ACD 2026 FELLOWS FORUM
ACDLEADS, The Big Ideas Forum
ACD Annual Meeting and Convocation 2026, Santa Barbara, California
AGENDA 1. Welcome by Terry Norris, ACD President 2. Greetings from the AGD by George Schmidt 3. Introduction by Robert Faiella, President of the ACD Foundation Speakers • • • • •
Rubin Sorrell Toni Roucka Pamela Alston Deepesh Patel and Mohammad Abdel-Hadi Bianca Zero
4. A conversation with Pete Guevara and Steve Milgazo 5. Panel Discussion with all speakers with questions and comments from the Fellows
We ask that everyone leave the ballroom as quickly as possible when the session ends, as the hotel staff must reset the room for lunch. Please continue the conversation in the foyer and lobby!
Welcome to the ACD 2026 Fellows Forum! ACDLeads, a Forum for Big Ideas Dr. Robert Faiella, Moderator Dr. Robert A. Faiella is a nationally recognized leader in organized dentistry, health care innovation, and organizational transformation. He is the President of the American College of Dentists Foundation and a Past President of the American Dental Association. He currently serves as Director and Past President of the American Board of Periodontology, Chair of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Board of Fellows, and an appointed member of the MIT Sloan School of Management Alumni Board. Dr. Faiella is the Chief Dental Officer and Co-Founder of LightSpun, Inc. (formerly 32Health, Inc.), as well as a former Chief Dental Officer and Advisor for Overjet, Inc. He maintains a private practice specializing in Periodontics and Dental Implant Surgery in Osterville and Duxbury, Massachusetts. Dr. Faiella completed his graduate training in Periodontology as an NIH Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and earned a Master of Medical Science (M.M.Sc.) degree from Harvard Medical School. He has been recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Additionally, he holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP Dr. Faiella has been instrumental in elevating the leadership pillar of the ACD’s mission during his time on the Board of Regents. From his work to bring leadership training to the Fellows, to leading the creation of the Standards for Leadership, to his support for events like this one, Dr. Faiella has left a legacy of supporting leadership capacity in oral healthcare that will sustain the ACD for generations.
As a leader in dental informatics, Dr. Faiella serves as Chair of the ADA Standards Consensus Body 12.7 on Artificial and Augmented Intelligence, leading the development of Standards, Technical Reports and White Papers under ANSI domestically, and as the U.S. Lead Designated Expert for ISO TC 106/13 on Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry for Standards internationally.
Opening Essay Robert Lamb, Past President Have you ever had the dream where you walked into a class, and the teacher said you were having a test today and you thought it was scheduled for the next week? Or have you ever had a test that you thought you were prepared for and really did poorly? In high school English, we were studying Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. We had to memorize the prologue and recite it in front of the class. I did ok on that. Then I had a test on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. I still remember the test to this day. Our teacher gave us 11 quotes from the Canterbury Tales, and we were supposed to write who said it, who it was said to and tell a little about what was happening when the quote was given. I didn’t know who said most of the quotes, I didn’t know who they were said to and I probably had no clue as to what was going on. So, I just wrote down the names of as many characters that I knew in those spots for names, just guessing. I made the lowest grade in my life on that test—a 33. I was clearly unprepared. Have you ever been unprepared for leadership? My senior year of dental school, I was on an Air Force scholarship. After graduation, dentists enter the Air Force as Captains. We outranked all the enlisted and second and first lieutenants. We were expected to be leaders. There were service men and women saluting me who were older than me and more experienced in the Air Force than me, but I was expected to be their leader.
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP During his presidential year in 2023, Dr. Lamb challenged the Board and Fellows to focus attention on the leadership pillar of the ACD mission. His encouragement, along with that of past presidents Dick Jones, Terri Dolan, and Bob Faiella, have started a movement within the ACD Fellowship that is reverberating throughout organized dentistry.
I was an Eagle Scout and had served the troop as an assistant patrol leader, a patrol leader, quartermaster, and senior patrol leader, but knew little about what it meant to lead. I was the Vice-Chair of my college fraternity and President of a group in dental school but never had any formal training in leadership. I was in charge without a leadership toolkit. As a captain, I took a professional leadership course called Squadron Officer School. I did this by a correspondence course, and I learned some basics of leadership, like there are different ways to lead.
As I progressed in rank, I took another professional leadership course, Air Command and Staff, and I did this in a seminar. Many Air Force officers took this course together and so I learned a great deal from officers in command positions. I learned I needed a mentor. Find someone who recognizes your efforts. If you show up and are conscientious in your duties, someone will probably recognize your efforts and help you. As dentists, we should all be leaders. We lead our teams, not just be in charge of them, and our leadership sets the tone for our practices. The same is true of organized dentistry. We should select true leaders and not just those with a history of managing or being in charge. At ACD 2026, we are having our inaugural “Big Ideas” Forum. Our speakers will share their big ideas in leadership. Some of these ideas may have already been tested or piloted. Some may be aspirational. All are sure to inspire our Fellowship to continue to further our mission: to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership in oral healthcare.
Colonel Peter H. Guevara, ACD President Elect Colonel Guevara will host a conversation with Steve Milgazo, a former Navy SEAL leader and strategist, then work with Steve to interview the Big Idea speakers as a panel.
Col. Guevara has served as the Regent for Regency 2, Vice President, and President Elect of the College. Pete will retire from the US Army at the end of October 2026, after more than 30 years of service to our nation. He is a 1987 graduate of Saint Vincent College and a 1992 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. His advanced dental training includes a 1-Year General Practice Residency Program, a 1-Year Hospital Dentistry Fellowship, and a 2-Year Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program. COL. Army assignments included tours of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 3rd Special Forces Group. Colonel Guevara’s Army career includes combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. COL Guevara is a Professor for the Uniformed Services University Post Graduate Dental College, and he served as Dean of the Army Postgraduate Dental School from 2017 to 2022. Colonel Guevara is a Past-President of the Army Constituency of the Academy of General Dentistry, and he is currently the President Elect of the American College of Dentists. COL Guevara is a Master in the Academy of General Dentistry and a Diplomate of the American Board of General Dentistry. In 2013, he received the Academy of General Dentistry Lifelong Learning and Service Recognition Award. COL Guevara was inducted into the Saint Vincent College Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and in 2020 he was recognized as the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Distinguished Alumnus. He received the Uniformed Services University Outstanding Service Award in 2025. Colonel Guevara’s military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Combat Medic Badge, Expert Field Medical Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge and the Russian Parachutist Badge. He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit, and he received the Dental Corp Chief’s Award of Excellence for Dental Education in 2016.
Steve Milgazo, Special Guest Steve Milgazo brings over 28 years of executive leadership experience forged in two of the U.S. military’s most elite special operations communities: Air Force Pararescue and Navy SEALs. Transitioning from operational command to senior executive leadership, Steve served as Chief of Staff for BUD/S training command, where he led enterprise optimization, capital allocation, and human resource strategy across eight regional facilities for a 600-person organization. In later roles, he directed strategic planning initiatives alongside C-suite executive stakeholders, driving alignment, high-stakes approvals, and operational execution across complex organizations. Following his military retirement in 2019, he founded Optimal Path Coaching to guide high-intensity leaders in optimizing performance with personal fulfillment. Driven by a lifelong passion for elite human performance, he still actively supports the special operations community by preparing prospective candidates for the extreme cognitive and physical rigors of SEAL training. Steve holds an M.S. in Information Systems and Operations alongside a B.A. and M.S. in Kinesiology.
ABSTRACTS Rubin Sorrell Toni Roucka Pamela Alston Mohammad Abdel-Hadi and Deepesh Patel Bianca Zero
Uncharted Charted Ethics Rubin Sorrell II
Dr. Sorrell is a public health dentist, social entrepreneur, and ten-year U.S. Army veteran whose work is built around a single conviction: no child should suffer from a disease that is almost entirely preventable. A fourth-generation San Franciscan from Bayview–Hunters Point and a product of the city's public schools, he earned his DDS at the UCSF School of Dentistry along with a Master of Public Health. Dr. Sorrell leads a mobile preventive dental program that removes the barriers keeping underserved children from care—transportation, cost, language, and fear—by bringing licensed, Medi-Cal– credentialed treatment directly into the classrooms and community spaces where children already learn and gather. His work treats oral health as a matter of equity and dignity, meeting families where they are and earning trust long before the first instrument is ever picked up. He lectures nationally on dental ethics and the future of community-based care.
Presentation Abstract Dentistry is at a pivot point. Artificial intelligence, private equity, shrinking margins, and eroding public trust make this feel like uncharted territory. But the most powerful answer to the access crisis is not new. Mobile, prevention-first care is charted — proven, reimbursable, and sitting in plain sight. What remains uncharted is the profession's willingness to use it. Dr. Sorrell shares the story of building Dental Robin Hood, a mobile program that carries free, Medi-Cal-credentialed preventive care to children in schools, Head Starts, and shelters — the children who will never reach a traditional clinic. He goes inside the real work of creating and sustaining it: the professional skepticism toward prevention that leaves the building, a legal and reimbursement system built for the dentist who owns a practice, and the daily operational grind of keeping the doors open. He is candid about what works — embedding as a community's standing provider rather than a one-time visitor — and about what still breaks. Along the way he confronts three assumptions the profession rarely questions: that success requires owning a brick-and-mortar practice, that prevention is lesser dentistry, and that purpose and sustainability cannot coexist. And he reflects honestly on what the journey has taught him about the profession, the system, the communities he serves, and himself. He closes not with a program to admire, but with an invitation to act: every dentist, in every community, can expand their reach beyond their own four walls — one school, one partner, one day at a time. The map already exists. The only question is whether we step into it.
Leading Change Through Sustainability in Oral Healthcare Toni. M. Roucka
Dr. Roucka is a Professor Emerita in Developmental Sciences at Marquette University School of Dentistry and the current editor of the Journal of the American College of Dentists. She is also an At-Large Regent on the ACD board. Dr. Roucka is a graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry and holds a Master's in Bioethics from the Medical College of Wisconsin. She has taught dental ethics to predoctoral and graduate dental residents and has spoken and written nationally on dental ethics topics for decades.
Presentation Abstract The dental profession stands at a pivotal moment. As healthcare systems increasingly confront the realities of climate change, resource depletion, waste generation, and environmental health, dentistry has an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate leadership through sustainable practice. Sustainability should not be seen as a burden, but as an ethical imperative that aligns directly with the ethical principles and values of the profession and its commitment to improving the health and well-being of society. Healthcare contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions and generates millions of tons of waste annually. Dentistry, while often overlooked in conversations about environmental impact, contributes through energy consumption, transportation, water usage, single-use plastics, disposable products, and material waste. Yet the solutions are often remarkably accessible. Through practical examples and evidence-based strategies, this presentation demonstrates that sustainability can be integrated into everyday clinical practice without compromising patient care, educational quality, productivity, or profitability. If healthcare professionals have an obligation to prevent harm and promote wellness,
then addressing practices that contribute to environmental degradation becomes a natural extension of that responsibility. Importantly, practical, scalable approaches that can be implemented immediately in educational settings, private practices, community clinics, and healthcare organizations are readily available. Many of these changes require little or no financial investment and often result in long-term cost savings, operational efficiencies, and improved public perception. Patients, students, and communities increasingly expect healthcare organizations to demonstrate social and environmental responsibility. Dentists who lead in this area not only improve their environmental footprint but also strengthen trust, inspire colleagues, and model ethical decision-making for future generations of oral health professionals. Through the power of collective action and the impact of small daily choices and drawing from examples in healthcare, conservation science, education, and community engagement, the presentation illustrates how individual actions can contribute to meaningful change. Sustainability is not about perfection but about progress, leadership, and stewardship. Become a changemaker and lead a healthier, more sustainable future.
Professionalism as a Gift Pamela S. Alston Dr. Alston spent her dental career as a community dentist in her hometown, Oakland, California. She provided oral health care in the dental safety net sector in county jails, juvenile hall, a county hospital, and community health center settings in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Alston served as a consultant to the San Francisco and the East Bay AIDS Education and Training Centers. As a Federally Qualified Health Center dental director and University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry volunteer Associate Clinical Professor, Dr. Alston established and supervised a pediatric dentistry externship program. She has served on a plethora of boards and committees addressing the social determinants of health in Oakland. She is a National Dental Association Past-President. She is active in the California Dental Association. Dr. Alston was a Diverse Dental Society Founding Board Member. She is a lifetime National Dental Association member, a Hispanic Dental Association member, a Society of American Indian Dentists affiliate member, and an ADA member. Dr. Alston received her B.S. and D.D.S. degrees from the UCSF. She received her A.B. and M.P.P. degrees from University of California Berkeley. She is an alumna of the California Health Care Foundation Leadership Fellowship Program. Dr. Alston is a past Chairperson of the Northern California Section of the ACD and is a current ACD At Large Regent.
Presentation Abstract Professionalism is a component of leadership. It encompasses behaviors, attitudes and values of dental professionals not only in organized dentistry but also in oral healthcare. Professionalism is more important than ever now given the multiple challenges to the core values facing the dental professional such as clinical autonomy, ethical integrity, and public trust. Professionalism is the bridge between dentistry’s purpose and the public’s expectations, encompassing accountability, ethical decision-making, compassion, empathy, teamwork, and a genuine commitment to putting patients first treating them with dignity. Let’s face it. Professionalism can be draining to a dentist. However, when dentists are recognized for advancing professionalism, it validates their efforts, boosting confidence and reinforcing positive behaviors. Even non-financial recognition can be deeply motivating for them, enhancing career satisfaction, morale, and professional growth.
Over the course of their careers, every dentist can recall impactful, heart-warming stories. They generate heartfelt memories and are inspiring to those with whom they share. The military found a way decades ago to commemorate such memories with challenge coins. On the surface, giving and receiving a challenge coin may seem like a simple act of kindness, but behind it lies a fascinating web of psychology. From brain chemistry to emotional bonding, giving and receiving gifts have a powerful effect on mental health—for both the benefactor and the recipient. According to science, receiving a gift brings immediate joy to the recipient and activates complex brain processes that enhance emotional well-being and strengthen social connections. The interplay of neurotransmitters dopamine and oxytocin during this experience contributes to a prolonged sense of happiness and fulfillment. Psychologists have found that giving often brings even more joy than receiving. Starting a tradition of Fellows giving and receiving Challenge Coins will advance the ACD Pillar of Professionalism in a tangible way celebrating the spirit of those who are doing their part to sustain dentistry as a profession. Each time a Challenge Coin is presented, it will be recognized as more than metal and design. It will hold the weight of legacy and pride for the recipient and for the ACD as the symbol of recognition, gratitude and respect.
The Big Apatite Mohammad Abdel-Hadi and Deepesh Patel Dr. Patel qualified from King’s College London in 2011 and developed his clinical experience in general practice. He subsequently completed a four-year postgraduate Diploma in Implant Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London. Following this he went on to undertake specialist training in Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics, again at the Eastman Dental Institute. He completed prosthodontics training in 2020, graduating with distinction, and was awarded the UCL Alumni Prize in Prosthodontics for clinical and academic excellence in addition to being admitted to the Dean’s List for his academic result. The same year, Deepesh successfully gained membership in both the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Edinburgh. He provides treatment for a broad patient base across three private practices based in London, Cambridge, and Northampton. Deepesh has a passion for teaching and educating and, following a period as a clinical teaching fellow at the Eastman Dental Institute, he is a now a visiting lecturer in Prosthodontics. Outside of dentistry, Deepesh is an avid cricket fan, which includes playing and watching. He also loves to experiment in the kitchen and enjoys exploring the world with his wife, Reena.
Dr. Abdel-Hadi qualified as a dentist from Queen Mary, University of London, in 2010. He completed a teaching qualification in 2013 and went on to teach undergraduate dental students. He later led the OSCE examination for the Royal College of Surgeons of England, where he examined for over 10 years. He has also worked as a dental advisor to the healthcare regulator. In 2020, Mohammad completed specialist training in Prosthodontics at the Eastman Dental Institute, UCL. His research into SMART composite materials was subsequently published. Today, Mohammad works as a specialist practitioner in primary care, where he enjoys providing highquality care to his community in the Southeast of England. Alongside clinical dentistry, Mohammad is passionate about education and healthcare conversations. His latest project is The Big Apatite, a dental podcast he launched with his friend and colleague, Deepesh Patel. The podcast aims to provide course correction for young dental students while creating a platform to challenge preconceived ideas and narratives within healthcare. Mohammad hopes the project will inspire others to challenge the status quo and encourage healthy debate, with the ultimate aim of putting care back into healthcare. For Mohammad, The Big Apatite is a relay race: he hopes to pass the baton on and inspire others to join the race.
Presentation Abstract The Oxford English Dictionary defines healthcare as “the service of providing medical care”. In reality, it is two distinct definitions, health and care. The act of providing healthcare can either be personal, tailored and holistic, or impersonal, industrialised and fragmented. The clinical and educational landscapes in dentistry are undergoing changes in many countries. We live in an era where elective dental care interventions are “hypernormalised” to the extent that they are actively marketed by dentists to unsuspecting patients. As healthcare professionals, dentists, and dental hygienists, we “create” our patients. What do we mean by this? Quite simply, patients seek our expertise and entrust us with their care, and if we recommend specific treatments, the acceptance rate of provider recommendations by patients is approximately 60%. What is the consequence? If we recommend sustainable, preventative care regimens we will have a stable patient base with lower levels of primary disease. In contrast, if we recommend invasive unnecessary elective care, patients will require repeated interventions to overcome complications and biological sequelae. Furthermore, early career dentists are promoting elective cosmetic interventions which leaves a second order consequence of reduced accessibility. We believe that course correction at earlier career stages will yield more ethical patient care and a more rewarding and fruitful career in dentistry. To share an alternative perspective, in 2025 we launched our dental podcast series called The Big Apatite. We believe that working in healthcare isn’t a right, but a privilege. We are bound by the Hippocratic oath to “Do no harm”. To this end, The Big Apatite offers nurturing perspectives to healthcare providers who wish to provide patient-centred care through conservative care regimens. We chose the name “The Big Apatite” for a few reasons. We all have an appetite for growth and learning, but we also take inspiration from hydroxyapatite crystals. They start small, consume significant amounts of energy as they are formed, but yield spectacular structures that are, unique, resilient and robust. Each crystal has the potential to make an impact but the biggest impact stems from synergy and symbiosis with other crystals. Each of us is a crystal and by collaborating and aligning ourselves optimally, our mission can be achieved by blending our strengths.
Scan here to listen to the Big Apatite.
Public Health in Public Spaces Bianca Zero
Dr. Zero earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with Departmental Honors from Indiana University, where her honors thesis examined beliefs about the origins of dental caries in a rural Mayan community in Guatemala. She later earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Indiana University School of Dentistry in 2024. Her longstanding involvement in Guatemala began in 2014 as an English-Spanish translator and continued during dental school, when she returned as a dental provider through the same global service-learning program. These experiences helped shape her interests in culture, language, ethics, and access to oral healthcare. During dental school, Dr. Zero developed interests in dental ethics and oral pathology. She received the 2022 Ozar-Hasegawa Ethics Award for an essay on autonomous decision-making in the setting of language barriers and, upon graduation, a Certificate of Merit recognizing her achievement and promise in oral medicine. She then completed a General Practice Residency at the University of Washington, where she expanded her clinical training while continuing her involvement in education and community service. She has also served as a facilitator in dental ethics education for third-year dental students. Her current scholarly interests include informed consent for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, healthcare-system barriers affecting dental clearance for transplant patients, and the influence of culture and language on access to oral healthcare. Currently, she serves as Intern Regent for the American College of Dentists and practices dentistry in Bellevue, Washington.
Presentation Abstract In the ADA Code, the ethical principle of beneficence emphasizes the dentist’s professional obligation to promote the well-being of patients and serve the broader community. In practice, however, fulfilling this responsibility can be challenging. Dentistry is often fast paced, requiring providers to simultaneously manage patients with varying needs and levels of complexity. Within these demands, we should continually ask ourselves whether we are dedicating sufficient time to not only treat the patient but to also improve their oral health literacy. As well, patient education has become increasingly complex in the age of the internet. Patients now have access to an enormous volume of health information online, but this information is not always accurate, evidence-based, or applicable to their individual circumstances. Conflicting information can create confusion and, at times, contribute to mistrust between patients and healthcare providers. We must recognize that access to reliable online resources is not
universal. Some individuals may have limited access to digital information, while others may have difficulty distinguishing credible health information from misinformation. For these reasons, oral health education should extend beyond the walls of the dental office. One practical way for dental professionals and students to engage their communities is to provide educational resources in accessible public spaces, such as local libraries. Educational pamphlets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other preventive resources can be valuable, but the most meaningful resource we can offer is our time. Being present and available to answer questions creates an opportunity to improve oral health literacy while building trust between dental professionals and the communities they serve. Education remains one of our strongest tools for prevention. A well-informed patient is better equipped to participate meaningfully in healthcare decisions, recognize potential oral health concerns, and adopt preventive behaviors. Effective education can also facilitate more efficient and timely care by helping patients understand the importance of prevention, diagnosis, and recommended treatment. Education is more than the transfer of information; it establishes a partnership between patients and dental professionals and demonstrates our commitment to the communities we serve. This presentation explores the creation of an oral health desk at a local library, an initiative aimed at improving community oral health literacy. While the library was remarkably receptive and welcomed the opportunity to provide these resources to its patrons, overall engagement from both the organization and the community was more limited than initially envisioned. However, despite its modest scale, the experience provided critical insights into the essential requirements for building a successful project or organization. As a college student, my presence in the community was inherently transitional. While an individual can initiate a project, achieving a lasting impact requires continuity. Successful community programs therefore need sustainability—a structure through which future students, providers, or community partners can assume responsibility and continue the work. Ultimately, our responsibility to promote oral health extends far beyond the clinical operatory. We put the ethical principle of beneficence into practice by investing in education, improving access to reliable information, and establishing sustainable community relationships. This active community engagement connects us more deeply with our patients, strengthens oral health literacy, and reminds us that dentistry is not only a clinical profession, but also a profession of service.
Thank you for attending ACD 2026 ACDLeads, the Big Ideas Forum
This program was underwritten by the American College of Dentists Foundation through the generous support of our Fellows and Friends. For more information about the ACDF and how to be a part of our legacy, visit acd.org/foundation.