Profiles by Anna Sacks

	Now in its eighth year of recognizing exceptional women in the dental industry, Dental Products Report is thrilled to announce the Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2017.

	This year’s honorees come from across the dental industry, including dentists, industry leaders, office managers, educators and lab technicians.

See last year's winners: Meet the Dental Products Report Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2016

	“There are so many amazing women pushing the dental industry forward, and every one of them deserves recognition for their hard work, passion and dedication,” says Laura Dorr, managing editor of Dental Products Report.  
	 
	“The dental field would not be where it is today without the forward-thinking, visionary women who have contributed to its growth and success. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to every woman dedicated to furthering dentistry, and also recognize these 25 women whose contributions stand out. “

	Click a name below or go through the following pages to meet the women and learn about their contributions.

	The Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies is among the premier postgraduate institutes for continuing education in the world, and Dr. Heidi Dickerson is proud to be LVI’s president. LVI works to educate thousands of doctors, hygienists, team and lab technicians a year and professionals travel from all over the world to learn at LVI. To date, LVI has more than 10,000 alumni from 48 different countries, and Dr. Dickerson is determined to help the organization grow in every way she can.

	“I do whatever it takes to educate them on physiologic dentistry,” Dr. Dickerson says. “Being a patient of physiologic dentistry is what propelled me to teach it. I was a lifelong migraine sufferer and my husband, Dr. Bill Dickerson, treated me with physiologic dentistry and I have not had migraines in close to two decades. Once you know the power of what you can do to help your patients, there is no turning back.”

	Within her role at LVI, Dr. Dickerson is a featured lecturer in 10 courses, oversees two clinics with a total of 20 operatories, produces and edits VISIONS magazine, and is the creator and producer of LVI TV, the institute’s YouTube channel. All that while traveling and giving lectures worldwide and helping run the business side behind the scenes. 

	“I am proud of the unique ways I have tried to educate the doctors and the public,” she says. “For example, the LVI TV videos are quite funny and informative. The public needs to be educated as much as the dentist and education needs to be fun.”

	Dr. Dickerson believes the biggest challenge to dentistry today is adapting in the face of change. She believes that everyone in the industry wants change but no one is willing to change when it comes to themselves; they would prefer to remain comfortable in what they know. To her, it can be frustrating to see a way for dentists to help their patients and to hear them say they want to help their patients but then not follow through or embrace new ways to help their patients.

	“Innovation by definition is a new method, idea or product; herein lies the issue,” she says. “We can have all these awesome new things out there, but if we do not know how to use them, or how to present the need for using them with our patients, they mean absolutely nothing. That is one thing we specialize in at LVI-training. We believe in hands-on training because once you use something or do a procedure, you will remember it.”

	One of her personal missions is to demonstrate to dentists the impact they have on their patients, and to show them that no other doctor in any other profession can help patients the way they can. Dr. Dickerson believes dentists have a power they don’t realize because annually they see their patients more often than any other health profession. Therefore, they have the ability to see changes, diagnose them and prevent conditions that could become pathologic otherwise. 

	“Once you understand how a human develops, and how we as their dentists can guide and enhance that growth so they have proper facial development and a functional airway, now that becomes exciting stuff,” she says. “When you are actually prolonging someone’s life by using these principles, it is very powerful and rewarding.”

	“With my young patients, I hope they develop excellent life long oral health habits, recognizing the connection between oral health and overall health,” she says. “In my 15 years being a dentist, I have seen an increased value given to oral health as a function of overall health and I hope to continue to see access to oral health care for all as a priority to allow the establishment of a dental home for everyone.”Dr. Karen Foster is an educator and pediatric dentist who strives to share her knowledge of oral health with patients, parents, team members and other dental professionals while simultaneously working to serve as a role model for those interested in a career within the dental industry. She heard her calling early in life, specifically after writing a report on a local dentist at 8 years old. As someone who works with kids, finding her passion early on helps her connect with her patients and see that kids have big dreams at an early age, and their fervor to achieve them runs deep. Foster is able to then use that connection to educate patients and help them develop the best habits young.

	Dr. Foster started her practice from scratch, and while that came with its own hurtles and challenges over the years, she’s proud of how it’s grown and the success she’s found within the realm of small businesses. To her, it’s gratifying to go out within the dental community and share her experiences as well as advocate for improvements benefitting patients as well as the dental profession. 

	Dr. Foster also serves the dental community as an educator and she’s the first to say she’s learned as many new lessons as she’s taught.

	“Innovation is embracing new ways of doing things,” she says. “I am always open to learning new techniques. As a dental educator since 2004, I have come to appreciate the importance of research to identify and instruct as to a ‘best practices’ approach when treating special needs patients. By surveying fourth-year dental students before, then after, their rotation through the special needs clinic, my colleagues and I identified needed curriculum changes.”

	Dr. Foster is able to relate to her patients thanks to common ground and her own personal challenges. Since the end of 2012 she has been fighting the joint damaging effects of psoriatic arthritis, a chronic condition she works to overcome every day. 

	“Marketing gurus often tell you to humanize yourself to your patients and potential patients-I guess I am taking that advice to heart; I am a medical patient,” she shares. “The knowledge I have gained through this journey as a medical patient has made me better able to work with patients who have dietary issues as well as other health issues.”

	As a woman, she is confident in her skills and isn’t afraid to challenge stereotypes, specifically those that categorize her as a “female dentist” or “young dentist.” Instead of letting herself be boxed into those stereotypical roles throughout her journey she has sought out mentors who would guide and encourage constant development as a practitioner as well as a member of the dental community.

	Twelve years ago Dr. Maria Maranga was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she did not let it take her life or her ambition. Dr. Maranga beat cancer and came back stronger and fiercer than ever. Today, she is an educator, an endodontist, a wife and mother, and an activist in the breast cancer community. She believes that each role has helped to define her and make her better as an overall practitioner and citizen.

	“A survivor is always busy; you were chosen to be saved for a reason and sometimes you just don’t understand why,” she says.

	Within her career, she believes it is of the utmost importance to educate and re-educate herself on the most up-to-date techniques, to harness them and implement them slowly in order to constantly hone her expertise. This is a trait she works to instill in the students she mentors-especially females, who may be at a disadvantage right out of the gate.

	“Females represent less than 10 percent of all dental school deans and our medical counterparts are also only slightly higher as deans and department chairs. As a specialist, many vendors still ignore women at dental conventions and choose to overlook our potential business,” Dr. Maranga says. “Women are now 50-55 percent of the freshmen class of most U.S. dental schools. That in itself is a big game-changer. In the beginning of my leadership roles, women and diverse groups had to wait longer to be promoted, but not anymore.”

	Dr. Maranga comes from a family that strongly encouraged hard work and earning what you get in life. Her mother and father were not college-educated, but she believes that their work ethic took them further than any degree could have. She works hard to emulate that attitude, especially as a woman in a male-dominated field. She has persevered and pursued every leadership opportunity she could, she has made sure she is educated and stays up to date with current technologies, and she has learned to ask for help and never takes “no” as a final answer.

	“When I struggled at times with being singled out as a female, my dad would point to my mom and say, ‘Look at her, she doesn’t get upset over the baby things. Get up and find another way to fit in.’ He may not have used the word ‘adapt,’ but that concept became my cornerstone forever,” she shares. “I adapted my style to whatever needed to be done to keep moving forward.”

	To Dr. Maranga, to innovate is to adapt on the go. Whether she’s working with a patient or helping someone endure the trials of breast cancer, she is constantly working to adapt and understand in the face of new knowledge, technology or unfamiliarity.

	“I think that the innovation I represent has to do with your own self as a human being,” she said. “I adapt and come up with new and exciting ways to be original, encourage others and provide a sounding board for many. I use innovative ways to teach by taking a problem, applying sound biology coupled with the latest techniques, add a dash of common sense and run with it.”

	Dr. Pamela Maragliano-Muniz first became a dental hygienist because her parents didn’t think that pursuing a professional career in ice hockey was realistic. Luckily, she fell in love with dental hygiene upon entering her program and never looked back. Today, Dr. Maragliano-Muniz is one of the leading prosthodontists in her field and she is proud of her career, grateful for the opportunities she’s been able to take advantage of, and thankful to the mentors who helped her get where she is today.

	“I was working for a prosthodontist and if I was going to go to dental school, I wanted to be the best dentist I could be, and it seemed to me that being the best dentist meant becoming a prosthodontist,” she remembers. “I always thank dental hygiene and my dental hygiene instructors for changing my life and inspiring me.”

	Outside of her work as a prosthodontist, Dr. Maragliano-Muniz is also an instructor. She loves seeing dentistry evolve as technology and digital media become more readily available and bend itself to the will of the dental industry. 

	“I’m excited to see how technology continues to change the dental industry,” she says. “I think it is an exciting time to be in the industry and I am constantly blown away by new technology and materials to allow us to provide the best care to our patients.”

	When it comes to challenges within her career, she welcomes them with open eyes and an open mind. To her, it’s what you do in the face of a challenge that is most important. She believes that one has to stay positive, keep moving forward and learn from setbacks in order to be the best. For her, new opportunities mean new experiences and things she can learn in order to be better at what she does. 

	“I am motivated to provide the best care to my patients, and it is an honor to be able to share my practices and opinions with my dental and dental hygiene colleagues,” she says. “I am constantly met with new challenges and it certainly keeps things interesting.” 

	Dr. Maragliano-Muniz finds herself inspired by products, lectures and publications that motivate her to make her practice better-and to be a better prosthodontist. She believes it is of the utmost importance to keep her practice current for her team, patients, and lectures and publications. That is what innovation means to her-educating her team on the newest practices and technologies in order to ensure the best outcome for patients while also doing everything she can to contribute and give back in order to encourage the next generation of dental professionals.

	“I am very proud when I see my students happy, successful and enjoying their careers,” she says. “That really sparked my lecturing and writing career and I enjoy sharing my ideas and practices. I enjoy sharing my trials and tribulations with new products with my readers. I am always humbled and proud when I am recognized for my work.”

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Now in its eighth year of recognizing exceptional women in the dental industry, Dental Products Report is thrilled to introduce the Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2017.

Meet the Dental Products Report Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2017

	History records women in dentistry as early as the mid-1800s, when Lucy Beaman Hobbs Taylor became the first woman dentist in 1864. She was denied access to education because of her gender, learned dentistry with the help of a mentor, through apprenticeship and eventually graduated from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. (She later went on to train her husband to become a dentist.)

	The first dental assistants were recognized as “Ladies in Attendance” in the same century. Emeline Roberts Jones assisted her husband before becoming a dentist and Dr. C. Edmund Kells hired young Malvina Cueria to help him in his office in 1885. In 1906, Alfred C. Fones trained his assistant, Irene Newman to scale and polish teeth, and titled her dental hygienist. Irene is considered to be the first hygienist, and Fones went on to train others.

	152 years since the first female dentist, more than one half of dental school graduates are women and the predictions indicate that percentage will continue to increase. Since 2006, there have been four women ADA presidents and many others in leadership roles at state and local levels, as well as guiding other dental organizations. Women across our industry continue to drive change and deliver success through their professional and personal endeavors.  

	In 2009, Dental Products Report responded to the increase of women in our profession--those in dental practices, manufacturing, research and education, laboratories and key opinion leaders such as speakers and consultants. DPR established an annual recognition for the Top 25 Women In Dentistry to acknowledge their influence and leadership in our profession.

	Four years ago, the process of selecting honorees was generated through nomination by peers, colleagues and others who understood and appreciated their contributions to the industry. This year’s recipients are more than deserving of being named Top Women In Dentistry for 2016. This list is comprised of women who have the passion and skills to be empowered and to empower others through motivation, wisdom and proven success.

	Many of them have taken their passion and commitment for the profession beyond their vocation. Some have formed nonprofit organizations for a dental cause, others volunteer for programs such as Give Back a Smile and donate their time and service to missions and local dental vans and clinics.

	Among this year’s honorees are program chairs and executive directors for major dental meetings, dental artists and clinical pioneers. They are all thought leaders and innovators who strive to make our work and our world a better place.
	And these women are wives, mothers (and grandmothers!) sisters, aunts and friends. I’m certain they seek to live rewarding lives inside and outside of their work. They love and nurture those with whom they live and work--whether it is a colleague, a student or an audience. And they do this while they balance work and family, company meetings and dance recitals, school plays and convention floors. And that makes them a top woman in dentistry and in life.

	Many of those listed, I have the privilege to call friends. Being around them makes me be more, and strive harder. They inspire, they collaborate and they seek to grow the profession together. It is an honor to be among their ranks.

	Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook said, “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
	I believe these honorees have done just that. These women have made a difference in the lives of the people they have touched, and made our profession a little better for it. Congratulations to the Top Women in Dentistry for 2016.

Read the profile for honoree Dr. Jenine Arab O'Malley on the next page

	When it comes to cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Jenine O’Malley is at the top of her game and still climbing. After practicing for more than 20 years, Dr. O’Malley has perfected her craft, incorporating a blend of artistic sensitivity and technical ability in order to perform a full spectrum of dental services, from cosmetic bonding to full mouth reconstruction. She also strives to apply new technologies and scientific applications to her practice, which has enabled her to focus on non-invasive restoration of esthetics and attrition.

	“The greatest pleasure of my practice comes from seeing the positive changes in patients’ self-confidence when they look and feel better after getting a natural and beautiful smile that blends seamlessly with their dentition,” Dr. O’Malley says. “Most of the patients that seek my care are frustrated and embarrassed, and some are desperately looking for an attainable solution to improve their smile. Even changing someone’s smile in a procedure as simple as filling an undesirable space can change someone’s life. If a patient is unhappy with their teeth, they become self-conscious and reluctant to smile. It can profoundly impact their personal, professional and social life.”

	As is true for many dental professionals, finding balance between running her dental practice, raising a family, spending time with friends, and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle is a challenge for Dr. O’Malley. On top of those things, she has pursued the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry accreditation process which, however worthwhile, was a particularly rigorous and time-consuming endeavour.

	She believes that it is important to invest in herself as a professional in order to succeed, but outside of that she feels it is equally important to be committed to investing in her communities. To that end, Dr. O’Malley has worked to find channels to give back to those in need through dentistry.

	“I have launched the Give Back A Smile program where I work with the YMCA to restore extensively broken down teeth of victimized patients, thereby restoring smiles and confidence to these women in need,” she says. “I also advocate the importance of tooth preservation. I have provided humanitarian aid through a Global Brigades mission to needy communities. I brought my own dental material and taught many restorative techniques to mission workers as an alternative to extraction, paving the way for positive, sustainable change.”

	Outside of running her practice, her personal life, and her attributions to the dental community, Dr. O’Malley’s day-to-day work can be consuming. Because most of her patient’s smiles are reconstructed with direct bonding, the artistry is performed in the chair and the time required can vary significantly. So scheduling appointments and knowing how much time to dedicate to each procedure can be especially tricky, but she is determined to overcome each obstacle and to let her passion shine through with every case.

	“No matter if it’s in profession, family or life, the catalyst for success is passion,” she says. “My most significant accomplishments in dentistry stem from my compassion to provide my patients with the best quality care. Passion empowers me to set a vision, and gives me the motivation, perseverance and determination to make my vision a reality.”

Read the profile for honoree Dr. Tracey Nguyen on the next page

	When it comes to her work, Dr. Tracey Nguyen considers herself to be more than a dentist. She also loves the opportunity to promote self-esteem, and that’s something that makes her even more proud and motivated to come to work every day.

	“I love restoring my patients’ confidence and bridging the gap of dentistry and medicine. I want to break the barrier and make the community aware of the dentist’s role in overall health awareness,” she says. “With all the new data on oral health awareness, we should be more involved in the new wellness models; we now have a unique opportunity to educate patients.”

	When Dr. Nguyen graduated dental school, she was focused on restoring teeth, but since then her attention has been broadened to the patient’s overall health. With more recent studies linking oral and tooth health to conditions like heart disease, she feels a responsibility to her patients and the health of their entire body, instead of just their teeth. Her relationships with patients and other medical professionals have evolved thanks to the industry’s emphasis on bodily health starting with oral health. Now, she refers children to pediatric sleep centers when she can’t see the back of a child’s throat, for instance, or she conducts DNA testing if a patient’s periodontal condition does not improve.

	“I had a female patient with a blood pressure of 180/110. She was adamant that that’s not her normal blood pressure. At her next visit, three months later at her next periodontal visit, it was 169/111,” she recalls. “We had an intense conversation about her risk factors. She went to her primary care physician, and everyone confirmed that she was high-risk hypertension patient. She is currently being treated with medication and under a strict oral health disinfection protocol. I feel like I’m saving lives now.”

	
	After practicing for 14 years and watching the industry change and flow over her 22 years in the field of dentistry, her favorite part of the journey has always been developing relationships with her patients and her team. To her, having a genuine interest in the well-being of your team and patients leads to a connection and rapport that she has come to cherish.

	But her job isn’t easy. Keeping up with the ins and out of a busy office, ever-changing health and dental insurance policies, and keeping her patients’ best interests at heart becomes a delicate balancing act. Take those factors and add them to the reluctance of the medical community to partner with dental professionals for their patients’ care, and Dr. Nguyen has her work cut out for her. Luckily, she has a support system of friends and family that make the difficult days easier.

	“We all need cheerleaders. I mean, you can’t be perfect all the time,” she advises. “We all have failures. The most successful people in the world have the most failures. You need that group of friends to pick you up. You also need friends around you that are going to give you constructive criticism. You need people around you that will be honest and tell you when you are wrong and how to improve and, most importantly, encourage and motivate you to get back up and do it again.”

Read the profile for honoree Dr. Traci Portnoff on the next page

	Dr. Traci Portnoff is a dentist, but that isn’t the only facet of her life she feels is important. She is also a mother, a daughter, a friend, a volunteer and a businesswoman, and to her, this equation has contributed greatly to her success as a dental professional.

	For the first half of her career, Dr. Portnoff worked at Massachusetts General Hospital in the dental residency program. While in that position she maintained a dental practice within the hospital while serving as a mentor and instructor for the general practice residents. Then, in 2006, she took a leap of faith and bought a relatively small existing dental practice near her hometown, and she’s been committed to growing her practice and educating her team and her patients for more than 10 years.

	“I’ve never been one to rest on my laurels, and I’m always striving to both learn as well as to educate,” she says. “I hold high standards of our ever-growing dental team. Even though I was no longer teaching in a hospital setting, I committed to educating my patients as well as my team. Additionally, I am extremely committed to advanced education for myself.”

	In early 2016, Dr. Portnoff purchased another local practice and brought the two practices together to open Cornerstone Dental Care on the Commons in Westborough, Massachusetts. She is proud to have fostered her team of 17 women, three of whom are dentists, into a community of support and encouragement.

	Dr. Portnoff is also involved in the Massachusetts Dental Society where she served as the chair of The Women in Dentistry committee since 2011 as well as a program co-chair for the Yankee Dental Congress held in Boston every January. In 2018 she will serve as the general chair for the Yankee Dental Congress and will be able to give her commitment to education and organized dentistry an even bigger voice.

	“I believe your thoughts create your reality,” Dr. Portnoff says. “If you focus your energy on what you lack, or can’t do, guess what? You’ll get more of that negativity. So, instead of holding tight to your limits, keep your happiness, your goals, what you really want close to your chest and you’ll get more of it. Nurture and feed your light, not your darkness. You don’t have to do it alone.”

	Her advice to other women in the industry? Have confidence. In her career, the ability to take risks has been key in her success. She’s never been one to worry about the judgment and perception of others in making her own decisions. Instead she found mentors to learn from and she built a support network that would lift her up and help her succeed.

	“Don’t let someone else’s perception of you become how you see yourself,” she advises. “And, don’t get caught in the trap that everything needs to be perfect, or nothing will ever get done. Don’t be afraid of not succeeding; be more afraid of not trying something and living with regret.”

Read the profile for honoree Dr. Rabab Sabbahi on the next page

	Dr. Rabab Sabbahi is a dentist, but for her the job means much more than what it looks like on paper. Dr. Sabbahi is a practice owner, a team leader and she takes care of people and helps restore their overall health through their smile and oral health.

	“The best part of my job is the ability to serve people,” she says of her work. “The fulfillment I feel when I can take a person in pain or who is deathly afraid of the dentist and take them out of pain, or just make their experience with me more pleasurable, is immeasurable. I love that I can literally change something immediately using my hands. I can have a direct effect on somebody’s life.”

	Over the course of her career, Dr. Sabbahi has been able to take her career on the road a few times and take part in mission trips or days of service. To her, that’s been the best part of her career in dentistry. Her missions work inspired her to open their office one day for a “free dental day” event where they saw patients who could not afford to get dental treatment. They saw more than 100 patients that day.

	“It was such an incredible event, and to know that we have the honor to offer that to the community is priceless,” Dr. Sabbahi says of the experience.

	She also does a lot of work with local refugee families who have very little knowledge about dental health and have not had the privilege of receiving routine dental care. Her staff does its best to inform the patients as well as to treat some of them.

	While Dr. Sabbahi appreciates the ability she has in her career to do things like missions and parent her two daughters under the age of three, it isn’t always easy. According to her, staying up to date on all of the new and changing information in the industry is a constant challenge.

	“It’s called a ‘practice’ because you are always learning and growing,” she says. “There is so much to learn and so many courses to take. I always want to be the best at what I do. I want to offer the best services and the most precise treatments. When you are working with so many different people you can’t always make people happy and that’s hard to swallow sometimes.”

	As a woman in this industry, and as a female dentist in particular, Dr. Sabbahi feels that it’s important to be humble enough to learn from those who are great at what they do, but be confident and fierce enough to stick to what you know is right, especially as a woman. To her, women are sometimes seen as easily manipulated to do things in certain ways.

	“As the doctor you are in a position of power and you have a responsibility to your patients and to yourself,” she says. “It’s important to know who is worthy of learning from and when you need to stand your ground and do what you have been taught is right. That takes humility and confidence.”

Read the profile for honoree Dr. Mary Kathryn Shields on the next page

	From a young age, Dr. Mary Kathryn Shields knew that dentistry was her calling, and today she considers the first five years of what she hopes to be a long career to have been a challenging but fun adventure. Dr. Shields and her husband own a general dentistry practice in Louisville, Kentucky where the practice has just celebrated its fourth anniversary. While her husband is passionate about implant surgery, advanced bone grafting techniques and full mouth rehabilitation, she herself is more enthusiastic when it comes to the cosmetic cases and treating the pediatric and restorative needs of their patients.

	“There has never been a moment I have regretted that leap of faith: starting a practice from scratch in a market that dental consultants advised was ‘saturated,’” Dr. Shields said. “I love the relationships I have built with my patients and staff. I really don’t consider it a ‘job’ at this point; I view my daily routine as a privilege I have worked really hard for.”

	Within the dental community Dr. Shields also works to serve a niche she believes is often overlooked and at times misunderstood. She is currently in the process of becoming a diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Odontology. She will become one of only 100 board-certified forensic odontologists in the world. As a forensic odontologist, she works to identify human remains that are either too decomposed or burned beyond recognition, perform age estimations and offer an opinion on patterned injuries as to whether they could be consistent with a bitemark.

	As a mother of two, owning a practice and training as an odontologist while keeping time with her family a priority can be challenging, but Dr. Shields was determined from day one to keep the balance, and she has through a few unorthodox practices.
	“My son, Stone, was only eight weeks old when I opened my dental practice,” she says. “Fortunately, since I owned my practice, I could bring him to the office when I felt it would be manageable. I did the same thing when my daughter, Scarlett, was born. I worried patients would think it was unprofessional or too much of a distraction but the feedback was so positive. Most patients were actually disappointed once they started going to a childcare center. Now that our family is complete and we have a routine, life is getting a bit easier which is great especially since the practice is in a rapid growth phase.”

	As a working mother herself, Dr. Shields looks up to other working mothers as her role models. She herself is a third generation working mother and she’s inspired by her mother and grandmother who both worked hard to provide for their families. Her own mother, who earned her Master’s degree while Dr. Shields was in grade school, set a great example through her life and Dr. Shields hopes to be as inspiring to her own children throughout their lives.

Read the profile for honoree Dr. Beth Silverman on the next page

	From a very young age, Dr. Beth Silverman wanted to become a dentist-so much so that when her best friend had a loose tooth, she would extract it. She started working in a dental office while in high school as a receptionist, but as time went on she became bored with administrative work and began to train under the doctor as a chairside assistant. From there her love of dentistry really took off.

	She attended dental school at Temple University School of Dentistry and afterwards, she worked in a pediatric practice as a general dentist. Today, Dr. Silverman is a dentist at Lakeview Dental in Horsham, Pennsylvania in the suburbs of Philidelphia. She’s been with the practice for 16 years and she’s proud to have had the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with both her patients and her colleagues.

	“I consider myself to be a true family dentist, treating patients of all ages,” Dr. Silverman says. “I take pride in my honesty and integrity while presenting the best treatment for my patients. I am an upbeat and outgoing person so I like to convey that in my work. I try to make my patients as comfortable as possible along the way.”

	As a dentist, Dr. Silverman has always tried to maintain a balance between her professional life and her personal life. She has been married for 27 years to her husband Stewart Finkelstein and she has a 23-year-old son named Lee. She’s happy in her position as an associate dentist because it allows her the flexibility and confidence to maintain a life outside of work.

	Dr. Silverman believes that your attitude affects your work and those working around you, so she tries to stay positive. She makes a conscious effort to come to work every day with a sunny disposition that helps those she’s in contact with feel the same way. She’s determined, goal-oriented and always willing to take on a challenge whether it be a frightened child or even a difficult adult.

	“I think I have developed this attitude as I am a two-time cancer survivor,” she says. “I have always maintained a positive attitude and definitely believe laughter is the best medicine. I also am very thankful for my supportive family both at home and at the office. They have kept me going all these years.”

	As a woman in a male-dominated profession, Dr. Silverman hopes to inspire other women to pursue their goals.

	“Over the years I’ve had young women who have shadowed me. I try to instill in them the motivation to follow their dreams and be persistent,” she says. “Some of those people have gone on to become dentists, that really makes me feel great.”

	As for that friend whose teeth she used to extract way back when? She remains one of Dr. Silverman’s most faithful patients, as well as a long-time friend.

Read the profile for honoree Dr. Whitney Weiner on the next page

	As a periodontist, Dr. Whitney Weiner specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of periodontal condition and the placement of dental implants. As a surgeon, she works to reduce the level of inflammation in a patient’s mouth as research continues to show the downstream systemic effects of chronic oral inflammation. She’s studied how genetics contribute to a patient’s risk profile of developing periodontitis and how oral health effects a person’s overall health and she’s dedicated to passing that knowledge down to her team as well as to her patients and their families.

	“I know it sounds cliché or corny but truly the best part of my job is helping people,” Dr. Weiner says. “I think that is what drives all of us healthcare providers. Having the ability to impact our patient’s quality, and perhaps even quantity, of life, is what makes me excited when I get up in the morning and head to the office.”

	For Dr. Weiner, periodontics is just the right amount of surgical risk. She knows that she will be helping her patients without making life and death calls. This allows her the freedom to be a quality surgeon without sacrificing the other roles she plays in her life as a wife, daughter, mother and friend. Her profession affords her the opportunity to have a healthy balance of professional and personal success and not have to sacrifice too much of one at the expense of the other.

	“I can be a great mom and wife and a partner at a high-powered specialty office too,” she says. “This was always my dream, to partner in a premiere practice that provides the highest level of care and compassion to our patients, and it is so rewarding seeing that dream beginning to be realized.”

	But, as any dental professional working in a busy office would understand, that balance isn’t always easy to maintain. Dr. Weiner considers this the infancy of her career, so she realizes the need to build a legacy while making herself known in the dental community.

	“There are never enough hours in the day to do it all. I could spend a lifetime trying to go out and personally meet every dentist in our referral zone, but that would be at the sacrifice of my family,” she states. “So for me, the hardest thing is delegating responsibility. I am a self-admitted, type-A perfectionist so it is not easy for me to give up the reigns.”

	Luckily, with the help of her business partner, she’s been able to create a team that gets the job done and makes her feel comfortable in allowing them to take charge and run their respective divisions of the company.

	Dr. Weiner attributes her success to her family and their support. She was inspired to become a dentist by her grandfather, a well-known and beloved part of the community and dentist for more than 50 years.

	“Life is all about choices,” she shares. “As long as you believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who believe in you and push you to be your best version of yourself, the sky is the limit. It is essential that we all remember this and that really, we have the ability to make these choices for ourselves. It is choice and not sacrifice that should drive our decision making process.”

Read the profile for honoree Jan Babel on the next page

	Jan Babel leads a medium-sized dental lab in Northern Michigan and she considers it an honor to create smiles for her team of exceptional dentists. For Babel and her team, it’s empowering to create dental restorations that have the potential to be life changing for patients.

	“It is a wonderful feeling when a client calls to tell you that they just seated a case for a patient and there were tears and hugs and a beautiful smile,” she says. “You know that you and your team played a huge part in making that happen.”

	Babel began her dental career in the administrative arena, performing accounting functions and office management. Then, in 1991, the laboratory she worked for purchased a laboratory management software package and she accepted the challenge of installing and implementing the system. At that point Babel didn’t have a firm grip on the workings of a dental laboratory except for the limited exposure through office management, so she dove in headfirst and has never looked back.

Now in its seventh year of recognizing exceptional women in the dental industry, Dental Products Report is thrilled to present the Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2016. Past honoree Debra Engelhardt-Nash shares her story, while writer Anna Sachs profiles these 25 exceptional women in the dental industry.

Meet the Dental Products Report Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2016

Join DPR in celebrating the top 25 women making a huge impact on dental practices and the dental industry in 2013.

Somewhere along your professional trajectory, you’ve encountered a colleague or a professor or someone who was -in a word -exceptional. Statistics suggest that, more and more, that person will be a woman. According to the American Dental Association, since 2001, the total market of active licensed women dentists has gone from 26,870 to 47,814 - a 43.8% increase. By the end of 2011, 29,055 women were members of the ADA. These numbers don’t take into account the ladies making their mark as dedicated team members, dental lab technicians, sales representatives, or product managers, educators and dedicated team members. 

Now in its fourth year, the Top 25 Women in Dentistry feature is one way Dental Products Report seeks to recognize not just the power of the contributions women are able to make, but also the richness of diversity in the ways they choose to make a difference.

This spring, we received hundreds of nominations. Winners were chosen based on the number of people who nominated them, the quality of those nominations, and the ability to demonstrate a clear contribution to the dental community.

We hope the stories told here, with a focus on mentorship and the balance between aspiration and accessibility, motivate you to either become an outstanding woman in dentistry, or to recognize the outstanding women you work with each day.

A career should be more than just a job, it should be something that you love to do, and Dr. Anissa Holmes is a shining example of love for her work. Dr. Holmes has been working as a cosmetic and family dentist for 14 years, and for the last eight years she has been practicing in Jamaica.
	Dr. Holmes always wanted to be a doctor, but was introduced to dentistry through a mentoring program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Today, she enjoys sharing her story with the youth of Jamaica to show them that through determination and perseverance you can reach any goal you set for yourself.

“The best part of my job is that I get to do what I love,” Dr. Holmes said. “I have a very supportive team and patients who are very appreciative of the services that we offer. Upon moving to Jamaica, I made a commitment to continue the high standards set while practicing in the Unites States, including the use of technology and cutting edge dental services.”

“Especially living in Jamaica, I feel a very big social responsibility,” she said. “We visit basic and primary schools several times a year to encourage the children to always do their best, as well as to teach them about oral health. We also give away a smile makeover every year to someone who has great need but cannot afford treatment.”

Her office has held several “Dentist Days” where funds collected from services done on that day have been used to buy computers and build a playground at a local school, as well as to contribute to “Crayons Count” to provide learning kits to all of Jamaica’s basic schools. Her office has also adopted a children’s home to provide toys and other necessities for the children there.

“When I first moved to Jamaica, I worked in an office with a dentist who has practiced for over 30 years,” she said.” I noticed that he would go in on Christmas if he needed to see patients. When asked why he simply stated that they needed him. It would not make a difference to make a small sacrifice for someone if they really needed him. He was so right. I have gone to see patients who really needed me on holidays and on hours when the office was ‘closed.’ The patients appreciated it, and I am genuinely happy to be able to do it.”

Dr. Holmes attributes many of her core values to her upbringing and her parents’ encouragement. Growing up she was told she could be anything, and that the only limits she had were those she imposed upon herself. 

“My father always said, if you treat people well, everyone would be happy. He also said to always appreciate those who work with you because it goes a long way. My parents sacrificed a lot to give me my education, and always told me that if I believed that I could do something, I would.”

In most practices, the dental office manager is the face of the business and the first impression a patient has. So, as the first person patients interact with when they enter the office and the last person they see when they leave, Jennifer Fullem makes it her personal duty to ensure all the patients in her office know their smile is the staff’s top priority.

The role and responsibilities of an office manager are integral to the everyday workings of a successful dental office-without them the dental environment would be a chaotic unorganized mess of paperwork, patients and uncoordinated schedules. Thankfully, Fullem’s staff is safe in her diligent and reliable hands.

“Even though I am not directly involved with clinical patient care, I make it a priority to educate myself on what is happening in the world of dentistry and the ever changing technologies that are available, to ensure the quality of service that sets our dental office apart,” she said. “I am skillful in simplifying and explaining complex treatment plans to patients; this allows patients to make an informed decision, which allows them to complete their dentistry at a pace that is comfortable for them and appropriate to their needs.”

Fullem loves interacting with the patients and staff in her office because it engages her sense of purpose and brings her joy she would otherwise do without. In her own words, seeing happy and fulfilled patients and staff is what makes her job worthwhile. But a position with so many daily responsibilities is hardly easy, even for the seasoned multi-tasker.

“I am constantly being pulled in many directions to help patients, staff, dentists and insurance companies with questions or concerns,” she said. “These challenges, however, make my position rewarding and give me an arena to add value and showcase my skills.”

She attributes her success to the initiative or “moxie” she took upon herself at a young age. To her, growing up and representing herself assertively and unabashedly took courage and drive, traits instilled in her by her father. Later in life, with the help and support of family and friends, she achieved success through motivation, dedication and a strong will.

“My family is truly my inspiration for everything that I do in life. I strive to make them proud each and every day,” Fullem said. “They provide me with motivation and inspiration and I cannot be sure I would be at all successful without them.”

As a woman, Fullem considers herself lucky to have had the opportunity to work alongside several strong, intelligent and ambitious women. She is constantly motivated by the expertise she has witnessed them exercise and she is grateful for the multitude of opportunities they have presented to her.

“I have found inspiration in their approach to quality dentistry while maintaining fulfilling relationships and a successful practice,” she said.
	In some ways, Fullem found success happenstance, and as someone who didn’t start out with a taste for dentistry, she has made a niche for herself as well as the knowledge and skills she’s acquired along the way.

“Dentistry provides a place for women in the workplace to be on equal footing with men, while giving them the flexibility to raise children and have a family,” she said.

When BobbieJo Redmon’s aunt was studying to become a dental assistant, Redmon got her first taste of the dental industry, and it’s been entwined in her life ever since. Since that young age Redmon has worked her way up from part-time receptionist to clinical supervisor over all of the dental assistants and the hygiene team in her office.

“I am very focused on making sure the patients have the best possible experience while they are in the office,” she said. “I love the challenge of working in a growing practice with 18 operatories, advanced technology and an innovative working environment.”

Redmon has been working with the same dentist, Dr. Richard Steinberg, for more than 12 years and she considers him the biggest influence in her career. The drive, determination, vision and chairside manner he has with every patient inspires her to be her best and to grow with the practice.

“I look up to Dr. Steinberg as a role model, because of his passion for his patients and dentistry,” she said. “As he has been practicing for 31 years, he still continues to better himself. It encourages me to better myself at work and as a person.”

Without Dr. Steinberg and his partner, Dr. Daniel Delrose, helping her with their encouragement and the opportunities they have provided she wouldn’t have had the push she needed to get to the next level of her career.

“The passion and drive that I have for the office that I’m working in, as if it were my own, has gotten me to where I am today,” she said. “The values, vision and knowledge that Dr. Steinberg and Dr. Delrose have instilled in me have made me who I am today.”

Personal development is very important to Redmon, who said dentistry is constantly changing and if you don’t focus on self-improvement you will never grow as a person or in your career.

Today, Redmon is focusing on balancing the many demands of her job while maintaining a positive patient experience. Her office staff of 30 regularly sees 120 patients daily, and keeping focus on the needs of the patients as well as the staff can be both challenging and rewarding. She has achieved success in her career because she is passionate about making a difference in the lives of her patients, their dental health, cosmetic appearance and ultimately improving their self-esteem.

“I enjoy turning the patients around who come in completely afraid, unhappy with their smile and when they leave the office they just can’t quit smiling because they are so happy with the results,” Redmon said.  “Most of the patients in the practice know me by name, which makes me feel that I have more ‘friends’ than ‘patients.’ I enjoy the personal relationships that I have formed with them.”

Dr. Janet Harrison, Chair of the Dept. of Restorative Dentistry - University of Tennessee

To some educators, teaching is simply a job, but for Janet Harrison it is a rewarding and fulfilling passion. Harrison is the Chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry in Memphis, Tenn., where she teaches the basics of operative dentistry. Each successful student she teaches bolsters her love of teaching. For many of those students her class is their first experience in the dental lab until they graduate, and she takes pride in her ability to expose her students to a different side of dentistry and to watch them grow as dentists throughout the process.

“The best part of my job is working with a dental student, whether in pre-clinic or clinic, and seeing them light up when a concept is understood and implemented,” she said. “That means that you have helped someone think through and understand the basics of dentistry in order to help their patients.”
	Her interest in dentistry started at a young age thanks to frequent visits to her local dentist to have restorations done. Then, in her senior year of dental school, Dr. Fred Simmons encouraged her to try teaching in addition to private practice and offered her a position in his department. She took the position and has been thankful for the opportunity ever since.

Dr. Harrison believes networking inside the dental world can open a lot of unexpected doors. In her journey she has had many mentors and friends who have had a big influence on her, but a few specific women stand out among the crowd. The first is Dr. Patricia Blanton, who is a leader in organized dentistry, a private practice periodontist and a dental educator.

“She has succeeded in every aspect of dentistry and has been instrumental in encouraging my participation in many areas of leadership,” Dr. Harrison said. “She is always willing to give a hand to those dentists who are new to organized dentistry.”

Dr. Harrison also recognizes and appreciates two colleagues of hers, Dr. Jane Casada and Dr. Leslie Roeder, who have helped to support and encourage her on her path to success.

“The three of us have ‘girlfriend’ trips every year and share advice, support, suggestions and just fun. These ladies have been my inspiration,” she said.
	The key to success, Dr. Harrison said, is finding what it is you enjoy doing most in the everyday part of your career, what it is that makes you smile, and trying to do that as often as possible. She treats each experience and relationship she has as a catalyst for inspiration and she makes sure to appreciate every person in her life for the things they can teach her as well as their potential to learn.

“It has been a true joy to meet and work with all the very fine faculty, students, staff and patients at the dental school,” she said. “I have learned a great deal from all of them and they all make the job so much better.”

To many dentists, a financial counselor is an important ally when working to maintain a successful business, invest their money and plan for their retirement, but to her clients, Colleen Kelleher-Sorrentino is an invaluable asset.

As a dental financial advisor Kelleher-Sorrentino helps her clients attain their financial goals. She works closely with individuals, endowments, institutions and families to understand their risk tolerance and return requirements. Every client receives an in-depth analysis of their investment holdings, cash flow and overall financial picture to develop a plan specific for them. Through this analysis, her hard work, extensive knowledge and skills she has become an important  facet of the dental industry.

“I enjoy working with clients and getting to know them and their families,” she said. “I thoroughly enjoy seeing my clients reach their goals. I would say it is the relationships that I have with my clients that is the most rewarding.”

When it comes to dental financial counseling she is most motivated by her husband, Robert, who is a periodontist. He pushes her to work hard to achieve her goals while supporting her and encouraging her to keep moving forward. Her family is also a source of inspiration.

Education also has been the key to her success. She attended the Stern School of Business at NYU where she received her MBA, and then went on to get her CFA. She knows that without this schooling she wouldn’t be where she is today.

“I have a passion for what I do and I can’t think of anything else I would be doing,” she said. “I love managing money and I was brought up in a Wall Street home, so money management is in my blood.  I wake up every morning skipping to work because I think I have the best job in the world.”

But with a constantly changing economical climate her job isn’t always easy. Managing client expectations can be a challenge because each person wants market returns with little risk. She faces those challenges head on by counseling clients on regularly.

“Managing greed and fear can be very difficult, but it takes a seasoned professional to navigate uncertain markets,” she said.

In her journey, she has learned many valuable things, but none so valuable as the lesson that you have to make the most of every day and work hard to achieve your goals. The most important advice she’s ever received is a quote by Warren Buffet, who said, “There are two rules to making money, the first rule is to not lose your money and the seconds rule is not to forget the first.”

It may sound simple, but doing just that for her clients is what keeps them happy and satisfied.

Dawn Christodoulou, President/Owner - XLDent

, Dawn Christodoulou is most proud of the synergy she has been able to foster within the company she and her family have grown from humble beginnings.

“Everyone at XLDent is XLDent, regardless of what the job or job responsibility is, everyone here has the same vested interest, to help our clients be successful,” she said. “That’s what I love about this team, no one is afraid to wear a different hat. Everyone does what it takes to get the job done.”

PEB, which started out as a service bureau providing patient-billing solutions for dental offices, is now under its second generation of management from Christodoulou’s family. Today PEB XLDent is in the rapidly growing industry of software development. More specifically, the company develops practice and clinical management software, and is the only dental software developer that offers a complete suite designed for mobile, tablet PCs.

As the owner of the company, Dawn Christodoulou is involved in every aspect of the company’s business and she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty or to contribute a little of her own elbow grease, especially if it helps her team stay productive and successful.

“I have no boundaries when it comes to solving problems and getting things done. The team sees me working right beside them,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what the job is, from building maintenance to development. If the job needs to get done, it gets done.”

But filling a need in a rapidly changing market can be a challenge, and with technology growing and shifting at rocket-speed the task of keeping up is a huge undertaking. Christodoulou devotes much of her time and energy to staying one step ahead of both the technology and her competitors.

“The speed at which technology changes requires us to learn more, adapt quicker and change more frequently all of the time,” she said. “Sometimes we are keeping pace with new advancements more quickly than our customer base is ready for, so trying to continually offer new things when adoption is slow can be difficult.”

Finding success has been a learning experience for Christodoulou, and the biggest part of that lesson was finding her own boundaries and learning how, where and when she could push them and when things just weren’t in her skill set. To other people looking to follow a similar career path this sounds like a negative experience, but it has allowed Christodoulou the time she needs to focus and succeed at the things she’s inherently good at.

Throughout her career her diligent, industrious and passionate parents have constantly inspired her.

“Both of my parents worked very hard to build the family business and watching them achieve success instilled a very strong work ethic in me,” she said. “In addition, they provided me with an opportunity to contribute and pushed me to do the very best job that I could.”

The most useful advice she’s received in her journey came from her father, who told her “There is a solution to every problem. Find it.” And Christodoulou works every day to do just that.

Adrienne Collins, Senior Product Manager - Pentron

Throughout her journey to Senior Product Manager at 

, the most important lesson Adrienne Collins learned was that being passionate will open doors and translate into many opportunities. Having been with Pentron for more than 13 years, Collins considers herself lucky to have managed a large portfolio of products in several restorative categories.

“My tenure in the dental industry, and my various roles, has provided me the opportunity to see the dental industry evolve, and appreciate how the products have advanced,” Collins said.

Through her communication skills and personal drive, Collins has formed many strong relationships with industry professionals and she attributes much of her success to her ability to embrace change and complexity.

“Change is about accepting the evolution of business, and the realization that you need to be as adaptable and agile as the market you are serving,” she said. “Complexity is about sorting through the various components of business and looking for a pattern that may not have a straight-line solution.”

To Collins, being a strong and confident woman is important, and she feels that those attributes were instilled in her from a very young age. She looks up to both of her grandmothers, two strong willed women with ambition and drive who felt that imparting those values in their granddaughter would help set her on a path to success. Collins took those ideas and put them to work in her own life, allowing her to achieve what she has today.

“I am fortunate to work for leaders who provide constructive coaching, who encourage me to take risks in my career and stretch to reach my true potential,” she said of her personal growth and motivation.

Though Collins enjoys every aspect of her position, the range and variety of what she does everyday is what keeps her moving forward.

“The best part of my job is the diversity of what I am asked to do each day to meet customer needs,” she said. “In that, there is a need to manage my interactions with so many people in order to fulfill these diverse responsibilities. I get to constantly interact with so many incredible professionals, both internally and externally. I consider myself lucky to be able to work with so many wonderful people from all over the world.”

To Collins, keeping the basics in mind is important to the success of a career as well as any business.

“The advice I received from my mom was very simple, yet elegant, and was received quite some time ago: always say thank you.”

And she does, through hand written notes to Pentron customers courtesy of herself, her sales staff and product managers. Collins feels this personal touch is key to showing her clients that their time, patronage and loyalty is not only noticed but valued highly with the company.

“Everyone deserves to know that they are appreciated for all the hard work they do, and that they are part of a much bigger picture,” she said.

As a certified dental laboratory technician, dental laboratory instructor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Va., and an entrepreneur with her company, 

 (DPid), Ellen Bostock is as multi-faceted as she is talented. To a less coordinated individual balancing all of those roles would be next to impossible, but Bostock has found the perfect equilibrium in her roles by using the skills she’s learned from each position together in harmony. The result is a successful career that she loves with a fierce passion.

“As a CDT it is the satisfaction of working with a dentist in creating an appliance that improves the quality of life for the patient,” she said. “When I’m teaching the best part is watching the student’s face light up when they really grasp the concept of what just moments before wasn’t making sense to them, no matter how many ways you tried to explain it. When that realization happens the student’s confidence increases so the next level of learning can take place. From the business side, it is seeing my original idea of providing a system that would help dental laboratories become more efficient and productive grow into a viable solution to help meet a number of state and federal regulations.”

Her father, Dr. Matthew J. Klena, first sparked her passion for dentistry through his practice and in-house dental lab. But the road wasn’t clear or free of hurdles to jump. Bostock first graduated college with a degree in interior design, but after starting a family she longed for a schedule and career that allowed her more time to spend with her children. She began working with a technician in her father’s practice and soon found herself pouring and trimming models.
	“Having an artistic side I soon realized that what I was doing was actually creating a unique piece of art or in this case a denture that would be put on display every day by the patient,” she said. “It’s really quite gratifying knowing that what you do allows a person to smile and feel better about their self-image.”

Bostock went back to school and received her Associate’s Degree in Dental Technology. She spent the next chapter of her life honing her skills as a CDT as well as taking on new opportunities like teaching. In 2011, she and her family moved to Richmond, Va., where she continued teaching. Then, in March she launched DPid with the help of her husband.

Celebrate the top 25 women in dentistry for 2013

It is no secret that the number of women in the dental industry continues to grow. Now in its third year, the Top 25 Women in Dentistry feature is one way 

 seeks to recognize not just the power of the contributions women are able to make to dentistry, but also the richness of diversity in the ways they choose to make a difference.

It is no secret that the number of women in the dental industry continues to grow. Now in its third year, the Top 25 Women in Dentistry feature is one way Dental Products Report seeks to recognize not just the power of the contributions women are able to make to dentistry, but also the richness of diversity in the ways they choose to make a difference.