Driving Dentistry Forward Podcast

Dr. A. Ross Kerr is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Medicine, and the Director of Special Patient Care and Hospital Dentistry at NYU College of Dentistry. Dr. Kerr received his D.D.S.degree from McGill University, and a Master of Science in Dentistry and a Certificate in Oral Medicine from the University of Washington. He also completed a general practice dental residency program at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. His research interests include aphthous stomatitis (canker sores) and oral cancer. His clinical practice focuses on the dental management of medically complex patients and the diagnosis and treatment of patients with oral mucosal disease, salivary gland dysfunction and oral-facial pain.

On February 27, Dr. Miguel Stanley drove a van packed with medical supplies, baby formula, and diapers 2,500 miles (from Lisbon, Portugal to Poland). He contacted with a friend and colleague of his (located in Kiev), who then connected him with a dental distributor to provide and organize immediate care for Ukrainians.

Chuck Cohen interviews Lucy Hobbs Award winner Dr. Kady Rawal. Former recipient of The Lucy Hobbs project Woman-to-Watch award, Dr. Rawal earned her BDS degree from D.Y. Patil University School of Dentistry in Mumbai, India, and later joined Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUGSDM), where she graduated from the AEGD residency program and where she currently serves as Clinical Assistant Professor. She is the faculty mentor for the American Association of Women Dentists' Chapter at BUGSDM, represents the Women in Dentistry Committee on the board of the Boston District Dental Society and joined the faculty at Harvard in 2019. As an advocate for BUGSDM's Women-to-Women program, she conducts monthly oral screenings for homeless, abused women in Boston and has also conducted dental outreach programs women living within the red light districts of India.

Chuck Cohen interviews Lucy Hobbs Award winner Rella Christensen, PhD. Recipient of the Industry Icon award, Rella shares her inspirational level of knowledge as a clinical researcher in numerous capacities, without any monetary compensation. Within her purview: Expanded Function Dental Hygiene, for which she founded and directed the Bachelor of Science Program at the University of Colorado in Denver. Dr. Christensen's competencies in the areas of Physiology and Microbiology power the team at Technologies in Restoratives and Caries Research (TRAC Research), a nonprofit institute she established in Provo, Utah. At its core: in-depth studies of restorative materials, preventive dentistry, and dental caries. During her lifelong commitment to the betterment of patient treatment, Dr. Christensen also dedicated 27 years to Clinical Research Associates, a dental product testing institute that she founded and directed. She has presented over 1,040 dental continuing education programs, totaling over 5,200 hours, at U.S. and international locations and has published 121 abstracts. She is a member of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and the International and American Associations for Dental Research. As a non-dentist, Dr. Christensen has been inducted into the International College of Dentists, Academy of General Dentistry and the Academy of Dentistry International as an Honorary Member. In 2001 she was selected as the Distinguished Alumnus of Brigham Young University's School of Life Sciences, and now serves on its National Advisory Board.

Chuck Cohen interviews Lucy Hobbs Award winner Stephenie Goddard, Chief Experience Officer with Glidewell Dental. Fourteen years ago, when she started at Glidewell Dental, Stephenie Goddard was not exactly an industry lifer. Indeed, she's no dentist at all—instead, she's the resident organizational psychologist at Glidewell, with influence that extends well beyond supply-chain management and corporate strategy into leadership and mentoring. Under Goddard's guidance over the last decade and a half, the Southern California manufacturing giant launched Glidewell University, a 10-month leadership development program—an internal mini-MBA, in essence—for midlevel managers, as well as a six-month version for senior management. “I get personal joy and satisfaction watching people and their careers grow,” she says. “When I came to Glidewell, we didn't have a learning program at all. We had 1,100 employees, and we kept hiring leaders from outside, while we had this amazing talent inside that just needed to be developed.” (Glidewell today has some 5,000 employees.)

Rick Cohen interviews 40 Under 40 Honoree Dr. Michelle Farnoush For Dr. Farnoush, the world of dentistry is a perfect fit for her high standards and continuous strive for excellence. Helping patients build confidence over time and enjoy a higher quality of life is extremely rewarding for her, and it's hard for her to imagine having any other career.

Chuck Cohen interviews Amos Yahav, D.M.D Amos Yahav, D.M.D, is the Chairman of the Board and Founder of Augma Biomaterials Ltd. From his practical knowledge, highly experienced background and after handling a vast number of cases, Dr. Yahav began to revive his vision to combine simplicity, efficiency and proven results in the dental surgery field. The vision behind the formation of the company originated from the inspiration of the developer, Dr. Amos Yahav, D.M.D, to find a bone graft substitute that could serve clinicians on a broader spectrum of indications, based on motivation to find the ultimate one. Dr. Yahav is known worldwide for the revolutionary products he invented, which aim to improve the results of oral augmentation process results. In April 2019, Dr. Yahav recieved the Thomas Edison Award for his innovation and contribution. The company continues to operate under these principles in order to bring further developments and innovation to the dental field, all for the benefit of the clinician and the patient.

Rick Cohen interviews 40 Under 40 honoree, Dr. Diana Tadros, Florida Dr. Diana Tadros has been voted Best Dentist in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale magazine for 2020. She also was named America's Top 40 under 40 Dentists. She is the first and only Accreditation Candidate of the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in Fort Lauderdale. She is a Florida Native who is was well known and respected premier cosmetic Dentist in Manhattan for years prior to returning to Florida.

Dr. Fialkoff has run Paradise Valley Dental since 2016. His practice serves multigenerational families and patients who have been coming to the practice for decades. He has boosted revenue growth by 50 percent a year using only word-of-mouth referrals. He expertly blends classic techniques (TMJ analysis, gold restorative preparations and perio-prosth design) with more modern technological tools (CBCT, intraoral scanning, occlusal analysis) in a whole-body approach. He has helped patients get diagnosed and treated for a variety of serious medical conditions.

Chuck Cohen interviews Dr. Jackie Johnson, Preston Dental Care, West Virginia Dr. Johnson left behind her aspirations to become an actress to pursue an unexpected career in dentistry. (She does, however, keep her interest in theater alive via her office's humorous YouTube and Facebook videos.) She dedicates her time and practice to helping her hometown, including special assistance for veterans during the local Smile for Heroes initiative each November.

Incisal Edge 40 Under 40 honoree Kianor Shah, DMD, MBA, is never one to rest on his laurels. Within three years of dental school, Dr. Shah was leading six dental offices and a staff of over 80. Prior to establishing his full-service private practice in Palm Desert, California, Dr. Shah was a traveling dentist who practiced in more than 300 offices. After earning an MBA and completing several fellowships, he has built numerous co-brand, private-label, peer-to-peer and educational health-care organizations. A seasoned public speaker and educator in office-based oral surgery and implantology, Dr. Shah has organized several large symposia. The Global Summits Institute that he founded brings together renowned speakers from more than 70 countries and all the continents to teach, learn, share, support and provide a unified resource in every discipline and specialty in the profession of dentistry. He's proficient in prosthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, oral surgery and more—no surprise, then, that he was recently chosen 2020 Dentist of the Year by Top Doctor magazine, as well as one of the year's top dentists by Palm Springs Life magazine.

Driving Dentistry Forward Podcast #14. An interview with 40 Under 40 honoree, Dr. Blake Warner of Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Warner specializes in Oral and maxillofacial pathology and is employed at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health. “There are often setbacks in research and academics. You must be mentally and emotionally prepared to persist in achieving your goals while sharpening your patient-care skills. I think it's also important to equally develop your empathy, competence and confidence—not only for yourself and family but for your patients too.” - Dr. Blake Warner

Dr. Andrew Lyons 40 Under 40 Honoree Smile Savvy Cosmetic Dentistry, Charlotte NC In 2020 Dr. Andrew Lyons and his partner in business and life, Dr. Joya Lyons, earned recognition from two national magazines, and successfully rebranded their independent dental practice in the midst of a pandemic. How did the Incisal Edge 40 Under 40 honorees and Dentaltown's first cover couple triple their Charlotte practice's bottom line in one month while turning a year of obstacles into opportunities? For dentists wondering how highly-driven innovators embrace the future and move the profession forward, this new series will provide the questions – and the answers. This fall, Incisal Edge dental lifestyle magazine celebrates 10 years of recognizing brilliant achievers in dentistry, ages 40 and under. Fewer than 500 of America's best young dentists have earned this prestigious designation, including the alumni featured in each installment here. Prepare to be motivated.

Driving Dentistry Forward Podcast - Episode 12 - Dr. Dimple Desai by Benco Dental

Chuck Cohen interviews one of Incisal Edge's 32 Most influential People in Dentistry, Greg Minzenmayer, Chief Operating Officer at Glidewell Dental FOR FIVE DECADES, Glidewell Laboratories has been the leading provider of dental lab products and professional services. With its founder, Jim Glidewell, at the helm, it has innovated in every aspect of dentistry—specializing in crowns and bridges, ceramics, implants, prosthetics and more, becoming the largest privately held dental laboratory on earth. Glidewell, 75, is a titanic industry figure, and still the company's CEO. But no triumph is ever fully secured alone, and COO Minzenmayer, Glidewell's trusted aide-de-camp, has been second in command to the master for nearly 15 years. He joined the company in 2006 as director of implant business development, bringing more than a decade of industry experience with him. He became COO in 2010 and is responsible for Glidewell Labs' daily operations and system improvements. His focus, Minzenmayer says, is on “efficiency and quality. We not only operate a large dental lab; we also manufacture zirconia, glass ceramics, composite resins, implants, mills, cutting tools, bench-top lab scanners, industrial-grade CT scanners and our own CAD/CAM software. This allows us to meet the changing demands of a dynamic market.” Minzenmayer managed the 2010 launch of Glidewell's popular BruxZir solid zirconia crowns and recently unveiled the Zeramex XT, a two-piece metal-free ceramic implant that provides highly lifelike esthetics for anterior and thin tissues. He notes that Glidewell had planned to launch a digital, fully automated BruxZir crown-milling center by mid-2020—an innovation that would use artificial intelligence to reduce errors. Like so much else, that timetable is now very much in corona-flux. Still, Minzenmayer is bullish on Glidewell's future. “Thanks to a visionary CEO, an incredibly talented group of CDTs, engineers, research scientists, software developers, dentists and manufacturers,” he exults, “I have the most fun job in dentistry.”

Driving Dentistry Forward, Episode 9: Chuck Cohen interviews Mike Graham, Senior VP, Government and Public Affairs for the ADA Mike Graham has fought on Capitol Hill for issues important to organized dentistry for 25 years – serving in various positions in the American Dental Association's (ADA) Washington Office. Currently, he is the ADA's Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, representing over 163,000 ADA dentist members. In total he has 40 years of government affairs experience in the Federal and state legislative arenas. He has represented two other Associations; served as a gubernatorial appointee for two Maryland governors; worked for a U.S. Senator from Maryland; a Maryland Congressman; and a Maryland state representative. Mike has a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and a B.A. from The Catholic University of America. Mike retired as a Commander in the United States Navy, following his service in Iraq.

Driving Dentistry Forward Podcast, Episode 8: Rick Cohen interviews Marko Vujicic – Chief Economist and Vice President, ADA and one of Incisal Edge's 32 Most Influential People in Dentistry. Marko Vujicic, PhD currently serves as Chief Economist and Vice President of the Health Policy Institute at the American Dental Association. Previously, he was Senior Economist with The World Bank in Washington, D.C. where he focused on health systems reform in developing countries and directed the global health workforce policy program. He was also a Health Economist with the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. In all of these roles, Dr. Vujicic led large-scale strategic initiatives focused on bringing cutting edge data and research to specific health policy challenges.

Driving Dentistry Forward Podcast, Episode 7: Chuck Cohen interviews Amir Aghdaei - President & CEO of Envista Holdings Corporation As Envista's founding President and CEO, Amir Aghdaei drives the company's overall vision, drawing on more than a decade of leadership experience at Danaher. Amir originally joined Danaher in October 2008 as Multi-Brand GM and VP of Fluke. He was named President of Tektronix in 2009, Group Executive in 2011, President of the Danaher Communications Platform and Danaher Russia in 2014, President of Dental Technologies in 2015, and President of Danaher's Dental Platform in 2018. Prior to joining Danaher, Amir served as VP of Credence, and as GM and VP of the Measurement Systems Divisions of Agilent Technologies. Amir holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from the Technology and Science University of Iran, an MS in Applied Mathematics and an MS in Computer Science from Georgia State University, and an MBA from the University of Delaware.

Dr. Michael Apa has been named one of Incisal Edge's Magazine "32 Most Influential People in Dentistry". With offices in New York, Dubai, and Los Angeles, and a line of luxury oral care cosmetics, Dr. Apa is fulfilling his vision to bring the very best in aesthetic dentistry to a global clientele.

For the second time in as many years, Dr. Michael Cohen, founder and president of Seattle Study Club, has been named one of the 32 Most Influential People in Dentistry by Incisal Edge magazine. Upon receiving the news, Michael stated, “Although it is flattering to be recognized, it is really a testament to the strength of the Seattle Study Club network, especially our directors. For over 25 years, together, we have been creating unique experiences and educational opportunities for more than 7,400 members.”

Benco's Managing Director, Rick Cohen interviews Michelle Lee, the Executive Director of OSAP and named one of Incisal Edge's 32 Most Influential People in Dentistry. Michelle has more than 30 years of experience in the dental and healthcare industries. Prior to OSAP, Lee worked at DDS Staffing Resources as president and CEO. She specialized in temporary and direct hire staffing in healthcare with divisions including dental and medical practices, healthcare reimbursement personnel, government contracts and advanced practice professionals.

Driving Dentistry Forward Podcast - Episode 3 - Mike Cataldo by Benco Dental

In this episode, Rick talks with Gordon Christensen about how he is adapting to the new COVID realities, how his early childhood led him to dentistry and his secrets to a long, healthy life.

Driving Dentistry Forward Podcast - Episode 1 - Kathleen T. O'Loughlin: ADA Executive Director by Benco Dental