theirlabradoodle, Thunder (current office mascot), and their rescue pup Cowboy. He also dreams of someday having a single digit golf handicap, enjoys tennis, reading, anything tech-related, and is an avid Boston sports fan through the good times and the bad.

Dr. Shuman strives to live by his motto: Your reputation is based on the choices people think you make. But your character is based on making the right choices, at the right time, for the right reasons, regardless of the personal consequences.

To be honest, it has been challenging to find the right Periodontist to join me and take AIP into the future. Some have come through the door but the fit was not ideal. It is getting harder and harder to find partners who believe in my philosophy that it is first, all about you, the patient, second, all about the staff and lastly, third, all about the Docs.

She completed her Periodontal and Implant specialty training at The Boston University Henry Goldman School of Dentistry. This is a superb educational program. Coincidentally my dad also graduated from the B.U. Periodontal program and the founder of the B.U. Dental School, Henry Goldman DMD, was my dads partner for 35 years.

Adisa and I have spent many hours talking about the AIP philosophy of care. Adisa shares the values of treating patients and staff with honesty, respect and empathy. These are the same values I learned from Dr. Paul Levi and from my dad, Dr. Alan Shuman. Values that we have continually woven into the fabric of AIP over the last 37 years.

I would say Ive always been an adventurous girl. I like to do new, challenging things--especially things that scare me! That all started when I was 12 years old and I asked my parents if I could leave Thailand, my home, and fly to Vancouver for a 3 month summer exchange program. They surprisingly agreed with only one condition. I had to promise to call them the minute I landed and then once a day, every day. My dad handed me five pre-paid phone cards (we had no cell phones back then).

I of course promised to call and with limited English and no travel experience under my belt, I hopped on the plane to Vancouver. It was a long trip, 7,334 miles to be exact. I was all alone and a bit scared until I stepped off the plane and met my host family at the airport. They were amazingly nice and I knew the 3 months was going to be fantastic. My dream to leave Thailand and be in Vancouver to learn English was actually happening.

My promise to call my parents as soon as I landed well for the first 3 days I was so swept up in the excitement that I totally forgot to call!! I think they realized then that my life would be filled with no fear and a passion for learning and travel.

I consider dentistry as not only a science, but also an art. I was attracted to Periodontics because Ive always been fascinated by the art and science of saving teeth. Its a thrilling and challenging field, where there are always new advanced techniques to learn and new materials to use. Its a never-ending continuing education learning experience. And learning has been my passion since I was 12 and went to Vancouver.

As someone who moved 8500 miles to a place where she did not know anyone, I would say my best memories are of my Perio school co-residents. Im so lucky to have met them, and they helped me feel a sense of home. On the weekends, we would always do activities together, hiking, cooking, or just hanging out. They became my new US family and now Dr. Shuman and the staff at AIP will also become part of my new US family.

Before I learned about AIP, I was doing multiple job interviews. I was discouraged because many practices did not align with my core-values and priorities regarding patient care. But when I had a chance to visit with Dr. Shuman at AIP, I was so relieved to learn that not only were we a value-match but also to find that Dr.Shuman and the staff were so professional and so friendly. I knew that practicing Perio at AIP was what I had been searching for, the right place for me to land.

But my dream was to attend dental school and become a Periodontist so my dressage competitions had to be placed on hold. I still try to ride casually once or twice a month but now that I am moving to Vermont I plan to compete in Dressage again. Dr. Shuman and I visited dressage training stables around Burlington and Im looking forward to riding as much as I can once I get settled in October.

Im also looking forward to hiking on the weekends (my favorite stress-relief activity) and learning how to ski! I took a few downhill skiing lessons while I lived in Boston, but I still have a lot to learn.

Dr. Upasna Janu will be joining Dr. Brian Shuman and Dr. Adisa Ratanasirintrawoot at Associates in Periodontics on November 5, 2021. Dr. Janu is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Periodontology and Dental Implants. We welcome her to our practice! Please read about her background here:

I would start by explaining the meaning of my name. Upasna, pronounced ooh- pahss na means Prayer. My last name, Janu, pronounced Jah-new, means sweetheart. When you meet me I hope you will see that I am a sweetheart

I spent 5 years in training and received a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the Bapuji Dental College & Hospital in India. I was then accepted to the Indiana University School of Dentistry, USA and received my certificate in Periodontics and a Masters in Dental Science. My Periodontal program Director is friends with Dr. Shumans past partner, Dr. Paul Levi and highly recommended that I consider working with Associates in Periodontics.

My husband has a Masters degree in Business Administration, is a wonderfully supportive husband and a loving father. He is an avid sports fan and an excellent cricket player. He hopes to join a cricket club in Vermont so if you know of one, please contact Dr. Shuman.

We have a newborn son named Agastya who is 1 month old. Dr. Shuman told me that newborns do not ever sleep but so far Agastya has been a dream baby. My mom is visiting us from India and helping with Agastya so I am very fortunate.

I plan to start working with Dr. Shuman and Dr. Ratanasirintrawoot on November 12. We already have an apartment in Burlington and cant wait for my favorite season, winter, as I love the snow. When I experienced my first snowfall it felt like white feathers falling on my face.

I learned from my Father the importance of being humble, down to earth and kind. My father always told me that when a tree grows bigger and has more and more fruits it bends towards the ground. That trait is an integral part of my childhood and I hope to pass it on to Agastya.

I love to dance and can often be found listening to music and dancing around my apartment. I also paint landscapes in oils and I cook delicious Indian food. From what Ive learned, Dr. Shuman will find it very, very spicy. The AIP staff tells me that Dr. Shuman has a sensitive stomach and will never be able to eat the Indian food I cook. Indian food without all the hot spices may not taste so good but I will try.

As a teen I loved to fix things. My upbringing taught me to take great care of living and non-living things. If something breaks you do not throw it out. Instead you repair it and keep it functioning for as long as possible.

Later on as I became interested in dental medicine, this mindset was a natural segue to the field of Periodontics where the goal is to repair and save teeth. Now, I am able to extend the life of a smile and if needed, replace missing teeth with dental implants.

We participated in a canoe competition called Battleships. I really like being in the water but cannot swim. I figured being in a canoe would be safe. I quickly realized the game had nothing to do with a calm relaxing canoe ride. Rather the game was to sit in a canoe in a pool while those around you tried to sink you with water cannons.

My canoe sank very quickly and out into the water I went. At that moment, despite having on a life jacket, all my friends recognized that I had no clue how to swim! They came to my rescue and it turned out to be a lot of fun. But after the experience of almost drowning I promised myself that I would definitely learn to swim. And I will once I settle in Vermont and then maybe take a dip into Lake Champlain in celebration.

Dr. Shuman. He was so different from all the other Doctors I have met. When he described the treatment philosophy of his office, the skill and caring of the staff, the kind referring dentists and the interested and appreciative patients, I just knew AIP was where I should be.

I love the outdoors and as I mentioned, my favorite season is winter. Vermont is all about being active, enjoying nature and embracing the outside. It is a safe state and a perfect place to raise a family. That is all very exciting.

We cant wait to start our new life as Vermonters. I hope to paint the beautiful scenery, learn how to swim, snowshoe and ski. I look forward to meeting all the patients, dentists and contributing to the community.