DR. HARKIN, LAURA
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Dr. Laura Sheaffer Harkin graduated Cum-Laude from Franklin and Marshall College with a major in mathematics and a minor in flute performance. After a short career in the actuarial sciences, Dr. Harkin chose to return to school in pursuit of taking over her grandfather’s and father’s dental practice. She graduated from Temple University School of Dentistry in 2008 and continues to fulfill her personal commitment to life-long learning.
In 2016, the Academy of General Dentistry awarded Dr. Harkin with her Mastership at their annual meeting in Boston, MA. In addition to devoting over 1,100 hours of study to various dental specialties, Dr. Harkin passed a rigorous examination. In 2021, she anticipates the receipt of her Lifelong Learning and Service Recognition (LLSR) which constitutes an additional 500 hours of study and 100 volunteer/service hours.
Dr. Harkin is an integral member of the Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, FL. The Pankey Institute is a non-profit organization, which is dedicated to providing dentists with the learning of patient-centered, comprehensive care. Dr. Harkin is both an Advisor to the Board of Directors and a Visiting Faculty Member. Her teaching duties include, but are not limited to, the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), head and neck musculature, occlusion, splint therapy, and the Pankey Philosophy. In 2020, Dr. Harkin joined the ranks of forty-five, fellow Pankey Scholars; the Pankey Scholar Program is a self-developmental program centered around clinical competency, behavioral studies, and practice management. Additionally, Dr. Harkin is a member of a study club associated with the Institute called Three Knots.
Dr. Harkin has incorporated the lost art of cast gold restorations into her practice, since attending the Tucker Institute in Seattle, WA, in 2016. She is currently a member of the First Casting Club in Pennsylvania, which is mentored by Dr. Bruce Small of Princeton, NJ. At each study session, she prepares and restores a cast gold inlay or onlay for a member of her patient family. This experience enables her to critique her hand skills and master the intricate, restorative technique developed by Dr. Richard V. Tucker.
Dr. Harkin operated at her first, international, Academy of R.V. Tucker Study Clubs Annual Meeting in Morgantown, WV, in 2019. Dr. Harkin gives back professionally through the following organizations: Dental Access Lancaster County (DALCO), the Water Street Rescue Mission, and Missions of Mercy in Pennsylvania (MOM-n-PA). Through the DALCO program, she delivers comprehensive care to up to five patients per year at her office and with the help of her team. The patients are screened by the local hospital for financial need; their commitment is a nominal fee of $10 per visit. Several times per year, Dr. Harkin and her team also provide restorative, preventative, and periodontal services in the dental clinic at Water Rescue Mission in Lancaster, PA; this is a homeless shelter committed to restoring lives through “rescue and renewal.” Finally, Missions of Mercy is an annual, 2-day, free dental clinic for the underserved at which Dr. Harkin and her team have served.
On a personal level, Dr. Harkin is a committed board member at the Lancaster Country Day School, her alma mater and children’s school. She has also served as President for the New Holland Rotary Club. Dr. Harkin values her time with her husband Sean and her children Denis and Lianne. She loves evening runs, reading, and playing her flute and piano.
