HONOREES
Cathy Hung, DDS, FAAOMS
Humanitarian
Kauser Bari, DDS
Mentor
Karen Conn, DMD, MS
Clinical Expert
Cindy Roark, DMD
Innovator
Nidhi Kotak, DDS, BDS, CLC
Woman to Watch
Vladana Babcic, DMD, MA, MPH
Industry Icon
Carol Ann Boyd, DDS
Industry Icon
Kajuana Farrey Sutton, DMD
Clinical Expertise
Meenal Patel, DMD, FAGD, FICOI
Humanitarian
Brenda L. Hansen, CEO
Innovator
Mary Kang, DDS
Mentor
Jessica Sliger, DDS
Woman to Watch
Lisa Simon, MD, DMD
Woman to Watch
Lisa Simon, MD, DMD, recipient of the Woman to Watch award, dedicates her talents as a Fellow in Oral Health and Medicine Integration at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and a Resident Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Simon works to ensure oral health equity by integrating the medical and dental systems, which led her to become a physician after working as a community health center dentist. She has procured grants to pilot the assimilation of oral health services into hospital wards, primary care settings, and clinics for incarcerated populations. Dr. Simon has developed oral health education curricula for practicing primary care clinicians as well as medical and nursing students, and conducts research on the impact of oral health on overall health. The New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, and the American Journal of Public Health and many others have published her work.
Stephenie Goddard, MS
Mentor
Stephenie Goddard, MS, recipient of the Mentor award, guides the next generation of leaders in the dental community through her role as Executive Vice President of Business Operations at Glidewell Dental in Newport Beach, California. Her dedication to elevating women in the workplace inspired her to engineer Glidewell’s Guiding Leaders program, which empowers women nationwide in all facets of business and leadership. Goddard designed the educational program with the intent of developing future key opinion leaders and fostering mentorship in the dental arena. She is a senior executive with nearly 30 years of business experience across multiple sectors. In her current role she has global responsibility for strategically leading new business development, sales, managing key partnerships, customer experience, human resources and learning and development.
Carolyn Primus, PhD
Innovator
Carolyn Primus, PhD, recipient of the Innovator award, makes strides in bioceramic materials technology for dentistry as an inventor, researcher, manufacturer, teacher, and humanitarian. She developed more than 100 medical devices in 30-plus years, including those she used to found Avalon Biomed. An inventor on 12 patents, with another pending, Dr. Primus developed bioactive materials that remain the standard of care in endodontics today. A medical device consultant for the past 23 years at Primus Consulting in Sarasota, Florida, she also shares knowledge as an adjunct associate professor at Dental College of Georgia and Texas A&M College of Dentistry. She contributes reviews for journals, lectures at schools on bioactive dental materials, and has authored 40 scientific articles, and chapters in textbooks. Recognitions include a University of Illinois engineering alumni award, and the Dr. Edward B. Shils Award for innovation and development of products for fixed prosthodontics, orthodontics and endodontics. She chairs the endodontic materials committees for the American Dental Association and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Most recently, Dr. Primus was recognized with the ADA 2019 Volunteer of the Year Award.
Nicole McGrath-Barnes, DDS, FACD
Humanitarian
Nicole McGrath-Barnes, DDS, FACD, recipient of the Humanitarian award, lives each day never losing sight of her impetus at age 15: to serve through dentistry. When, after 16 years of private practice, she began witnessing inequities in many communities, Dr. McGrath-Barnes created KinderSmile Foundation in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Since 2007, more than 28,000 children and families in that state experienced free dentistry ($7 million in donated services) through the efforts of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In that time, this oral health advocate mentored 35-plus high school and college students to pursue careers in the dental profession. Dr. McGrath-Barnes’ latest endeavor resulted in the expansion of KinderSmile’s dental homes in impoverished areas of Newark and Trenton, and inspired her to create an educational dental app for patients that is age appropriate in two languages. Her efforts have been lauded by The New Jersey Dental Association, New Jersey Office of the Governor and local community impact organizations.
Sarah Khan, DMD
Clinical Expertise
Sarah Khan, DMD, recipient of the Clinical Expertise award, demonstrates scientific and academic proficiency and experience. Dr. Khan earned her doctorate in dental medicine from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was selected to work alongside professors in a collaborative environment at the Ivy League school’s Dental Care Clinic. Through that exposure, she discovered her professional passion for advanced dental surgical techniques. Dr. Khan pursued courses with renowned educators Dr. Frank Spear, Dr. John Kois, and completed an intensive program with Dr. Arun K. Garg in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Khan’s expertise with sinus lifts, implants and full mouth extractions distinguish her surgically-focused practice in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Khan earned recognition from Incisal Edge among its 40 Under 40, America’s Best Young Dentists. Her recent undertakings include pharmaceutical development, and participation as a board member for a dental informatics company, aimed on improving patient care through the use of information technology.
Rella Christensen, PhD
Industry Icon
Rella Christensen, PhD, recipient of the Industry Icon award, shares her inspirational level of knowledge as a clinical researcher in numerous capacities, without any monetary compensation. Within her purview: Expanded Function Dental Hygiene, for which she founded and directed the Bachelor of Science Program at the University of Colorado in Denver. Dr. Christensen’s competencies in the areas of Physiology and Microbiology power the team at Technologies in Restoratives and Caries Research (TRAC Research), a nonprofit institute she established in Provo, Utah. At its core: in-depth studies of restorative materials, preventive dentistry, and dental caries. During her lifelong commitment to the betterment of patient treatment, Dr. Christensen also dedicated 27 years to Clinical Research Associates, a dental product testing institute that she founded and directed. She has presented over 1,040 dental continuing education programs, totaling over 5,200 hours, at U.S. and international locations and has published 121 abstracts. She is a member of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and the International and American Associations for Dental Research. As a non-dentist, Dr. Christensen has been inducted into the International College of Dentists, Academy of General Dentistry and the Academy of Dentistry International as an Honorary Member. In 2001 she was selected as the Distinguished Alumnus of Brigham Young University’s School of Life Sciences, and now serves on its National Advisory Board.
CAROLE A. PALMER ED.D., RD, LDN
MENTOR AWARD
At Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Carole A. Palmer imparts communication and nutrition skills to students. She joined the faculty at 23, and became the first female non-dentist to receive tenure – under 30 – at a time when only three females participated in any class. A national and international leader in applied nutrition and nutrition education in dentistry, she has authored the textbook Diet, Nutrition and Oral Health, and was among the inaugural group to pilot mentoring groups for first-year dental students. She currently dedicates her 50 years of expertise as Professor Emeritus, Division of Nutrition and Oral Health Promotion, Department of Comprehensive Care at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine; Professor, Master’s Program Director, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and Adjunct Professor, Program in Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine. Palmer earned her undergraduate degree from Simmons College, Boston, a M.Ed. degree from Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, and an Ed.D. degree from Boston University. Her efforts in organized dentistry have included: American Dental Education Association, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, New Hampshire Board of Licensed Dietitians.
CHARMAINE NG, DMD
WOMAN TO WATCH AWARD
As the Founding Dental Director for HealthRIGHT360 in San Francisco, California, Dr. Charmaine Ng created a program to meet the needs of the underserved in her community. Dr. Ng developed a whole-body, integrated care approach that utilized the dental, medical, medical assisted therapy (MAT), and behavioral health services on site. As an undergraduate student at University of California San Diego, she dedicated efforts with a student-run free dental clinic, and this passion for service led her to A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health to pursue a career in dentistry. By engaging in local community health committees and the San Francisco Dental Society, she gathered data and assessed the needs of the community to expand HealthRIGHT360’s clinical site to children who have limited access to care. Most of her patients are experiencing homelessness or struggling with barriers to healthcare; she aims to restore tooth function and self-confidence through dentistry, while providing integrated care. Dr. Ng is an American College of Dentists’ Fellow 2019.
LINDA MILES, CSP, CMC
INDUSTRY ICON AWARD
An internationally-recognized consultant, speaker and author on dental practice management and team development, Linda Miles founded an INC 500 dental management consulting firm in 1978, Linda Miles and Associates; and founded the Speaking Consulting Network in 1997. She sold those two businesses in 2007 and 2010 to devote more time to Oral Cancer Cause (OCC), a Florida-based 501 nonprofit that saves lives by creating awareness of early-stage head and neck cancer. OCC, which Miles co-founded with Robin Morrison in 2013, also provides financial assistance to oral cancer patients undergoing medical procedures who are unable to eat, speak or work. In 2016, with Dr. Tanya Brown, she co-founded Ultimate Team Mastery, an online virtual classroom for dental practices that aims to keep their teams on the cutting edge of management and communication skills, without travel days out of their practices to do so. In the past year, Miles served in an advisory capacity on the launch of diydentalconsulting.com, a complete guide to leadership, communication, systems training and team accountability founded by Nancy Crossin. Miles has spoken in 50 states and on four continents, authored four books and mentored many dental consultants and speakers.
TESA JOLLY, DDS
HUMANITARIAN AWARD
You’ll find Dr. Tesa Jolly raising oral health awareness locally, through private practice in her rural hometown, Pulaski, Tennessee, and globally, through dental mission outreach in China. In her first of 11 years of practice, Dr. Jolly established a Free Dental Day in Pulaski, and has organized 10 in total. She has championed its exponential growth to include a 200-volunteer effort that provides care for 500 people in one day. Her international volunteerism with Hope Smiles led her to China, where she provided dental care to orphanage staff. During three visits there, she adopted two children and today, her family includes four wonderful children she and her husband raise together. Dr. Jolly earned her DDS from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis and received her BS from the University of Tennessee in Biomedical and Biochemical Sciences. She has held offices on the regional and state level of the Tennessee Dental Association. She was the recipient of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s prestigious Evy Award twice, as a Rising Star and a Humanitarian. In her fifth year of service on the Board of Trustees of Southern Regional Tennessee Health Systems, Dr. Jolly was recently elected Vice Chair for the local Board of Health for Giles County, Tennessee.
CATHY J. GRINHAM, RDH
INNOVATOR AWARD
INNOVATOR AWARD
Leading the Visiting Dental Associates of Massachusetts as Executive Director, Cathy J. Grinham provides preventive oral health directly on-site to those in desperate need through the use of a patented portable system she invented to deliver digital panoramic dental images. As a dental hygienist who worked primarily in private practices and then at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Grinham had been concerned about the volume of people unable to access dental care due to location, financial constraints, or mental and physical limitations. In 2010, when the Massachusetts Dental Hygiene Association passed a bill allowing Public Health Dental Hygienists to provide direct care, she applied to become one of the state’s first in this role, and accomplished her goal after being awarded a grant provided by UMass Memorial and DentaQuest, LLC. Inspired, she founded Visiting Dental Associates of Massachusetts, LLC to guide Registered Dental Hygienists on the same path. An Assonet resident, she is an active member of the American Dental Hygiene Association and Massachusetts Dental Hygiene Association.
DEBORAH V. GEORGE, DDS
CLINICAL EXPERT AWARD
CLINICAL EXPERT AWARD
The Executive Vice President and first female Chief Dental Officer at Jessie Trice Community Health System (JTCHS) in Miami, Florida, oversees the frontline operations of seven dental practices. During her tenure, she has led partnerships with NYU Langone Dental Medicine and Larkin Community Hospital in Miami to create independent Advanced Education in General Dentistry Programs (AEGD) hosted at JTCHS. Dr. George spearheaded the shift to Electronic Dental Records, established a dental practice within a medical pediatric practice and secured training for staff to provide HIV screening in the dental setting. She earned her DDS degree from Georgetown University School of Dentistry, Washington, DC and her BSN from Hampton Institute, Virginia. A brief career in nursing reinforced her desire to serve. Firsthand awareness inspired her to decrease the oral health disparities among low-income minority groups, as well as the underrepresentation of African American women in the dental profession. Presently, she leads the integration of teledentistry into the oral health program at JTCHS. In the community, Dr. George serves as founding member and Vice President of a Female Investment Group, FIG, for women and as a mentor to young adults and young professionals.
Sharon K. Parsons, DDS
Dental Associates
Sharon K. Parsons, DDS, recipient of the Humanitarian award, dedicates her practice, Dental Associates, in Columbus, Ohio to the needs of patients of all ages. An advocate for opiate awareness, she educates dental professionals and has been interviewed by CBS Sunday Morning on the topic. After her elder son died of an opiate overdose in 2015, Dr. Parsons began addressing the scourge of addiction, speaking at the sentencing hearing for the man who sold her son the drug that killed him. As Chairperson of the East Main Street SID, she leads the non-profit corporation in its efforts to improve the neighborhood and business district east of Bexley. In October, 2019, Dr. Parsons will be inducted as President of the Ohio Dental Association, only the third woman elected to the position.
Sabiha S. Bunek, DDS
Bunek Dental Studio
Sabiha S. Bunek, DDS, recipient of the Clinical Expertise Award, bridges the gap between research and clinical practice in a unique role as both a dentist/owner at Bunek Dental Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan and CEO/Editor of Dental Advisor (DA). She collaborates with scientists at DA’s biomaterials research laboratory and with manufacturers to advocate for testing pertinent to real-life dentistry. Most recently, the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry invited Dr. Bunek to serve on its editorial board. Previously, Dr. Bunek earned recognition from the Seattle Study Club as one of the Top 10 Young Educators in the U.S. and from Incisal Edge among its 40 Under 40, America’s Best Young Dentists.
Rita Y. Chuang, BA, DDS, ABO
Breeze Orthodontics
Rita Y. Chuang, BA, DDS, ABO, recipient of the Woman to Watch award, drives dentistry forward with her commitment in the field of novel Orthodontic techniques. Patients at her private practice, Breeze Orthodontics in Torrance, California, benefit from her vast experience gained serving as Clinical Director at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Orthodontics. Trained at Ivy-league universities, Dr. Chuang has published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented her award-winning research both nationally and internationally. The author of dental bestseller, Million Dollar Smiles, serves on the boards of the American Association of Orthodontics and North American Taiwanese Medical Association.
Diane Johnson Krueger, CEO
NuSmile, Ltd
Diane Johnson Krueger, CEO, recipient of the Innovator award, founded NuSmile, Ltd. with a goal of improving the clinical practice of pediatric dentistry. Under her leadership since 1991, the company has become the world’s leading manufacturer of esthetic pediatric crowns. Diane is deeply involved in ongoing research of esthetic materials for crowns, luting cements, bioceramics and other related pediatric dental products at both the academic and clinical level, and in interacting with her customers. For more than 20 years, the Certified Dental Technician has been active with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and its Foundation — Healthy Smiles Healthy Children, the American Dental Association, and other national and international pediatric dentistry organizations.
Jeanette Sabir-Holloway, DDS
Jeanette Sabir-Holloway, DDS, recipient of the Mentor award, founded and directs a nonprofit organization, Increasing Diversity In Dentistry (IDID), which supports an increasingly significant number of successful applicants underrepresented in dentistry. In her role as Director of Outreach, Recruitment, and Admissions at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, she initiated a pre-matriculation program for students, primarily from economically and educationally disadvantaged environments, to ease the transition into dental school. Active in organized dentistry since her career as a private practice clinician in Indianapolis, Indiana, Dr. Sabir-Holloway received a presidential citation from the National Dental Association and the Groundbreaker Award for Service and Leadership from the Indianapolis District Dental Society.
Athena S. Papas, DMD, PhD
Athena S. Papas, DMD, PhD, recipient of the Industry Icon award, dedicates her inspirational level of knowledge as Head of the Division of Oral Medicine at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. There, Dr. Papas is a Distinguished Professor of Diagnostic Sciences and the Erling Johansen Professor of Dental Research. With expertise in the oral healthcare of the elderly, medically compromised, Sjögrens, cancer and bone marrow transplant patients, Dr. Papas has been the principal investigator of over 100 clinical trials. Dr. Papas was selected as the 2009 recipient of the International Association of Dental Research PTT Distinguished Scientist Award and has been the President of PTT and has chaired the distinguished scientist awards committee. She also has received the Gavel and Pierre Fauchard awards and is a life fellow of the American College of Dentists.
Andrea Joy Smith, DDS
Clinical Expertise
The recipient of the Clinical Expertise award creates solutions to her patients’ needs by seeking advanced education and training. Drawn to dentistry as a volunteer for the University of Southern California Mobile Dental Clinic, she earned her dental degree at the University of California San Francisco and has since committed 22 years to her patients’ oral health through Community Health Care and private practice. A published Diplomat in the International Academy of Mini Dental Implants, she has worked diligently since 2007 to embrace the technology to provide a less costly and less invasive alternative to medically compromised patients unable to receive conventional dental implants. In 2011, she established the Smile Again Now Foundation (SANF), which she presently leads in its efforts to extend access to dental care to members of the Sacramento community in need.
Practice: Dr. Andrea Joy Smith Family Dentistry, Sacramento, California
Specialty: Implants and cosmetic dentistry
Emily Ishkanian, DMD
Mentor
The recipient of the Mentor award channels the drive that in 2011 led her to establish the Southern Nevada New Dentists committee of the American Dental Association into ongoing efforts to help all dentists succeed. In her current post as chair with the ADA’s New Dentist Committee, this University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine Alumni of the Year finds herself deeply embedded in national, state and local work to assist dentists in their transition from school to practice. A member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, Dr. Ishkanian provides oral health care to patients in Henderson, Nevada while dedicating time outside the operatory to create a path for others’ professional growth.
Practice: Green Valley Dental Center, Henderson, Nevada
Specialty: General dentistry
Patricia Blanton, DDS, MS, PhD
Industry Icon
The recipient of the Industry Icon award continually drives change with the optimism vital to leadership roles. Beginning with her first faculty appointment in 1967, Dr. Blanton embraced her talents as a groundbreaker and stays true to that course as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, BCD/TAMUS; Interim Dean, James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina; Clinical Professor of Stomatology, Medical University of South Carolina, and owner of a private practice in periodontics and implantology in Charleston. The first female President of the Texas Dental Association, she recently served as Vice-President of the American Dental Association and President of the American College of Dentists. Dr. Blanton most recently received the highest honor given from the ACD, the William John Gies Award.
Practice: James Island Family, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry, Charleston, South Carolina; interim dean, Medical University of South Carolina’s James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine
Specialty: Periodontics
Winifred J. Booker, DDS
Humanitarian
The recipient of the Humanitarian award is the owner of busy pediatric dental practice in Owings Mills, Maryland. In 1996 Dr. Booker established The Children’s Oral Health Institute, where she serves as the CEO and Director of Development. Her work with the nonprofit has focused on advancing two paramount efforts: (1) oral health education programs, including Lessons in a Lunch Box: Healthy Teeth Essentials & Facts About Snacks™. This initiative is on track to reach all 50 states and 50,000 elementary school children in 2017, and (2) preserving the state law she was instrumental in helping to get passed in 2012 that requires oral health education to be taught as part of the curriculum in all Maryland public schools from grades K to 12. Inventor of the Brushtime™ Bunny and the Dental Care in a Carrot™ case, Dr. Booker also dedicates her talents as a mentor, media spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, consultant, and contributing writer for national publications.
Practice: Valley Dental Pediatrics, Owings Mills, Maryland; chief executive and director of development, the Children’s Oral Health Institute, Owings Mills, Maryland
Specialty: Pediatric dentistry
Margaret Fickess RDA, CDA, M.Ed.
Innovator
The recipient of the Innovator award empowers dental assistant students with confidence and career independence as Program Director for Dental Assisting at San Diego Mesa College. There she began her own personal professional journey in 1968, and in 2009 designed an 11- chair dental clinic for the Allied Health Building. Fickess has served in nearly every capacity with local (San Diego County Dental Assistants Society) and state (California Dental Assistants Association)branches of organized dentistry for nearly 50 years. Her efforts to improve lives include active volunteerism through CDA Cares and Children’s Dental Health Clinic, along with dental education of the underserved at schools, daycare centers and the Braille Institute for the Blind.
Practice: Director of Dental Assisting, San Diego Mesa College Dental Assisting Program
Specialty: Dental assistance
Irene Marron Tarrazzi DMD, MS
Woman to Watch
The recipient of the Woman to Watch award defied odds at age 42 by becoming the youngest elected Vice President of the American Dental Association. A periodontist in private practice in Miami, she had been serving on the ADA New Dentist Committee while holding positions at the state and local levels. Marron-Tarrazzi initially received her DMD from Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. Later, she received a master’s in science and a certificate in periodontology from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. In 2003, she earned a DMD from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. She draws on her own story – one that encompasses success across two distinct cultures and languages — to inspire young women looking to pursue a career in dentistry and to encourage them to run for leadership roles at the national level.
Practice: Brickell Periodontics, Miami, Florida
Specialty: Periodontics
Susan Maples, DDS, MSBA
Mentor
The recipient of the Mentor award educates dental groups throughout the country, transferring expertise gained under the most renowned teachers in her field and at her practice of 30 years in Holt, Michigan. With her work in advanced dental restoration and innovative total health implementation strategies, Dr. Maples combines her love for dentistry and her passion for health. She is instrumental in positioning the dental profession to play a major role in the pending health care crisis. In the hopes of discovering pre-diabetes and diabetes sooner in the patient population, Dr. Maples recently was published for a study, Diabetes Detection in the Dental Office. Originator of the Hands-On Learning
Lab™ Kit for children, Dr. Maples is recognized nationally for making a significant difference in children’s oral and physical health. In her own office, she individually mentors her patients toward health and has inspired dozens toward a career in dentistry.
Practice: Susan Maples, DDS, Holt, Michigan
Specialty: General Dentistry
Col. Theresa Gonzales, DMD, MS, MSS
Industry Icon
The recipient of the Industry Icon award continually enlightens her students as Director of Orofacial Pain Management and Professor of Oral Pathology at the Medical University of South Carolina – James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine. Daily, she calls on the vast knowledge amassed during a distinguished career in active federal service with the U.S. Army Dental Corps. A Diplomate of the American Boards of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Orofacial Pain, Forensic Dentistry and Forensic Examiners, Col. Gonzales most recently shared her vision with the Office of the Army Surgeon General. A dynamic lecturer who winds humor into dental education, Col. Gonzales has authored 50-plus scientific publications and is the recipient of the International College of Dentists Award for Excellence in Research, the Order of Military Medical Merit and the Surgeon General’s A designator for clinical excellence.
Practice: Director of Orofacial Pain Management and Pathology at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine, Charleston, South Carolina
Mary Teddy Wray, DDS
Humanitarian
Recipient of the Humanitarian award empowers her team with knowledge and confidence as owner and CEO of a dental practice in Bel Air, Maryland. In addition to inspiring with her clinical expertise, she demonstrates by example another vital ingredient in the formula for success: giving of oneself for a greater good. A graduate of Georgetown University School of Dentistry, Dr. Wray contributes as an active member of 10 professional associations. She dedicates her personal talents and resources to create safe havens and provide free dental services for victims of assault and abuse, as well as members of the homeless, elderly, and disabled populations. Her committed efforts help sustain more than 20 charitable organizations within her community and across the globe.
Practice: Laurel Bush Family Dentistry, Bel Air, Maryland
Specialty: General Dentistry
Joyce Bassett, DDS, FAACD, FAGD
Clinical Expertise
The recipient of the Clinical Expertise award, studied biology as an undergrad at the University of Toledo at age 16, and entered the College of Dentistry at Ohio State by 19. Without skipping a beat, Dr. Bassett opened a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, with its focus on complex rehabilitation cases. Voted among the Top 5 Female CE Educators, this national lecturer and published author founded the Women Teaching Women Cosmetic Learning Facility, which has been an adjunct teaching site for the Arizona Dental School. The state’s only accredited Fellow in The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Bassett recently earned the appointment of President for the organization.
Practice: Smiles by Joyce, Scottsdale, Arizona
Specialty: General and cosmetic dentistry
Pamela Schmidt, DDS, NMD, IBDM
Innovator
The recipient of the Innovator award has a commitment to providing a holistic and whole body health approach to patients in her Rockford, Illinois dental practice. Certified in integrative biologic dental medicine and board certified as a naturopathic physician, Dr. Schmidt has been instrumental in changing dentistry, from being one of the first female dentists in Rockford to utilizing ozone therapy and introducing safe mercury removal protocol. Hers was the first dental office in Illinois to feature a mercury containment system, which ensures the waste is removed to a treatment plant and is not toxic to the environment.
Practice: Schmidt Dental, Rockford, Illinois
Specialty: General Dentistry
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Kadambari ‘Kady’ Rawal, BDS, CAGS
Woman to Watch
The recipient of the Woman-to-Watch award provides dental care to her patients at the Faculty Practice of Boston University Dental Health Center. Passionate about geriatric dentistry, she also provides dental treatment to the elderly living in long-term care housing in the Boston area. Dr. Rawal earned her BDS degree from D.Y. Patil University School of Dentistry in Mumbai, India, and later joined Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUGSDM), where she graduated from the AEGD residency program and where she currently serves as Clinical Assistant Professor. She is the faculty mentor for the American Association of Women Dentists’ Chapter at BUGSDM and also represents the Women in Dentistry Committee on the board of the Boston District Dental Society. As an advocate for BUGSDM’s Women-to-Women program, she conducts monthly oral screenings for homeless, abused women in Boston and has also conducted dental outreach programs for women living within the red light districts of India.
Practice: Boston University’s Dental Health Center Faculty practice; the dental clinics at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and Hebrew Senior Life.
Specialty: General dentistry
Kendra S. Schaefer, DMD
Clinical Expertise
The recipient of the Clinical Expertise returned to her Midwest roots after graduating from, teaching at and practicing at the prestigious Ivy League University of Pennsylvania. As one of the few Maxillofacial Prosthodontists in the Midwest, she utilizes her expanded skill set to provide treatment in her private practice in Madison, Wisconsin. Schaefer continues to share her talents by giving back locally and internationally with Operation Smile, Medical Ministry International and the Academy of Prosthodontics Outreach Program for Native Americans.
Practice: Prosthodontics of Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
Specialty: Prosthodontics
Esther M. Wilkins, BS, RDH, DMD (1916-2016)
Industry Icon
The recipient of the Industry Icon award credits the fortitude her hardworking mother and mentor sister gave her to accomplish what she needed to do with her life. She devised a program of study and created mimeographed handouts that evolved into an up-to-date textbook for the profession of dental hygiene. The textbook has been used around the world and translated into several languages. Today, when not working on its 12th edition, Dr. Wilkins shares knowledge amassed throughout a legendary career with students at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, where she graduated in 1949.
Specialty: Periodontics, dental education
BB Maboby Bahadarakhann
Humanitarian
The recipient of the Humanitarian award dedicates her life to providing services to those in desperate need of oral health assistance, founded SmileOnU in 2013, while working as an oral surgery representative. Born in a refugee camp in Thailand and raised in Chicago, Illinois, BB lives today in Newport Beach, California, where through her nonprofit organization she is able to rebuild smiles in the Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles counties.
Luz Marina Aguirre, DMD
Mentor
The recipient of the Mentor Award, an Assistant Professor of Dental Medicine at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in NY, NY, leads by example as faculty advisor for the student chapter of the Hispanic Dental Association. As president of the New York chapter of the Association, she personally dedicates herself to the reduction of oral health disparities.
Occupation: Assistant professor of dental medicine within the division of operative dentistry and the section of adult dentistry at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
Specialty: General Dentistry
Lindsay Limbaugh, DMD, MS
Innovator
The recipient of the Innovator Award, a Board Certified Orthodontist, partners in a two-location practice in Huntsville, Alabama. In between implementing treatment innovations professionally, the Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics encourages the next generation, hosting Girl Scouts at her office — even leading a campaign to create a “Dental Awareness” badge.
Practice: Braces by Graham and Limbaugh, Huntsville, Alabama
Specialty: Orthodontics
Amanda Seay, DDS
Woman to Watch
The recipient of the Woman to Watch Award channeled her early affinity for the arts into a focus on restorative dentistry at the private practice she owns in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Dr. Seay’s family emigrated from Vietnam to the U.S., where she was born shortly afterward. The challenges that accompanied only served to ignite her thirst for education. As a clinical instructor and Key Opinion Leader for dental companies involved with the beta testing on new products and materials, she continues that quest.
Practice: Park West Dentistry, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Specialty: Cosmetic Dentistry
Joan Austin (1931-2013)
Industry Leader
The recipient of the Industry Leader award, Joan Austin (1931-2013), was cofounder of dental-equipment manufacturer A-dec, which employs more than 1,000 people and markets its products in more than 100 countries. She was the first woman named to the Oregon Economic Development Commission and her philanthropic and educational efforts were legion.
Kaaren Vargas DDS, PhD
Humanitarian
Recipient of the Humanitarian Award, Kaaren G. Vargas, DDS, PhD., a pediatric dentist in North Liberty, Iowa, serves as an example of fortitude to her young patients. After discovering her international degree stood in the way of opening a practice, she continued her studies and today leads the charge in humanitarian efforts.
Mary Hartigan DDS
Industry Icon
Recipient of the Industry Icon award, Mary Hartigan, DDS, much like Lucy Hobbs, was told she would never practice dentistry. Ignoring that advice, she sets the bar high as a general dentist, periodontist, dental educator and philanthropist in Jacksonville, Florida.
Karen Gear DDS
Innovator
Recipient of the Innovator Award, Karen Gear, DDS, a former clinical professor at Harlem Hospital Center, leads her practice and those she mentors using her clinical expertise in the areas of endodontics and general dentistry in Vineyard Haven, Mass.
Maria Maranga DDS
Mentor
Recipient of the Mentor Award, Maria Maranga, DDS, a practicing endodontist in Aquebogue, NY, not only shares her passion for dentistry with the next generation of practitioners at Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, but also with her peers, as a presenter at dental meetings across the country.
Katti Webb Simpson RDH
Clinical Expertise
Recipient of the Clinical Expertise Award, Katti Webb Simpson, RDH, who persevered to establish an Independent Hygiene practice in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, illustrates the future at work. Her pioneer spirit paves the way for others in her area of specialty.
Terryl Propper DDS, MS
Woman to Watch
Recipient of the Woman to Watch Award, Terryl A. Propper, DDS, MS, a senior partner of a seven-doctor, two-location endodontic practice in Brentwood, Tenn., was the first female to join its ranks 24 years ago. She dedicates herself to advancing the role of women in the industry.
Rhonda Switzer DMD
Humanitarian
Over her career, Dr. Rhonda Switzer-Nadasdi has focused on helping underserved populations receive quality treatment. As a teen she underwent a difficult but transformative series of dental surgeries. Through that trying experience, she says, “I realized dentistry could change people’s lives.”
Dr. Switzer-Nadasdi graduated from the dental program at the University of Manitoba in 1991. Since then, she has spent her career overseeing dental programs for the poor. She served as head of dentistry at a fly-in health center in the sub-arctic location of Churchill, Manitoba.
She also worked as a staff dentist for the Department of Health in Hamilton, Bermuda, where she treated children of low-income families, people with mental disabilities, and people in nursing homes and prisons. Dr. Switzer-Nadasdi became the first employee of the Interfaith Dental Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee in 1995 and has served as the CEO.
During her tenure, the clinic has grown from a two-chair operation located in a church basement to a ten-chair clinic with a staff of 35, providing more than $4 million in care each year. She is an avid sportswoman with a golf handicap of three and a top scorer on her coed ice hockey team.
Careen Young DDS, MSD
Industry Icon
Los Angeles area prosthodontist, Dr. Careen Young specializes in aesthetics and reconstructive dentistry. She is skilled in the replacement of missing teeth and the restoration of natural teeth. Dr. Young is originally from Toronto, Canada where she received her dental degree from the University of Toronto. Afterward, she completed a McGill University general practice residency and then a Master’s degree and a specialty degree in Prosthodontics at the University of Washington.
She has taught at the University of Washington, UCLA and USC dental schools as well as the Wadsworth VA Hospital. In addition, she lectures to various dental organizations on the subjects of aesthetic dentistry, implants and prosthodontics. She remains at the forefront of dentistry and has maintained a private practice in Beverly Hills for over 15 years.
Dr. Young was also elected by her peers to participate in the prestigious Pierre Fauchard Academy, an international dental service organization whose consistent focus is on integrity, ethics and professionalism while providing excellence in treatment, education and leadership both personally and within the dental community. She is also active in 14 professional organizations, including the American, California and Los Angeles Dental Associations, the American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics, the Academy of Osseointegration, Newport Harbor Academy and the Beverly Hills Academy of Dentistry. Dr. Young has a served two terms on the board of directors of the Beverly Hills Dental Academy. She was also a guest editor of the California Dental Association Journal when they ran an issue dedicated to porcelain veneers.
Lynda Dean-Duru DDS
Clinical Expertise
“We practice from the heart,” says pediatric dentist Dr. Lynda Dean-Duru. Her clinic, Ashburn Children’s Dentistry in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., started small in 2000: just Dr. Dean-Duru and an assistant.
The office was on the second floor of a shopping plaza; it had only a rear entrance. She wasn’t even allowed to hang a sign. “I wasn’t sure how patients would ever find us,” she says. But find her they did: She outgrew her space in a year.
Sonia Chopra DDS
Woman to Watch
Dr. Sonia Chopra, DDS, founder of Ballantyne Endodontics in 2008, is a highly talented and respected endodontist who works to bring both cutting-edge technology and the human touch to each and every one of her patients in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area and beyond.
Dr. Chopra’s mother, an anesthesiologist, played a big part in spurring her daughter’s interest in medicine– but fraught personal experience is what ultimately led Dr. Chopra to dentistry. Years ago, suffering from a toothache, she went from dentist to dentist seeking help. The first seven she saw were unable to assist her. The eighth, however, properly diagnosed and cured the underlying infection.
Sonia Leziy DDS
Mentor
Dr. Sonia Leziy describes herself as moving continuously between the roles of teacher and student. ” There’s always something you don’t know enough about.” she says — an intriguing statement from a woman who travels dozens of times a year to teach and lecture around the world about implants and esthetics therapies.
Her specialties are complemented by Dr. Brahm Miller, her husband and business partner whose prosthodontics focus enables their practice to serve patients across a range of conditions. The website of Imperio Group Dental Health Specialists, the couple’s practice in North Vancouver, British Columbia, says a lot about Dr. Leziy. She received her dental degree from McGill University in 1989 and subsequently completed a general practice residency program at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. Her post-graduate degree in periodontics was completed at the University of British Columbia in 1993.
Anne Eiting Klamar MD
Innovator
Dr. Anne Eiting Klamar is the President and CEO of Midmark Corporation.
Klamar joined Midmark in 2000 as president and was appointed to CEO in 2003, the fourth generation of the Eiting family to hold a leadership position. She devotes a high quotient of her time to corporate strategy, innovation and driving the company’s growth initiatives in domestic and international markets.
Klamar began her career practicing medicine at Family Practice Physicians in Urbana, Ohio in 1993, and served as director of the Well Child Clinic. She was elected to Midmark’s Board of Directors in 1993, and held the position of Secretary of the Board.
In 2009, Klamar participated in the installation of a dental school in the Republic of Tanzania, facilitated by Miracle Corners of the World, and continues to support global philanthropy in developing countries.
Klamar received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and graduated with her doctoral degree from the Ohio State University. She is also a graduate of the Owner/President Management program at the Harvard Business School.
2022
Cathy Hung, DDS, FAAOMS
Humanitarian
Kauser Bari, DDS
Mentor
Karen Conn, DMD, MS
Clinical Expert
Cindy Roark, DMD
Innovator
Nidhi Kotak, DDS, BDS, CLC
Woman to Watch
Vladana Babcic, DMD, MA, MPH
Industry Icon
2021
Carol Ann Boyd, DDS
Industry Icon
Kajuana Farrey Sutton, DMD
Clinical Expertise
Meenal Patel, DMD, FAGD, FICOI
Humanitarian
Brenda L. Hansen, CEO
Innovator
Mary Kang, DDS
Mentor
Jessica Sliger, DDS
Woman to Watch
2020
Lisa Simon, MD, DMD
Woman to Watch
Stephenie Goddard, MS
Mentor
Carolyn Primus, PhD
Innovator
Nicole McGrath-Barnes, DDS, FACD
Humanitarian
Sarah Khan, DMD
Clinical Expertise
Rella Christensen, PhD
Industry Icon
2019
CAROLE A. PALMER ED.D., RD, LDN
MENTOR AWARD
CHARMAINE NG, DMD
WOMAN TO WATCH AWARD
LINDA MILES, CSP, CMC
INDUSTRY ICON AWARD
TESA JOLLY, DDS
HUMANITARIAN AWARD
CATHY J. GRINHAM, RDH
INNOVATOR AWARD
DEBORAH V. GEORGE, DDS
CLINICAL EXPERT AWARD
2018
Sharon K. Parsons, DDS
Dental Associates
Sabiha S. Bunek, DDS
Bunek Dental Studio
Rita Y. Chuang, BA, DDS, ABO
Breeze Orthodontics
Diane Johnson Krueger, CEO
NuSmile, Ltd
Jeanette Sabir-Holloway, DDS
Athena S. Papas, DMD, PhD
2017
Andrea Joy Smith, DDS
Clinical Expertise
Emily Ishkanian, DMD
Mentor
Patricia Blanton, DDS, MS, PhD
Industry Icon
Winifred J. Booker, DDS
Humanitarian
Margaret Fickess RDA, CDA, M.Ed.
Innovator
Irene Marron Tarrazzi DMD, MS
Woman to Watch
2016
Susan Maples, DDS, MSBA
Mentor
Col. Theresa Gonzales, DMD, MS, MSS
Industry Icon
Mary Teddy Wray, DDS
Humanitarian
Joyce Bassett, DDS, FAACD, FAGD
Clinical Expertise
Pamela Schmidt, DDS, NMD, IBDM
Innovator
Kadambari ‘Kady’ Rawal, BDS, CAGS
Woman to Watch
2015
Kendra S. Schaefer, DMD
Clinical Expertise
Esther M. Wilkins, BS, RDH, DMD (1916-2016)
Industry Icon
BB Maboby Bahadarakhann
Humanitarian
Luz Marina Aguirre, DMD
Mentor
Lindsay Limbaugh, DMD, MS
Innovator
Amanda Seay, DDS
Woman to Watch
2014
Joan Austin (1931-2013)
Industry Leader
Kaaren Vargas DDS, PhD
Humanitarian
Mary Hartigan DDS
Industry Icon
Karen Gear DDS
Innovator
Maria Maranga DDS
Mentor
Katti Webb Simpson RDH
Clinical Expertise
Terryl Propper DDS, MS
Woman to Watch
2013
Rhonda Switzer DMD
Humanitarian
Careen Young DDS, MSD
Industry Icon
Lynda Dean-Duru DDS
Clinical Expertise
Sonia Chopra DDS
Woman to Watch
Sonia Leziy DDS
Mentor
Anne Eiting Klamar MD
Innovator
