From Now On

Family Vacation. President Ratner; daughter, Lindsay; son, Ben; wife, Amy, enjoy Alaskan cruise.

Meeting the Challenges of an Altered World

A Conversation with NYSDA President Craig Ratner, D.M.D.

NYSDA’s 2020-2021 President, Craig Ratner, D.M.D., feels like he’s straddling two realities. There’s life before COVID-19, and the new, altered state that has followed. What a time to be taking the helm of the Association! To his colleagues who have remarked on the difficulties he is facing, Dr. Ratner responds:

“I saw firsthand how our Association came through the fire— stronger in some ways and in other ways, learning what we must change. As we put these lessons into motion, we must not look back over our shoulder. For me, it is all about what we will achieve in the future. And that’s why the theme I’ve established for my tenure as president comes down to three simple words: ‘From Now On.’”

Three words. And three proposals for strengthening NYSDA to meet the challenges of a future—which Dr. Ratner describes as having been forever changed. “There will be new challenges and crises ahead,” he forecast in his address to this year’s House of Delegates, “and we will prepare ourselves to meet them head on.”

The “how” comes down to what Dr. Ratner describes as the three proposals, or, platforms, that will define his presidency. They are:

Participation—Everyone needs to be actively involved in our Association. As Dr. Ratner sees it, “More participants working together toward any goal ensures that the goal is reached faster, with better results.”

Communication—Making every effort to ensure that members are not only kept informed about matters, but that the information is delivered to them through their preferred medium—whether it be traditional print, online or a new medium yet to be identified.

Advocacy—Building on NYSDA’s record of successes advocating for dentistry in the halls of government and among regulatory agencies. Dr. Ratner wants to go further, making sure that members are kept apprised of ongoing efforts and progress being made.

Dr. Ratner knows he’s on an accelerated timeline. “One year may not seem like a lot of time to make real change,” he wrote in a recent letter to members. “But your officers and trustees have hit the ground running. Together, along with our local leadership and members, we will effect real change in our organization to make it stronger and more successful than ever.”

Getting fortified for Clemson Tigers football home game, Craig presides over one his family’s “famous” tailgate BBQs.

A graduate of New Jersey Dental School-UMDNJ (now, Rutgers) in Newark, NJ, Dr. Ratner is owner of Exceptional Dentistry on Staten Island. He completed his residency at Staten Island University Hospital. He has been active in organized dentistry for over 25 years, beginning while in dental school as an American Student Dental Association representative to the New Jersey Dental Association House of Delegates. Since then, he has held numerous positions with the Second District Dental Association (president in 2008), NYSDA and the ADA.

Among the leadership roles he has filled are: chair, ADA Council on Dental Practice; chair, NYSDA Information Technology Committee; chair, NYSDA Audit Committee; editor, Second District Bulletin; president, Richmond County Dental Society; and chair, Second District Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

Craig and Amy on small boat tour of Lake Garda, Italy.

He has been a delegate to the ADA for 12 years, is a member of the MLMIC Underwriting Claims Review Committee, chair of the Second District Loan Forgiveness Program, member of the Second District Publications Committee, and he has managed to find time to serve as a member of the Staten Island Economic Development Corp.

What follows is more information about Dr. Ratner, gleaned from a recent conversation.

An avid cook, Dr. Ratner handily handles pepper mill during cooking class in Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy.

Where did you grow up?

Staten Island, NY. My dad, Steven Ratner, was a dentist on Staten Island for over 50 years. My mom, Faith, was a counselor with the literacy program at the College of Staten Island (CUNY). My brother, Howard, still lives on Staten Island with his family. We lost mom and dad just a few years ago. I think of them everyday. Their guidance, love and support molded me into the person I am today.

What about the rest of your immediate family?

My wife, Amy, also grew up on Staten Island. We met in high school. We were high school sweethearts. We continued dating through college and got married between my second and third years of dental school. I moved to New Jersey to attend dental school in 1988, settled in suburban New Jersey, and have lived here ever since. We have two wonderful children—Ben, 26, and Lindsay, 23. Ben works in New York City as a software engineer for Peleton Interactive. He writes the code for the interactive software used in the Peleton exercise equipment. Lindsay is starting her third year at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She will graduate with a Pharm D and become another Dr. Ratner.

Union College alumni get together at NYSDA 2018 House of Delegates meeting in Saratoga. From left, Mitch Mindlin, Dr. Ratner, Larry Busino,Bill Karp, Fred Wetzel, Joseph Giovannone.

Where did you go to school?

I received a B.S. in Computer Science/Biology from Union College in Schenectady, NY. I received my D.M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, now Rutgers University Dental School, in 1992. I then completed two years of general practice residency at Staten Island University Hospital—was chief resident during my second year.

I joined my father in practice after my residency. My practice concentrates on complex restorative, implant and rehabilitative dentistry. We also help a lot of patients suffering with TMJ dysfunction and sleep-related breathing disorders. I have invested a lot of time and resources educating myself in the advanced procedures and techniques necessary to provide this type of treatment.

Great friends and colleagues stop for photo during NYSDA 2014 Mission of Mercy. From left, James Sconzo, Paul Albicocco, Dr. Ratner, father,Steven Ratner.

How did you weather the initial weeks of the pandemic? Did you continue to go into the office? How often? Did you treat any patients? Were you and/or your patients apprehensive? What about staff?

The 10-week “hiatus” was particularly stressful for me. Not only was I worrying about my family’s health and safety, I was concerned about my team and their well-being as well. On top of that, the NYSDA officers, staff and Board all had the added pressure of working to get the other 17,000 dentists in New York State reopened.

Like everyone else, I managed patients remotely as best I could during that time. I did treat some emergency and urgent problems in the office. The number and severity of those problems seemed to increase as the crisis continued.

Now that we are back to work, my team has been great. We are working together to provide care in a safe environment for our patients. We have met several times to come up with solutions to the safety issues. As of this writing, we have just begun to see our patients. So far, everyone has been great, and they are happy to return to our office.

How did you prepare for reopening your office? What should dentists do to get patients back in their chairs? Can the Association help?

This time of transition is very important for our members. Being the 49th of 50 states to have dentistry reopen has been a curse and a blessing. To be sure, we were hurt financially while not allowed to practice. Our patients suffered with increasing problems that could have been mitigated if we had been allowed to practice. However, since we were late to reopen, we have benefitted and learned from the examples of dentists in other states whose practices reopened before us. We were aided by the fact that guidelines from the ADA, CDC and OSHA were in place for a while before we were allowed to open. That gave us time to interpret them and prepare for them. We were also able to spend more time acquiring PPE for the office. This continues to be a struggle. But as time goes on, I am hopeful the supply chains will come back online.

Getting patients to view dentistry as safe is a top priority of the New York State Dental Association now. Our communications team and NYSDA officers are speaking to as many media outlets as we can to get that word out. I have done television, radio and print interviews to drive home that message to our patients. Dentistry is open, and it is safe!

In your report to the House of Delegates, you expressed disappointment that members are too often unaware of what organized dentistry does to help dentists succeed. The COVID-19 crisis did turn a spotlight on the Association and how it responded to the crisis and to its members. What did it do right? What could it do better during the duration of this crisis and should another catastrophe take hold?

You never know how well you are responding to a crisis while you are in the midst of it. Afterwards, it is much easier to see what we could have done better. It is important that we not point fingers but that we learn from this crisis and adapt.

To that end, I have formed a”lessons learned” ad hoc committee. This committee will be chaired by Dr. Goudarzi, our distinguished immediate past president. No one is more familiar with the events that occurred during the crisis than he is. Everything will be examined. Not only do we have to look back, it is critical that we examine how this crisis is going to affect us in the future as well. What are going to be the ramifications to membership, finances, participation, meetings, education programs, etc.? This committee will take a look at what transpired, analyze the sequelae and generate cogent recommendations for the future of our Association. These recommendations will then come to our Board, councils and House for action in the coming year. We will emerge from this better, stronger and more prepared for any future issue that may arise.

Craig and son, Ben, on tour in Alaska.

It is expected that the pandemic will take a heavy toll on membership. What can be done to halt the slide? What, specifically, can the Association do to persuade dentists to join and/or renew their membership especially if they have fallen behind financially?

I truly hope that our membership does not decrease as a result of the pandemic. But financial pressures may force dentists to make some difficult future decisions. I get that. However, to my mind, I can think of no time in history that our Association, on all three levels, has proven its worth. No one can deny our Association’s value, as evidenced by our successful advocacy and informational resources.

Dental offices in New York State would not be reopened for practice at this time if not for NYSDA. Our advocacy had a definitive, direct effect, and led to practices reopening sooner. We did everything we could to get legislators and regulators to advocate with the governor on our behalf. We met with countless New York Legislators via Zoom and by phone, all with one goal in mind: get dentistry reopened in New York. In the end, it was this full-court press that won the day.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the ADA, NYSDA and all our local components worked tirelessly to communicate the latest information. As the pandemic evolved, we issued endless and continuous communications on government assistance loans, staffing, human resources, legal issues, stress relief and well-being resources, reopening guidelines, restaffing suggestions, infection-control information, and so much more. ADA HPI statistics stated that over 80% of members relied on the ADA as their primary source for information about COVID-19 and their practice. Over 60% of nonmembers said the same thing!

Craig and daughter, Lindsay, in front of Clemson bench in Death Valley Memorial Stadium before Clemson home game.

Does it all come down to communication? If so, what is effective communication and how do you achieve it?

I cannot say that it all comes down to communication. There are so many foundational parts to a successful organization. But figuring out the communication disconnect will be a priority for me in the coming year. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to know how many email blasts and notifications were sent, the resources we spent on them, only to hear from members that they are not receiving enough information. I hope there is a way to figure it out. Wasting precious resources cannot happen with the pressures we will have in the coming months. And having a membership that feels it is not getting adequate communication is unacceptable as well. Maybe it is the way we communicate? I will be exploring various methods of disseminating information. I will also be polling our members on their preferred method. Is it possible that we just need to ask how they want to receive information to maximize our effectiveness? Perhaps. I think it’s worth the effort to find out.

How did you cope with the quarantine? What activities were particularly helpful in providing normalcy and stability to your life?

I, thankfully, have a wonderful wife and family that helped me through the pandemic. My wife, Amy, has had a long and prominent career in ultrasound sales and education. She currently is national sales manager for Samsung Ultrasound. She kept me sane throughout. I was very busy during the quarantine period with countless Zoom meetings and phone calls dealing with the Association and our response to the pandemic. NYSDA officers, staff and trustees worked tirelessly throughout on behalf of our members.

When not talking on the phone or Zoom, I was in the kitchen. I have a passion for cooking. I was able to take advantage of the “at home” time to sharpen and broaden my cooking skills. Unfortunately, I believe I may have enjoyed the fruits of my labor too much. The diet and exercise must begin immediately. Hopefully, I can work those extra pounds off on the golf course in the coming months. p

Thank You!

BEHIND EVERY LEADER is a host of people who helped propel him to the top. NYSDA President Craig Ratner is mindful of that fact and anxious to express his gratitude as he begins his term of office. “There are so many people I want to thank, I hesitate to try. I know I will forget someone. But here goes.”

From his home component, the Second District Dental Society, Dr. Ratner lists the society’s past leaders—his dad, Steven Ratner; Arthur Puglisi; Robert Seminara; James Sconzo; Michael Cali. And its current leaders—Bernard Hackett; Mitch Mindlin; Steven Gounardes; and Paul Albicocco.

On the state level, Dr. Ratner is especially grateful for the assistance he has received from Steve Snyder, Paul Leary,

Kevin Henner, Rick Andolina, Andy Vorrasi, Mark Feldman, Mike Breault, Steve Gold, Mark Bauman, Brendan Dowd, Payam Goudarzi, Jim Galati, and all the NYSDA staff—“I’ve grown through NYSDA with them,” he said.

And among his ADA contacts, Dr. Ratner cites Terry O’Toole, Stacy Van Scoyoc, Rudy Liddle, Duc Ho, Andy Brown, Julia Mikell, Pam Porembski and Dave Preble.

“They have all been mentors,” Dr. Ratner said, “but, more importantly, friends. Over the years, it has been the lifelong friendships that I most treasure from my participation in organized dentistry.”