FORUM RESCHEDULED

The 2020 Oral Health Awareness Forum has been rescheduled for Friday, August 21, 2020, at the Oklahoma History Center.

This plan is subject to change, based on how the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to develop in Oklahoma.

Forum registration will open in July.

If you registered for the Forum originally scheduled for March, you will receive email updates as plans develop. You will need to re-register for the August Forum.

In the meantime, register now to attend our Oklahoma Oral Health Report Card virtual release webinar on Friday, May 29!  Details>

 

 

When compared to the nation’s performance on 13 key oral health indicators, Oklahoma scores a D.

Why? What are the barriers to oral wellness in Oklahoma and how can we overcome them?

These questions and more will be explored at the 2020 Oklahoma Oral Health Awareness Forum. This statewide event brings together dental, medical and public health professionals, oral health safety net organizations, policymakers, funders and other individuals invested in the health of Oklahomans.

The Forum will feature:

• A presentation of the Oklahoma Oral Health Report Card with expert explanations of each key indicator
• Recognition of the essential role of the oral health safety net and the organizations comprising it
• Facilitated discussion groups examining the oral health challenges faced by various populations and exploring potential solutions
• Exhibitors representing oral health safety net organizations and other oral health programs
• Time for networking

The Forum is offered free of charge to attendees,
but pre-registration is required and seating is limited.
REGISTRATION WILL OPEN IN JULY 2020

Discussion Group Session

For the afternoon session, attendees will break out into discussion groups to examine the access to dental care challenges faced by various populations, and to begin exploring potential solutions for those challenges. Upon registration, attendees will choose one of the following discussion groups:

• Children
• Working Age Adults
• Special Populations (seniors, veterans, homeless, pregnant women, special needs, etc.)
• Rural Oklahoma

The following topics will be discussed in each group:

• Existing Strengths and Challenges
• Policy and Advocacy
• Inter-disciplinary Opportunities
• Workforce Development  / Professional Education
• Community Outreach / Patient Education

Presenters 

The morning session will feature the unveiling of the 2020 Oklahoma Oral Health Report Card with expert commentary by the following presenters. (See bios below.)

Leon Bragg, DDS, MEd
Dental Consultant/Past Chief Dental Officer
Oklahoma Health Care Authority

TIm Fagan, DDS, MS
Division Head, Pediatric Dentistry
University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry

Jana S. Winfree, DDS, MPH
Director, Dental Health Service
Oklahoma State Department of Health

Kay S. Beavers, DDS
Professor
University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry

Laurie Cunningham, RDH, MEd
Professor, Dental Hygiene Program
University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry

Marsha Wilkes Beatty, MPH, BS
Asst. Prof. of Research in the Community Dentistry Division
University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry

Lisa Pendarvis, MPH, PMP, PCMH CCE
Director of Programs
Oklahoma Primary Care Association

Terrisa Singleton, MHHSA, BSBA
Director
Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation

Register Now! REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  MARCH 18, 2020

Presenter Bios

Leon Bragg, DDS, MEd

Dr. Leon Bragg has more than 23 years of expertise in the private practice of dentistry.  He is currently serving as a Dental Consultant for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) after providing leadership as their Chief Dental Officer for 14 years.  Dr. Bragg’s professional credentials include Bachelor of Science, Langston University (1970); Doctor of Dental Surgery, University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry (1977); Geriatric Oral Health Consultant, University of Missouri School of Dentistry (1990); and Master of Education, University of Central Oklahoma (2001).

He was as a full time faculty member at OUCOD for five years, serving as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Operative Dentistry and Dental Materials. He also served OUCOD as Assistant Dean of Clinics prior to joining OHCA in 2004.  During his time at OHCA, Dr. Bragg was very active nationally on behalf of Medicaid Dentistry, through his involvement with the American Dental Association (ADA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicaid Medicare Services (CMS). Dr. Bragg also served on the Board of Directors and was President of the National Medicaid Medicare Dental Association for several years.

 

Tim Fagan, DDS, MS

Dr. Tim Fagan is a clinical professor and the division head of the Pediatric Dentistry division at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry (OUCOD). In 1981, he received his DDS degree from OUCOD. After completing his general dentistry residency at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, he entered the University of Iowa for his speciality training in pediatric dentistry and earned his MS in 1984. Soon after, he began practicing in Enid, Oklahoma, and has practiced there since.

Dr. Fagan is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and is a Fellow of both the American academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Society of Dentistry for Children. He also serves as a media spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and previously served as Chairman of both the Practice Administration Committee and the Council on Continuing Education. Dr. Fagan was also a former Trustee on the Academy’s Board of Trustees and is past president of the Oklahoma Dental Association and the Southwestern Society of Pediatric Dentistry.

 

Jana Winfree, DDS, MPH

Dr. Jana Winfree is the Oklahoma State Dental Director, a position held since 2008. She provides subject matter expertise and leadership for the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Program efforts include community water fluoridation, dental education, dental loan repayment, Mission of Mercy clinics, and oral heath surveillance.  She also oversees the dental component of the Ryan White grant in Oklahoma. Public health principles guide Dr. Winfree in promoting good oral health, wellness and quality of life for all Oklahomans.

 

Kay S. Beavers, DDS

Dr. Kay S. Beavers is a Professor with the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry.  She has been with the College of Dentistry for the past 20 years and works with both dental hygiene and dental students in both didactic and clinical courses. She is the Course Director for 5 courses, and an Assistant Group Practice Director with second, third, and fourth year dental students.   She is a 1980 graduate of Del Mar College with a degree in Dental Hygiene, and a 1990 graduate of Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas.  She left private practice in 1991 to join the USPHS Indian Health Service, and served as a Lt. Commander for several years in IHS dental clinics in Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Dr. Beavers has earned certificates in Geriatrics/Gerontology in 2008 from the University of Oklahoma College of Allied Health and the Legal Assistant Education (Paralegal) Program from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2015.  She completed a Masters in Legal Studies Health Care Law at OU College of Law in December 2019.

 

Laurie Cunningham, RDH, MEd

Laurie Cunningham graduated from El Paso Community College with an Associates in Dental Hygiene in 1981. She continued her education at the University of Central Oklahoma with her Bachelor of Science in 1999 and received her Masters in Education in 2003. Laurie has been a professor at the University of Oklahoma for 15 years, teaching in the Dental Hygiene Program. She has been a co-director with Dr. Kay Beavers in the Geriatric Dentistry course for 14 years. Laurie is a major proponent for geriatric oral health and is a great resource for students and professionals seeking avenues to assist the elderly. She is an active volunteer in the dental community and the immediate past president of the Oklahoma Dental Hygienists' Association.

 

Marsha Wilkes Beatty, MPH, BS

Marsha Beatty serves as Assistant Professor of Research in the Community Dentistry Division at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry (OUCOD) in Oklahoma City. She developed and teaches courses in Community Dentistry and Evidence-Based Dentistry for first-year dental students, and also serves as Director of OUCOD’s Senior Student Externship Program which places students in a series of community-based rotations.

Marsha serves as Chairperson of the Oklahoma Oral Health Coalition and Oklahoma’s State Representative with the Oral Health Prevention and Equity Network (OPEN). Marsha is a passionate advocate for policies and programs that impact the oral health of children, families, senior citizens and other vulnerable populations. 

Marsha received a BS in medical microbiology from the Stanford University School of Medicine (1977).  She also received an MPH from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston School of Public Health (1980). 

 

Lisa Pendarvis, MPH, PMP, PCMH CCE

Lisa Pendarvis is the Director of Programs at Oklahoma Primary Care Association. In this role, Lisa manages a portfolio of cooperative agreements, grants, and special projects designed to strengthen access to affordable, community-based care. A component of this work includes initiatives to bridge care gaps by helping communities recruit medical, dental, and behavioral health providers to work in medically underserved areas. Her department provides ongoing training and technical assistance to staff at Oklahoma’s twenty-one federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Prior to OKPCA, Lisa Pendarvis had a thirteen-year career with the American Cancer Society, serving most recently as the Senior Manager for Primary Care Systems. In this role, she and her team worked with community health centers across Oklahoma and surrounding states to increase cancer screening rates and improve health outcomes among medically vulnerable populations.

Lisa is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and holds a Master of Public Health degree in Health Administration and Policy. She is a certified project management professional (PMP), as well as a patient-centered medical home certified content expert (PCMH CCE).

 

Terrisa Singleton, MHHSA, BSBA

Terisa Singleton has managed the Foundation since joining Delta Dental of Oklahoma in 2009. As Foundation Director, she works extensively with oral health safety net dental clinics and programs throughout the state and oversees the Foundation’s own programs and initiatives. She is current Secretary and Past Chair of the Oklahoma Oral Health Coalition, Past Chair of the Oklahoma Charitable Clinic Association, a steering committee member for the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy, and served on the Commission to Transform the Health Care Safety Net in Oklahoma County.

Terrisa holds a Master’s degree in Human and Health Services Administration (2018) from the University of Oklahoma, where she was a Graduate Student Research Fellow in the OU Center for Social Justice.
She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and more than 25 years of communications and marketing experience, including on the staffs of Jordan Associates Advertising, Oklahoma Restaurant Association, and BuildBlock Building Systems.

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