The fantasy of the triple threat in academic dentistry

One of the fond hopes of academic administrators is to assemble a faculty with a core of triple threats: individuals who excel in teaching, research, and patient care. This report describes the quest of one faculty member to achieve this T3 status. Gradually it has become clear that excelling in any of these areas is more than a full-time commitment in itself. Although each experience contributes to the skill set of a professional, a realistic view of excellence means concentrating one's efforts.