Global Oral Health Forum II

GLOBAL ORAL HEALTH FORUM II

Evidence to Advocacy

April 16-17, 2024

Philadelphia, PA

SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2024

SESSION 1

ADVOCACY IN HEALTH POLICIES // Person-Centered Decisions and Actions

9:00 AM Welcome and Introductions

Jaime Edelson

Michael Glick

9:15 AM Opening Remarks

Judith Mackay, Online (Virtual)

9:30 AM Session Chair

Manu Mathur

9:35 AM Four Speakers

Lekan Ayo-Yusuf

Steven Beshear

Katie Dain

Richard Watt

10:10 AM BREAK

10:30 AM Small Panel Discussion

11:25 AM Reporting Back

11:45 AM Full Panel Discussion

12:15 PM LUNCH

SESSION 2

ADVOCACY AND HEALTH ECONOMICS // Resource Allocation and Priorities

1:15 PM Session Chair

Stefan Listl

1:20 PM Four Speakers

James Coughlan

Filip Meheus

Madhuri Pattamatta

Ave Põld

1:50 PM Small Panel Discussion

2:45 PM Reporting Back

3:05 PM Full Panel Discussion

3:35 PM BREAK

4:00 PM Final recommendations (Session 1)

Manu Mathur

4:15 PM Final recommendations (Session 2)

Stefan Listl

4:30 PM ADJOURN

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024

SESSION 3

PATIENTS AND HEALTH ADVOCACY // Where are the Patients’ Voices?

9:00 AM Welcome

Summary of Day 1

9:15 AM Session Chair

Stephen Abel

9:20 AM Five Speakers

Eduardo Bernabé

John Kemp

Jesse Milan Jr.

Kaz Rafia

Karla Soares-Weiser

9:55 AM BREAK

10:15 AM Small Panel Discussion

11:10 AM Reporting Back

11:30 AM Full Panel Discussion

12:00 PM LUNCH

SESSION 4

THE PLANET AND HEALTH ADVOCACY // The Emergency of Planetary Health

1:00 PM Session Chair

Julian Fisher

1:05 PM Four Speakers

Brianna Parsons

Rolando Enrique Peñaloza Quintero

Ana Lorena Ruano

Maria Ryan

1:35 PM Small Panel Discussion

2:30 PM Reporting Back

2:50 PM Full Panel Discussion

3:20 PM BREAK

3:45 PM Final recommendations (Session 3)

Stephen Abel

4:00 PM Final recommendations (Session 4)

Julian Fisher

4:15 PM Final remarks

Michael Glick

OPENING SPEAKER

PROF. DR JUDITH LONGSTAFF MACKAY, OBE, SBS, JP, FRCP (EDIN), FRCP (LON)

Dr. Judith Mackay is a British medical doctor, who has lived and worked in Hong Kong since 1967, initially as a hospital physician, then since 1984 on tobacco control, focussing especially on tobacco industry tactics.

She is Director of the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, and Senior Policy Advisor to World Health Organisation.

She was the co-author of the first ‘Oral Health Atlas’ in 2009 and is currently a Commissioner on the Lancet Commission on Global Oral Health.

She has received many international awards, ranging from the WHO Commemorative Medal to the TIME 100 award. She has been identified by the tobacco industry as one of the three most dangerous people in the world.

STEPHEN ABEL, DDS, MSD

Dr. Abel serves as faculty within Penn Dental Medicine’s Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry. He obtained his DDS from New York University and a MSD and periodontics training at the University of Minnesota.

He has a long history in addressing oral health inequities through the development of community-based dental programs targeting underserved populations. He has been the recipient of multiple grants and awards which has supported direct care and the training of dentists and dental students in the oral health management of persons with developmental disabilities and infectious diseases. He has authored dozens of monographs, publications and training tools on the oral health management of medically complex patients along with the integration of medical screenings in dental settings.

Dr. Abel has been an advocate for transforming oral health education, service and practice during his professional career. He is presently a member of the Santa Fe Group, a think-tank dedicated to improving lives through oral health.

LEKAN AYO-YUSUF, BDS, MSC, MPH, PhD

Lekan is currently a Professor and the Head of the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria, having previously served as Dean of the Dental School and Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, both at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. His research areas include behavioural epidemiology and policy evaluation for non-communicable diseases prevention. In particular, he has been an investigator and/or co-investigator on national and international research, including clinical trials and capacity-building projects related to tobacco use prevention, cessation and policy advocacy.

Prof Ayo-Yusuf has over 120 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals. He is a member of a number of editorial board of international journals, national and international scientific groups, including serving as a member of the Lancet Commission on Oral Health, member of the WHO Tobacco Regulation Scientific Group and the Chair of the standing Committee on Health of the Academy of Science of South Africa.

HABIB BENZIAN, DDS, PhD, MSC DPH

Habib Benzian is professor at the NYU College of Dentistry in New York and CoDirector of the only WHO Collaborating Center on oral health in the Americas. In various capacities during the last 25 years, he has been at the forefront of global advocacy to end the neglect of oral health.

As expert in international public health, health policy, NCDs, as well as school health and WASH in schools, he works at the intersection of academia, policy and practice. He is adviser to the WHO, UNICEF, governments and donor agencies and supported major policy processes at global, regional and national level, including the WHO Global Strategy on Oral Health and the Global Oral Health Action Plan.

In 2023 he received the IADR John Greenspan Distinguished Scientist Award for Global Oral Health Research; and he is Global Health Research Fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies in South Africa, researching governance, political priority setting and advocacy for oral health globally.

EDUARDO BERNABÉ, BDS, PhD

Dr Eduardo Bernabé is Professor of Dental Public Health at Queen Mary University of London and Honorary Academic Consultant in the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities. He is currently involved with the World Health Organization in various projects.

Professor Bernabe is a global oral health leader, with experience in generating robust epidemiological evidence to inform health policy and planning. He has built his international esteem working on understanding the social determinants of oral health inequalities and measuring the burden of oral conditions on individuals and societies. He co-leads the Oral Disorders Collaborators network as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study. He has published over 250 articles, is involved in the editorial board of several dental journals and has received prestigious awards from academic institutions and international organizations.

GOVERNOR STEVEN L. BESHEAR, JD

Steve Beshear served as the 61st Governor of Kentucky from 2007-2015. He also served as Kentucky’s Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor and State Representative. As Governor, he expanded the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act and launched the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, benefiting over 500,000 Kentuckians; successfully brought Kentucky through the historic recession by making Kentucky a leader in job creation; and made Kentucky a national leader in education reform.

Governor Beshear holds a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Kentucky. He authored People Over Politics, served as a Harvard Public Health School Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow, a Harvard Kennedy School Visiting Fellow, and a University of Kentucky Visiting Scholar.

Governor Beshear and his wife, Jane, reside in Lexington, Kentucky. They have two sons, Jeff, an equine veterinarian, and Andy, Kentucky’s 63rd Governor, and three grandchildren.

ALONSO CARRASCO-LABRA, DDS, MSC, PhD

Dr. Alonso Carrasco-Labra is an associate professor at the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health (CIGOH) and Director of the Cochrane Oral Health Collaborating Center at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine. He served as Senior Director of the Department of Evidence Synthesis and Translation Research at the American Dental Association (ADA) Science and Research Institute and Director of the ADA’s Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry. He has published more than 150 research articles and clinical practice guidelines in peer-reviewed journals in medicine and dentistry and written books on evidence-based clinical practice and research methodology.

LOIS COHEN, PhD

Consultant and Paul G. Rogers Ambassador for Global Health Research, she is a research sociologist, retired from the U.S. Government’s National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) where she last served as the Associate Director for International Health. Having edited and authored four volumes on the social sciences and dentistry and published 150+ articles in professional peer-reviewed journals, she is purported to be the architect of the behavioral & social sciences in the oral health field. She co-directed two major multinational collaborative studies on oral health systems with the World Health Organization (WHO) and led a WHO Collaborative Center for 20 years. Currently, she serves as a consultant to the NIDCR, the WHO as well as various universities and organizations focused on global health through oral health. Awards and/or honorary lectures in her name are given annually at Harvard University School of Dental Medicine, the International Association for Dental Research, Purdue University and at St. Joseph’s University.

RICHARD COHEN, PhD, FACHE

Recognized nationally as an authority in the public health management arena, Richard J. Cohen, Ph.D., FACHE, is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Public Health Fund, a charitable organization that has fostered health care delivery, research and education in the greater Delaware Valley region since 1996. The Public Health Fund is a subsidiary of Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC). Dr. Cohen served as PHMC President and CEO for more than four decades prior to retiring from the role in 2023. Under his leadership PHMC expanded more than 200-fold employing more than 3,500 individuals across hundreds of public health programs and a family of subsidiary organizations. Dr. Cohen has devoted his professional life to the needs of Philadelphia and the surrounding region, while playing a critical role at a national level as well.

JAMES COUGHLAN, BDS, MSC

James is an Honorary Academic Clinical Fellow in Primary Care and Public Health at the University of Manchester and a practicing general dentist. His research focusses on the economics of oral health, including the evaluation of dental financing policy and the use of economic analysis to identify cost-effective interventions. He is a member of the WHO Best Buys for Oral Health research team and was previously President of the European Dental Students’ Association. James completed his dental degree at Queen Mary University of London, has completed an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and is currently undertaking an MSc in Specialised Economic Analysis at the Barcelona School of Economics.

KATIE DAIN, BA, MSC

Katie Dain is Chief Executive Officer of the NCD Alliance and has worked with the organisation since its founding in 2009. She is widely recognised as a leading advocate and expert on NCDs. Katie co-chairs the WHO Civil Society Working Group on NCDs and is also a member of the Steering Committee for the Coalition for Access to NCD Medicines and Products. Before joining the NCD Alliance, she held a series of policy and advocacy posts in international NGOs and government, including the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in Brussels, leading their global policy and advocacy programme; the UK Government as a gender policy adviser; Womankind Worldwide, a women’s rights organisation; and the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), a HIV and sexual health charity. She has a BA in History from Sheffield University, and a Master’s degree in Violence, Conflict and International Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London.

JAIME EDELSON TISHMAN, DDS

Jaime Edelson Tishman DDS Finished Dental School at the Universidad Tecnológica de México in February 1978 and a Residency Program in Family Dentistry at the University of Connecticut, Past President of the ADM, past Councillor of the FDI and current Chair of the Fundación ADM,IAP Honorary member of the Universidad Tecnológica de México Health Science Council. In 2016 promoted and passed a law on mandatory brushing in Preschool and elementary Public Schools in Mexico City’s and now 21 states have adopted similar laws with a positive impact on the Oral and General health of more than fourteen million children ages 3/12. Dr. Edelson practices Family Dentistry with emphasis in Implant Dentistry and Oral Rehabilitation in Mexico City since 1980.

JULIAN FISHER, BDS, MSC, MIH

Julian Fisher is a policy advisor and analyst with focused expertise in social and environmental determinants of health, planetary and human health in all policy approaches, global oral health, lifelong learning and health workforce education.

Julian is Director of German based non-governmental organization Zero Water Day Partnership. He holds adjunct teaching positions; Adjunct Faculty, Center for Integrative Global Oral Health University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, USA, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (SUNY Upstate Medical University, New York, USA), and Research Assistant Professor, School of Health Sciences and Public Health (University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia).

His work experience covers a diverse range of professional domains including international public health policy and advocacy (consultancies for UN agencies including WHO, UNESCO & UNEP), health profession (federation) management, health workforce undergraduate and post graduate education, both classroom and web based.

His work has been based in geographical locations, including Europe, Africa (Tanzania, South Africa), Saudi Arabia, Falkland Islands and Antarctica within various sectors and organizations. Julian Fisher earned his BDS (Dentistry) from Birmingham University in 1985, a MSc (HIV/AIDS) from Stellenbosch University, South Africa in 2002, and a MIH (International Health) from Charite University, Berlin in 2006.

AGNES GATARAYIHA, PhD(c)

Agnes, a dental and global health professional, brings over fifteen years of experience in High Learning Institutions. With a background in dentistry and a Master’s in International Health from Senghor International University of Alexandria in Egypt, she is currently pursuing her PhD in Public health. As the Deputy Dean overseeing research and community engagement at the School of Dentistry, Agnes plays a pivotal role. She also serves as the Co-Principal investigator for Rwanda’ first National Oral health survey, contributing significantly to its success. Beyond academia, Agnes actively contributes to the Oral Health Technical Working Group at the Ministry of Health, and serves on the Board of Directors at Miracles Corners Rwanda.

Agnes’ research interests are diverse, spanning oral health, NCDs, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, with focus on the role of the oral microbiome in human health. Her multifaceted contributions to science underscore her value as a dedicated health advocate.

MICHAEL GLICK, DMD

Michael Glick is the Fields-Rayant Professor and Executive Director, Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Glick has authored more than 350 publications, including original research articles, editorials, and book chapters, and has authored, edited and co-edited 10 textbooks.

Dr. Glick is the past Dean, School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo, pastPresident of the American Board of Oral Medicine and served as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of the American Dental Association from 2005 to 2020.

DYMPNA KAVANAGH, BDS, MSC, PhD

I am the Chief Dental Officer, Ireland, where I led the development of the National Oral Health Policy. My core remit includes EU regulations, surveillance, and evidencereviews re oral health & a Ministerial advisory function. I work with Departments of Environment, Agriculture, Education, Enterprise and Foreign Affairs to support cross departmental partnerships. This involves working with international, WHO, EU units and attaches. I am Chair of the Platform for Better Oral Health in Europe (PBOHE) and President of the Council of European Chief Dental Officers (CECDO). The PBOHE’s aim is to collaborate with Member States, Professional Organizations and Civil Societies across Europe to integrate oral health into EU policy and support WHO implementation across the oral health European network. In the CECDO, the focus is on Member States across Europe, to support the EU Presidencies, WHO Oral Health action planning in Europe. We share knowledge, learning and information to support each other as CDOs. Ireland is currently preparing for its first hosted WHO oral health side event at WHA Geneva 2024 in preparation for the UN High level meeting on NCDS. This follows Ireland’s oral intervention at the WHO EB154 in January.

JOHN D. KEMP, JD

John D. Kemp, Esq., President & CEO of Lakeshore Foundation, is an internationally recognized organization providing opportunities for individuals with physical disability and chronic health conditions to lead healthy, active, independent lives. Located in Birmingham, Alabama, Lakeshore also serves as a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training site, a center for research and with the disability community, a strong advocate for inclusion. Mr. Kemp launched his most recent and widely acclaimed book, Disability Friendly: How to Move from Clueless to Inclusive, published in October 2022.

Widely respected for his many achievements in the corporate and nonprofit worlds and his leadership in the disability movement, Mr. Kemp, a person with a disability, cofounded the American Association of People with Disabilities and has held a variety of CEO and senior executive positions with national and international nonprofits.

He was honored with the Henry B. Betts Award, widely regarded as America’s highest honor for disability leadership and service. He is also the recipient of the Dole Leadership Prize. In addition, Mr. Kemp chairs Delta Air Lines’ Advisory Board on Disability.

A graduate of Georgetown University and Washburn University School of Law, Mr. Kemp and his wife, Sameta, enjoy spending time with their family, including five grandsons.

STEFAN LISTL, DMD, PhD

Stefan Listl is Professor of Health Economics at Heidelberg University and leads the Oral Health Section at Heidelberg Institute of Global Health. He also holds affiliations with the University of Pennsylvania (USA) and Radboud University (Netherlands). Stefan currently serves as principal investigator for the Horizon Europe research projects DELIVER and PRUDENT, as well as the German Innovation Fund projects DigIn2Perio and Paro-ComPas. Stefan is a member of the Lancet Commission on Oral Health and served on the Steering Committee for the WHO Global Oral Health Status Report. He contributed to the FDI World Dental Federation Vision 2030 report, the NIH Report on Oral Health in America and the ICHOM Oral Health Standard Set. He spoke at oral health events during United Nations High-Level Meetings, at the European Parliament and the Dutch House of Representatives.

FRANCISCO JAVIER MARICHI RODRÍGUEZ CD, MSD, PhD

Dr. Francisco Javier Marichi Rodríguez CD, MSD, PhD. Currently Dean of the Facultad de Odontologia of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. He got his Dental Degree, his specialty in orthodontics, his MSD and PhD from UNAM. Awarded with the “Gabino Barreda” and “Alfonso Caso” Honor medals. Researcher focused in orthodontics tooth movement biology, acceleration of tooth movement, characteristics of ideal occlusions and control of biofilm in oral cavity. He is a national and international lecturer and has registered national and international patents.

MANU MATHUR, MPH, PhD

Manu is a Dental Surgeon with more than years of global experience of working in different health systems. He is currently working as Professor of Dental Public Health at Queen Mary University of London and Head of Health Policy at Public Health Foundation of India. He has a PhD in Epidemiology and Population Health from University College London and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Glasgow. His research focuses on risk factors for Non-Communicable Diseases NCDs, especially tobacco cessation. Throughout his career, Professor Mathur has been an advocate for the Universal Health Coverage philosophy and played an active role in ensuring that appropriate quality oral health care is available, affordable, and accessible for all, across different health systems. Manu is a Commissioner on the Lancet Commission on Global Oral Health and Incoming President of the Global Oral Health Inequalities Research Network of International Association for Dental Research. He has more than peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals, has been the principal investigator on many projects funded by Government of India, WHO, MRC-UK, BMGF, USAID and NIH-USA. His areas of expertise cover epidemiologic methods, operations, health systems and policy research, and health promotion. He is also recently been recognized in the top two per cent of impact- making researchers worldwide in the field of Medicine and Public Health.

FILIP MEHEUS, MSC, PhD

Filip Meheus is a health economist in the Economic Evaluation and Analysis Unit of the Department of Financing and Economics at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. He has nearly 20 years of experience in health economics in low -and middle-income countries. His research has focused on the economics of disease control, in particular for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and neglected tropical diseases, as well as the economics of health systems with an emphasis on health financing, equity and universal health coverage. At WHO, he recently coordinated with the NCD department the update of the Appendix 3 of the WHO global action plan for non-communicable diseases, which is a list of policy options and cost-effective interventions countries should prioritize in order to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases.

JESSE MILAN JR., JD

Jesse Milan, Jr., JD is President & CEO of AIDS United a national organization focused on HIV policy, grantmaking, and capacity building in the U.S. A lawyer, Milan has led HIV national, regional, and global HIV programs and addressed millions across the U.S. and Africa. He serves currently on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and is chair of the board of Funders Concerned About AIDS. He’s also on the Scientific Advisory Board for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and on the Infectious Disease Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine. He was AIDS Director for Philadelphia and Chief of Staff to the President of Temple University, is past board chair of the Black AIDS Institute, and was vice president for 15 years at two public health consulting firms. His many awards are from the American Bar Association, POZ magazine, and the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the NYU School of Law. Milan is living with HIV for four decades.

MYECHIA MINTER-JORDAN, MD, MBA

Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, MBA, serves as the president and CEO of the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. A physician and business executive, Myechia leads a dynamic team of professional and clinical experts. Through Myechia’s leadership, CareQuest Institute operates as a catalyst for systems change, bringing forth ideas and solutions to create a more equitable, accessible, and integrated health system for everyone. Myechia continues to shine a national spotlight on the importance of ending deep social inequity. In 2020, Myechia joined 18 other Black and Brown executives in Massachusetts as a founding leader of The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF).

Before joining CareQuest Institute, Myechia served as chief medical officer and CEO of the Dimock Center in Massachusetts. Myechia also invests personal time in her community, serving on several boards and committees, including BlueShield of California, The Boston Foundation, Point 32 Health, Yawkey Foundation, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Previously, she held appointed positions for influential agencies, including the Massachusetts Health Planning Council Advisory Committee and the City of Boston Public Health Commission.

Myechia earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Brown University School of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business. She also received honorary doctorates from Northeastern University and Newbury College.

BRIANNA PARSONS, BA, VMD, MSED

Dr. Brianna Parsons is an entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary scholar committed to understanding the intersection of food systems and food animal medicine; sustainability; and socio-economic, socio-cultural, and equitable development; with an emphasis on community-based action in the face of climate change. She earned her veterinary degree from Penn Vet, focused on food animal medicine, One Health, and organized veterinary medicine, and she completed an MSEd in Education Entrepreneurship from Penn’s Graduate School of Education. Brianna co-founded FAIR Farms Gambia, a social-entrepreneurial initiative started in 2016 to leverage the benefits of livestock agriculture on society. She works as a lecturer in Sustainable Agriculture at Penn Vet.

MADHURI PATTAMATTA, BDS, PhD

Madhuri Pattamatta, PhD is a health economist and dentist with professional experience spanning both hospital and academic environments. She served as a postdoctoral researcher at Radboud University Medical Center where she conducted research and led a small team on a WHO project, Best Buys for oral health, with specific emphasis to prioritize oral health interventions in 62 countries low- and middle-income countries. Before this, she worked at the Catharina Hospital in the Netherlands as a PhD researcher performing health economic analysis for clinical trials conducted on patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. She also has worked as a dentist in India before moving to the Netherlands.

ROLANDO ENRIQUE PEÑALOZA QUINTERO, DDS, MA, PhD

Head Professor of the Institute of Public Health, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Dentist from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Specialist in Health Administration with emphasis in Social Security, Specialist in Social Policy, Master in Political Studies from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; PhD in Political Studies, Universidad Externado de Colombia; Researcher and director of the Health Policy and Economics Research Group. Founding Member of the Colombian Association of Health Economics, Member of the International Society on Priorities in Health, Member of the European Evaluation Society. Visiting Professor at several universities in Colombia and Latin America. Research on health determinants, health models, health services, public policies, health services financing and political economy of health.

AVE PÕLD, DDS, PhD(c)

Ave Põld is a research assistant at the Section for Oral Health, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University Hospital and serves as a board member at the Estonian Dental Association. She is currently studying for a PhD in Public Health at the University of Tartu, Estonia. Ave completed her dental training in the University of Tartu, Estonia in 2017. She studied International Health at the CharitéUniversitätsmedizin in Berlin and worked as a product owner for the World Health Organization Academy until 2022. Ave is the co-chair for the Global Health Workforce Network Youth Hub and has been actively involved for years in health student organizations, mainly the International Association of Dental Students. Her areas of interest include global oral health, health workforce, adult learning, health technology.

DAVID PREBLE, DDS, JD

As Chief Strategy Officer, Dr. Preble works with volunteer leadership, national and international organizations, and ADA agencies to develop and implement a unified strategy for the future of oral health in America. Originally from New York State, Dr. Preble received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated from Georgetown University Dental School in Washington, D.C., and St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami Gardens, Florida.

KAZ RAFIA, DDS, MBA, MPH

Kaz served as the Chief Dental Officer and EVP of Health Equity at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.

In his role, Kaz leads the organization’s philanthropy strategy and is responsible for the largest private oral health grantmaking portfolio in the US. Kaz also leads the organization’s health transformation activities and the programmatic initiatives advancing value-based care, medical-dental integration, and interoperability.

Previously, Kaz served as the State Dental Director for Oregon, where he led the effort to expand Medicaid adult dental benefits for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and collaborated with partner state agencies on dental therapy scope of practice, expansion of Oregon Health Plan dental benefits for veterans, as well as the inclusion of oral health education in school curriculum.

He is an alumnus of The Ohio State College of Dentistry, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and The University of Illinois College of Business.

GARRY RAYANT, BDS, DDS, LDSRCS, MS

Garry A. Rayant, BDS, DDS, LDSRCS, MS, is a healthcare professional, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He retired from part-time clinical periodontal practice in San Francisco in 2018. He was Co-founder, Partner and Editor-in-chief, Dear Doctor Magazine Inc., (Dentistry & Oral Health), multimedia consumer print and online. He is a member of the Board of Directors Epic Cleantec, a water reuse company for the modern world. His interests include healthcare, education and political advocacy. He serves as: Chair, Advisory Council, Center for Children and Youth, JFCS, San Francisco; International Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University; Vice Chair, American Friends of Tel Aviv University; Board of Advisors of the SDM, University of Pennsylvania; Tulane University’s President’s Council; Aipac National Council.

ANA LORENA RUANO, PhD

Ana Lorena Ruano is a sociologist and holds a PhD in Public Health from Umeå University. She is a researcher at the Center for International Health (CIH) at the University of Bergen where she leads the project ‘Strengthening Agency & Learning across Health Systems in the Americas (SALHSA). Her work focuses on equity in health and health system governance, including participation, social accountability, and legal empowerment. The target populations for her work include groups that have been traditionally excluded from decision making processes and policy processes in health, like indigenous peoples. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal for Equity in Health (IJEQH).

MARIA EMANUEL RYAN, DDS, PhD

Maria Emanuel Ryan, DDS, PhD is Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at the Colgate-Palmolive Company where she provides oversight and leadership to Dental and Dermal Clinical organizations, Knowledge Management and Scientific Communications teams. Dr. Ryan previously served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology at Stony Brook University where she was actively involved in teaching, clinical practice of periodontology and research. She is the Past President of the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and has served on many academic and foundation boards. Dr. Ryan has received numerous awards including NIH National Research Service Awards and a Physician Scientist Award. She received an achievement award from the American Dental Association and was the first recipient of the Victress Health Award to recognize her educational and research efforts in the area of women’s health. Dr. Ryan is a nationally and internationally known speaker and author who has appeared on multiple media outlets to discuss the importance of oral health to overall health and wellbeing as well as the role of the dental professional in the provision of optimal overall health care.

ALAN ROGER SANTOS-SILVA, DDS, MSC, PhD, FAAOM

Associate Professor at the Oral Diagnosis Department, Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas, Brazil. Research grantee of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil). Co-author of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO) Handbook on Oral Cancer Prevention.

MIRCO STIEHLE

Mr. Mirco Stiehle is a German national with more than 25 years of experience in the international dental market.

Having served in multiple senior leadership functions as a Managing Director and President, for private, public and start up dental companies, provides as base for understanding needs and trends in global dental markets.

Living in Japan as well as being responsible for Europe, Asia and North American markets during his assignments created his passion about improving oral care globally.

Mr. Stiehle is the Head of LatAm for Ivoclar, married and father of three. He currently resides in Utah.

OLIVIA URQUHART, MPH

Olivia Urquhart is an Instructor in the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences. Before joining Penn Dental Medicine in September 2022, she served as the lead data analyst and a clinical practice guideline methodologist in the Department of Evidence Synthesis and Translation Research at the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Science & Research Institute. During her tenure at the ADA she authored systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in oral cancer diagnosis, caries management, acute pain management, antibiotics for pulpitis, and dental interventions prior to radiation for head and neck cancer. Olivia earned a master’s degree in public health with a specialization in epidemiology from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in 2016 and concurrently was a member of the birth defects surveillance research team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

KARLA SOARES-WEISER, MD, PhD, MSC

Karla Soares-Weiser, MD, PhD, MSc, is the editor-in-chief of the Cochrane Library, one of the most reputable sources of best evidence worldwide. A board-certified clinician, she also has a doctorate in evidence-based health care and has been working in this field since 1997. She is the author of over 60 Systematic Reviews, including 33 Cochrane Reviews. She has held numerous positions in Cochrane Groups, including the Iberoamerican and UK Cochrane Centres, where she provided training in systematic review production. Outside Cochrane, Dr. Soares-Weiser has held academic faculty positions in Brazil and Israel and established her own consultancy business providing evidence synthesis services to government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. As editor-in-chief, Dr. Soares-Weiser is responsible for ensuring that the Cochrane Library meets its strategic goals of supporting health care decision-making by consistently publishing timely, high-priority, high-quality reviews and responding to the needs of its many users.

RICHARD WATT, BDS, MSC, PhD

Richard Watt is a Professor and Honorary Consultant in Dental Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL. He is the Director of the World Health Organisation, Collaborating Centre on Oral Health Inequalities and Public Health, Director of Research, Development and Innovation for Central North-West London NHS Foundation Trust and a NIHR Senior Investigator. His main research interests focus on social and commercial determinants of health inequalities and development and evaluation of community-based health improvement interventions. He provides public health advice on oral health policy to various national and international organisations. In 2014 he received the International Association of Dental Research (IADR) Distinguished Scientist Award for Behavioural, Epidemiologic and Health Services Research and in 2020 the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award for Global Oral Health Research. In 2019 he led the publication of a Lancet Series on Oral Health and from 2020 has co-led the Lancet Commission on Oral Health. He is currently co-leading a NIHR Global Health Group on Oral Health in Kenya, Brazil, India and Colombia.

DEBORAH WEISFUSE, MS, DMD

Dr. Deborah Weisfuse is currently the President of the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders, a CODA Commissioner, Consultant to the National Academy of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering, Advisory to the Board of the New York County Dental Society, Advisory Board member of Project Accessible Oral Health, and Board member of American Friends of Dental Volunteers for Israel. She is retired from practicing general dentistry at this time. She has received honorary fellowships that include

FAGD, FACD, FICD, FPFA, FNYAD, AND FIADFE. She has received the ADA Jeffrey Dalin Volunteer Award for Distinguished Service, and served on several ADA committees. She has received a proclamation from the Assembly of the State of New York and has received many other acknowledgements for her contributions in the field of oral health. She has the distinction of having been the only woman president of the New York State Dental Association. She received a MS in biomedical research from SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and her DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Her GPR in Geriatrics and year as Chief GPR Resident were both at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, now known as Northwell in NYS, USA.

BRYANT WELTERS

Mr. Welters received his BA from the University of Notre Dame with a focus in finance. His career started with the Kraft Sports Group as an associate with the premium seating team. He transitioned to work as a financial analyst for a boutique oil/gas company, Spotted Hawk, with mineral rights in North Dakota. From there he moved to BlackIvy Group, a development holding company with operations in Ghana, Tanzania, and Kenya where he worked in a variety of roles.

He is the Vice President for External Affairs focusing on business development for essential business operations in sub-Sahara Africa. He grows and manages internal and external relationships across a gamut of interested parties, investors, operational partnerships, government relationships etc. He utilizes his growing network to create worthwhile partnerships for BlackIvy companies as well as fostering long term relationships between American and African companies.

MARK S. WOLFF, DDS, PhD

Dr. Mark S. Wolff is the Morton Amsterdam Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Professor in the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences. He holds a DDS (1981) and PhD in Oral Biology and Pathology (1997) from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook. Prior to Penn Dental Medicine, he held leadership positions with Stony Brook University and NYU. He has been a lifelong advocate for individuals with disabilities through the lifespan. Dr. Wolff started his dental career as a private practitioner, creating a family practice that focused on the medically compromised and disabled patients of all ages. He has published more than 100 papers, text chapters and edited multiple textbooks and is an experienced principal investigator for extramurally funded research.

PARTICIPANTS

Stephen Abel

Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Lekan Ayo Yusuf

Professor and the Head of the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria

Habib Benzian

Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Health

Promotion, College of Dentistry, New York University; Co-Director New York University WHO Collaborating Center Quality Improvement & Evidence-based Dentistry

Eduardo Bernabé

Professor of Dental Public Health, Queen Mary University of London

Steven Beshear

Former Governor of Kentucky

Ankita Shashikant Bhosale

Program Coordinator for the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Alonso Carrasco-Labra

Associate Professor at the Center for Integrative Global Oral Health; Director, Cochrane Oral Health Collaborating Center at University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Lois Cohen

Consultant & Paul G. Rogers Ambassador for Global Health Research

Richard Cohen

President and Chief Executive Officer, Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC)

James Coughlan

Honorary Academic Clinical Fellow in Primary Care and Public Health, University of Manchester

Katie Dain

Chief Executive Officer, NCD Alliance

Jaime Edelson Tishman

Fundación ADM, IAP, Chair

Rolando Enrique Peñaloza Quintero Head Professor, Institute of Public Health, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Julian Fisher

Zero Water Day Partnership, Director; Director of Oral and Planetary Health Policies, Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Agnes Gatarayiha

Deputy Dean, Research and community engagement, School of Dentistry, University of Rwanda

Maren Gaughan

Associate Dean for Leadership Giving, Office of Institutional Advancement, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Michael Glick

Fields-Rayant Professor of Integrative Global Oral Health; Executive Director Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Dympna Kavanagh Chief Dental Officer, Ireland

John Kemp

President and CEO, Lakeshore Foundation

Elizabeth Ketterlinus

Vice Dean Office of Institutional Advancement, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Stefan Listl

Professor at Radboud University Medical Center; Adjunct Professor, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Ana Lorena Ruano

Researcher, Center for International Health (CIH), University of Bergen

Judith Mackay

Director of the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control; Senior Policy Advisor to World Health Organisation

Francisco Javier Marichi Rodríguez

Dean, Facultad de Odontologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM)

Manu Mathur

Professor, Dental Public Health at Queen Mary University of London; Head of Health Policy, Public Health Foundation of India, Adjunct Professor, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Filip Meheus

Health Economist, Economic Evaluation and Analysis Unit of the Department of Financing and Economics, World Health Organization (WHO)

Jesse Milan Jr.

President & CEO of AIDS United

Myechia Minter Jordan

President and CEO, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health

Brianna Parsons

Lecturer in Sustainable Agriculture, Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security, University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine

Madhuri Pattamatta

Senior Reimbursement Analyst, Medtronic

Ave Põld

Research assistant, Section for Oral Health, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University Hospital

David Preble

Chief Strategy Officer, American Dental Association

Kaz Rafia

Chief Dental Officer and Executive Vice President of Health Equity, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health

Garry Rayant

Emeritus Editor-in-Chief, Co-Founder; Partner in Dear Doctor Magazine, Inc

Alan Roger Santos-Silva

Associate Professor in Oral Medicine and Pathology, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas

Maria Ryan

Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Colgate-Palmolive Company

Karla Soares-Weiser

Editor-in-Chief, Cochrane Library

Mirco Stiehle

Head LatAm, Ivoclar Vivadent

Olivia Urquhart

Instructor, Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Richard Watt

Co-chair, Lancet Commission on Oral Health; Professor of Dental Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London

Deborah Weisfuse President, Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders

Bryant Welters

Vice President for External Affairs, BlackIvy Group LLC

Mark S. Wolff

Morton Amsterdam Dean of the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine; Professor in the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences