Dr. Monica Berninghaus Kitsap County Dental Society
Greetings from Kitsap County! It’s been a privilege to serve as our component president and alternate delegate for such a great group of talented and compassionate dentists. We have lots to be proud of! This was my first year attending the House of Delegates, and besides meeting several outstanding leaders in the WSDA, the wealth of knowledge I took with me was amazing. Dr. Michelle Caldier was elected State Representative (R) 26th district, position 2, and I was proud to be an active supporter of her hard-working campaign! Dr. Mike Huey received the prestigious Golden Apple Award for now the 4th year in a row for Excellence in Science Fair Program Support and Promotion for his continued work in organizing and promoting the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair. Our top-notch administrator, Peggy Stanley, also celebrated ten years with our society, and all our members are extremely grateful to have her. Harrison Hospital is relocating and expanding its campus to Silverdale, and we are trying to establish an extraction clinic that would serve the underprivileged. After serving in the United States Navy for 21 years, I am now an associate at Kitsap Gentle Dentistry in Silverdale, WA. I attended The Ohio State University, receiving both my B.S. in Pharmacy and my D.D.S. degrees, as well as a Master’s degree from George Washington University while still on active duty. I am a very proud mom to my two children – Ashley a senior at Montana State majoring in both Chemical and Biological engineering, and Matthew a freshman at Cal Poly majoring in Environmental Engineering.
Dr David Blackett, Grays Harbor District Dental Society
I am very grateful to be part of a profession that allows me to help others, provide well for my family and also spend quality time with them. Outside of work I am usually either watching my kids in sports or having fun with them. I am also able to serve my community as a leader in Boy Scouts and as a member of the Elma City Council. This year I finally caught the fishing bug and landed my first salmon! There are not very many professions that would allow us the freedom to pursue other interests outside of work. This is the third time I have had the opportunity to serve as the president of the Grays Harbor District Dental Society. Our area has struggled with high unemployment again this year, and reimbursement rates continue to be an issue. I appreciate organized dentistry and the opportunity to meet together with other dentists and learn how to be a better health care provider and employer. It is easier to face various challenges together and learn from others mistakes and successes. We are a part of a great profession and the WSDA allows us to come together and make it even better.
Dr. Jessica Bremerman Yakima Valley Dental Society
I have been practicing as a public health dentist for 4+years in the Yakima Valley. I have enjoyed my time in leadership for the Yakima Valley Dental Society. It is inspiring to see so many veteran dentists still have the passion for dentistry that young dentists start out with. As a public health dentist, I think it is critical to be involved with organized dentistry considering the current issues that dentistry is facing with Medicaid and access to care. The den-
tistry I do on a daily basis is challenging, and my patients need a voice. I hope to be that voice for good dental care. I am a wife to my high school sweetheart and a mother to three awesome boys (5 years old, 3 years old and 5 months old). Life is super busy for our family, but I love it. I am unsure where my career will lead me, and that’s what I love about dentistry. Dentistry has given so much to me and I am so grateful.
Dr. James K. Burnham North Central District Dental Society
This year I am honored to serve as the North Central District Dental Society President. I hope to make a positive impact on all our member and non-member dentists during my tenure by reinforcing and growing their support for organized dentistry. Undoubtedly dentistry is changing right before our eyes as dental utilization and spending are down, dentist earnings are down and retirement ages are up. It is a critical time right now, and we must be united as a profession to address the coming challenges. We can’t be complacent and watch these changes from the sidelines; we have to get involved and help guide the changes. Our current leaders are helping to re-establish the value in our knowledge, skills and services to the public. I encourage support for these leaders and organized dentistry as it will foster new opportunity for growth and redefine our future. Originally from Pascagoula, Mississippi, I fell in love with Washington State while serving as a Dental Officer in the United States Navy at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. After graduating from the University of Tennessee Dental School in 1999, I served ten years in the Navy. During my military service I obtained specialty training in Periodontics from the Naval Postgraduate Dental School in Bethesda, Maryland. Once my obligation with the Navy was complete, I returned to Washington State and have been living in the Wenatchee area since 2011. I enjoy everything this region has to offer, but especially the hiking, climbing and skiing.
Dr. Ute Collins Mount Baker District Dental Society
I am proud to serve as president for the Mount Baker District Dental Society for this current year! We have a fabulous dental society that spans as far north as the Canadian border, extends over to Anacortes/Whidbey Island as the gateway to the San Juan Islands and then extends south through the fertile Skagit River valley to include Mount Vernon. What a great area of the state ! We are close to two great cities (Vancouver and Seattle), yet have the pleasure of living a little slower and more ‘rural’ lifestyle. I practice with my husband, Charlie – we are University of Washington School of Dentistry grads, Class of 2000! I enjoy so many of the things that this area of the state has to offer, and it is a stone’s throw from my back door. In my spare time, you can find me running the Anacortes Community Forest Lands trails, kayaking on Burrows Bay, or hiking the North Cascades. My favorite annual pastime is a backpacking trip we do every year from Highway 20 into Stehekin – nothing is better than kicking your feet up after hiking a long distance and opening a great bottle of wine. It’s the little things in life like that which keep me personally plugging along. I am a faculty club member with the Spear Institute for Dental Education which has revolutionized the way I practice dentistry. I love their learning continuum – it is my professional outlet to learn, question, and think harder about the practice of dentistry. And it makes us Huskies pretty proud to see that several leaders on the Spear Faculty are homegrown University of Washington dentists that use their knowledge and experience to revolutionize dentistry. On a professional level, it is what keeps me plugging along !
th e wsda ne w s · issue 3, februar y · 2015 · www.wsda.org · 17
member news meet your component presidents
Editor’s Note: This year, we had seven component presidents who, for various reasons, were not able to participate in this piece. We’ll try to get them all in a future issue!