One of South Florida’s favorite and fastest sports is Jai-Alai. The ball used in Jai-Alai is called a pelota and it travels at nearly 200 miles per hour. The two contestants bounce the smaller than a baseball pelota off walls with a curbed wicker scoop to score points. The game is fast, furious, and hard to keep up with. The same can be said for Dr. Anissa Broussard Holmes (‘99), who now makes her home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Dr. Anissa Broussard Holmes Dr. Holmes has been setting a fast and furious pace for herself and others ever since graduating from the UAB School of Dentistry. Her pathway to her current entrepreneurial perch may be likened to Jai-Alai because there have been plenty of twists, turns, and bounces along the way.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Anissa Holmes said it was fate that introduced her to the UAB School of Dentistry. In the mid 1990’s, she was a student at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her parents had moved to Birmingham. Anissa came to Birmingham one summer and participated in a UAB health professions program with thoughts of becoming a pediatrician. As part of that program, she helped in one of the dental clinics where she met several dental faculty, including Dr. Mike Boykin, who convinced her to take the DAT. Her admittance was fast tracked as she was able to skip her senior year at USM and enroll at UAB. “I had really good classmates. It was the first class (’99) with so many women. I received a quality education and I was extremely prepared when I got out. We (all) had confidence,” said Holmes.
While she was a student, others soon came to know Anissa as a leader. She began volunteering and going on mission trips to help others. She recalled once writing Birmingham area dentists to help fund a trip to El Salvador. While at UAB, she became national president of the Student National Dental Association.
After graduation, Dr. Holmes practiced on the southside of Birmingham for nearly six years. As the owner of a solo cosmetic dental practice, she sharpened her managerial and leadership skills. Then, her career took a dramatic turn. Her husband at the time, Dr. Pierre John Holmes, moved the family to Kinston, Jamaica to join an oral and maxillofacial surgery practice. With two young children, Anissa sold her Birmingham practice and established Jamaica Cosmetic Dental Services.
While elevating her own practice, Holmes ramped up the number of hours of continuing education she was taking. She seized every opportunity to learn from mentors and coaching. The more she learned, the more she saw ways to improve her practice and better serve her patients. Other dentists began asking her for advice to improve their practices, and as one thing led to another, Dr. Holmes began focusing on helping other dentists. She established Platinum Elite Coaching, mentoring and coaching dentists around the world. She has influenced other dentists by offering them “boot camp” style learning, individual coaching, podcasts, and numerous speaking engagements. Through Platinum Elite Coaching, Dr. Holmes has helped mentor thousands of dentists through the years.
One of her prized students is Dr. Michelle Dandridge (’06) of Dothan. Dandridge said Dr. Holmes mentored her while in dental school and continues to coach her. “Dr. Anissa Holmes is a powerhouse in the dental field. From my first interaction with her as a dental student to now having the opportunity to be a part of her coaching program 15 years later, I am incredibly grateful for the wealth of information and unique perspective she consistently brings. Her passion and energy for helping dentists achieve the life of their dreams is awe-inspiring. She especially delights in empowering women and giving back to her community. Her patient and deliberate investment in other people will pay dividends in the future of dentistry and the world,” said Dandridge.
Holmes’ typical four day boot camp will have several hundred dentists in attendance. The boot camp is built on four pillars: 1. Systems to empower your team 2. How to improve case acceptance 3. How to calculate profit margins, and 4. All about the dental team.
“The most exciting thing when I hear from dentists, I’m helping is that I’m not only helping them build their practices, but I’m also saving them time to be with their families. Serving people is my why,” she said.
UAB School of Dentistry alumni will have the opportunity to learn from Dr. Holmes in person at the 2023 Alumni Weekend next February. She’ll have a special session with third and fourth year students, then offer a three hour continuing education course for general dentists and their practice managers.
“I can’t wait to come back to Alabama. It’s been years since I have been back to Birmingham. I’m looking forward to sharing some of strategies,” said Holmes.
UAB alumni will have the opportunity to master the business side of dentistry, just like the thousands of practitioners Dr. Holmes has already helped. To learn more about her offerings visit www.dranissaholmes.com