2022 Conference Speaker
Biographies, Slides, & Resources
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Renée W. Joskow, DDS, MPH, FAGD, Senior Advisor to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Director
Biography
Dr. Renée Joskow recently joined NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research as Senior Advisor to the Director and Director, Dental Public Health & Research Fellowship Program after a decade serving as HRSA’s Chief Dental Officer. Dr. Joskow also serves as NIDCR’s Acting Director of the Office of Science Policy and Analysis. She is a dentist and a medical epidemiologist, holding both a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree and Master of Public Health degrees from Columbia University.
Dr. Joskow completed a hospital-based General Practice Residency before joining the faculty of Columbia University and maintained a private practice in New York City prior to embarking on an extensive career with the federal government. She served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the CDC, as Senior Medical Epidemiologist for the Department of Homeland, as Medical Readiness Manager and Director of Training and Education in the Office of the Surgeon General, and as a Clinical Translational Science Award program official at NIH.
Board certified in Dental Public Health, Dr. Joskow is also a fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry, the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, and the New York Academy of Dentistry. She has received numerous awards and honors and holds the rank of Captain (O-6) in the U.S. Public Health Service.
Program Information
Dr. Joskow will discuss Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges. This new report from the National Institutes of Health details twenty years of advances and challenges since the release of the original Oral Health in America report and provides a comprehensive snapshot of oral health nationwide.
Chris Myers, Ph.D. - Manager at Program Development Office, NYS Department of Labor
Biography
Chris holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology specializing in assessment, and career development theory and practice. As Manager of the Program Development Office at the New York State Department of Labor, he oversees the Future of Work Team; and the coordination of services for youth, individuals with disabilities, and justice involved job seekers
Program Information
The New York State Department of Labor will offer insight into the changing landscape of New York's workforce, expectations prior to the pandemic, the impact of COVID-19, and what workers and businesses alike are looking for in the Future of Work.
Chelsea Fosse, DMD, MPH - Senior Health Policy Analyst at the ADA Health Policy Institutue
Biography
Chelsea Fosse DMD MPH is a Senior Health Policy Analyst at the ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI). She graduated from Rutgers School of Dental Medicine and completed a general practice residency at Helen Hayes Hospital working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She obtained her Master’s in Public Health from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and completed a dental public health residency at Jacobi Medical Center, NYC Health + Hospitals. At HPI, Chelsea leads health policy analysis for critical issues related to Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and other public health issues. She is responsible for researching and analyzing policy changes that impact dentistry, oral health, and the broader health care landscape.
Courtney Burke - Chief Operating and Innovation Officer at The Healthcare Association of New York State
Biography
Courtney Burke is the Chief Operating and Innovation Officer for the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), an organization representing the interests of 500 healthcare provider organizations across New York State. She also currently serves as a Trustee of the State University of New York, on the board of the New York State Health Foundation, and chair of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board, all as an appointee of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. She also serves on the board of the Trudeau Institute.
Prior to joining HANYS she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Albany Medical Center (AMC), where she was responsible for managing the implementation of AMC’s strategic plan, with a particular focus on increasing AMC’s capacity to carry out population health initiatives and value-based care. From July 2013-July 2015 she served as New York State’s Deputy Secretary for Health in the Governor’s Office, where she oversaw 8 different health, disability, and aging-related agencies. While in this role, she was involved in launching the state’s successful health insurance exchange, helped secure an $8 billion Medicaid waiver, and a $100 million State Innovation Model award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Previous to that she served as Commissioner of the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, an agency of nearly 20,000 employees serving 126,000 New Yorkers with developmental disabilities.
Burke also served as Director of the New York State Health Policy Research Center at The Rockefeller Institute of Government and as a Senior Medicaid Researcher, where she published and co-authored numerous articles and research papers. She also served as the senior policy analyst at the Office of Advocate for Persons with Disabilities and has a Master’s in Health Policy and Management from the School of Public Health at SUNY Albany.
Jonathan Wettergreen - Assistant Chief Health Planner at NYS Department of Health
Biography
Jon Wettergreen has served as Assistant Chief Health Planner with the New York State Department of Health’s Division of Workforce Transformation since 2016. He is the administrator of the New York State Department of Health’s Primary Care Service Corps, an obligated service program for non-physician clinicians serving in New York State’s Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Program Information
Jon will provide a brief overview of Obligated Service Programs available to Dentists and Dental Hygienists in New York State, including the New York State Primary Care Service Corps.
Donna Hallas, PhD, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, PMHS, FAANP, FAAN - Clinical Professor and Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
Biography
Donna Hallas is a Clinical Professor and Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at New York University Meyers College of Nursing. Her faculty practice focuses on the care of high-risk children and in particular, young children with behavioral health problems. Dr. Hallas has presented on her work oral health integration in primary care settings at state and national conferences. Her students study oral health using an interprofessional model of care with the NYU College of Dentistry. Dr. Hallas’ first book, Pediatric Behavioral Healthcare for Nurse Practitioners: A Growth and Developmental Approach to Intercepting Behavioral Health Problems, won the prestigious first place American Journal of Nursing for Psychiatric Nursing, and third place for Child Health. Dr. Hallas is a Fellow and active member of American Association of Nurse Practitioners and a Fellow of American Academy of Nurses.
Program Information
Dr. Hallas' discussion will provide unique ways to successfully integrate oral health assessments in primary care settings by non-dental providers to improve oral health outcomes for pediatric, adolescent, and prenatal patients.
Chris Bailey - Director at Oracle Marketing Group/ Mobile Health Vans
Biography
As Director at Oracle Marketing Group, I specialize in qualified lead generation, website performance enhancement and digital marketing. We write and develop technical content, blogs, and white papers for our longtime client LifeLine Mobile. LifeLine has been a world leader in mobile clinics for nearly 40 years. They develop each unit to meet the specific needs of the customer, designed for patients, staff, and the community. They are not a one size fits all manufacturer of everything from ambulances to fire trucks. Their main product categories focus on mobile dental, mobile health care, and mobile mammography. Plus, Combination Mobile Medical and Dental Clinics to provide dual care in one mobile unit.
Program Information
Custom-made medical clinics use onboard technologies that combine to allow medical access to a broader population. According to the World Health Organization, the demand for these vehicles is continuously rising due to their numerous benefits and their ability to fulfill the needs of an increasing population. Studies have reported a recent shortfall of 90,000 physicians and untold number of nurses in the U.S., while there is an anticipated increase in new patients of 28 million by 2050. Taking this into account, clinical workflows must improve, and medical institutions and providers must adapt to this changing environment. In order to facilitate the improvement of clinical workflows, new technology has allowed mobile clinics to be built for dual purposes. Specifically, both medical and dental procedures can be performed with one mobile health clinic.
Nicole Mosca - Assistant Vice President of Provider Relations at LIBERTY Dental Plan
Biography
Nicole joined LIBERTY Dental Plan in 2018 and serves as the Assistant Vice President of Provider Relations for the Northeast region. LIBERTY administers the dental benefits for various Medicaid Managed Care Health Plans across New York State. Nicole holds a Master of Health Care Administration degree from Hofstra University. Additionally, she has been a practicing Dental Hygienist at a general practice in Nassau County for over fifteen years.
Tricia Bell - Director of Network Management for the Northeast Region at DentaQuest
Biography
Tricia has been with DentaQuest since 2016 and serves as the Director of Network Management for the Northeast Region. DentaQuest administers the dental benefits for various Medicaid Managed Care Health Plans. Additionally, she has over 20 years of experience in the Dental field with a compliance background.
Rachel Schwartz, RN, MPH, MSW - Sr. Director of Maternal Child Health at Public Health Solutions
Biography
Rachel Schwartz is the Senior Director of Maternal Child Health at PHS, where she leads the development of programs and systems of care for pregnant and parenting New Yorkers. Prior to PHS, Rachel managed the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington, where she led efforts to influence quality improvement, partnerships, and policy advocacy in Washington State with hospitals, community health centers, and employers. She earned her Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Washington, is a Registered Nurse, and puts her MCH experience into practice every day as the mother of three. Brushing their collective 72 teeth twice a day is rough!
Program Information
'Two-generation oral health promotion in the community' will provide a brief overview of the role of community-based parent child health home visiting workforce, and the development of community clinical partnerships that extend oral health education into the home.
Wilma Alvarado-Little - Associate Commissioner and Director at NYS Department of Health, Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities Prevention
Biography
Ms. Alvarado-Little is the Associate Commissioner and Director of the New York State Department of Health Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention. She has focused on racial and health equity issues from a linguistic and cultural perspective in addition to her interests in public policy, research, health literacy and health disparities prevention. She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of hospital and clinic-based programs and policy.
She is the former Co-chair of the Board of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, serves as a member of the National Project Advisory Committee for the Review of the CLAS Standards, HHS Office of Minority Health, and has served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy and has served as Chair of the New York State Office of Mental Health Multicultural Advisory Committee.
She also serves on various boards, at the state and local levels, which address racial and health inequities and disparities and is a champion for the provision of quality language access services. She has a Master Arts degree in Spanish Literature and a Master’s in Social Welfare.
Program Information
Wilma Alvarado-Little's presentation will address oral health equity from a cultural and linguistic perspective.
Dionne Richardson, DDS, MPH - State Dental Director/Title V Programs at NYS Department of Health, Division of Family Health
Biography
Dr. Richardson is the State Dental Director with the NYSDOH, directing oral health programs in the Division of Family Health. She provides guidance for programs and policies that provide valuable public health services and preventive interventions to improve oral health across the lifespan for residents of New York statewide.
She has over 25 years of training and experience in oral health promotion, prevention, and directing oral health programs for vulnerable populations.
Dr. Richarson has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Tennessee. She has also completed extensive post-doctoral training in general dentistry, research, public health, neurodevelopmental disabilities in special needs populations, and health policy. She received a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester NY.
Achieving oral health equity has been the focus of her career in public health. Implementing interventions and strategies to address oral disease in populations have helped to develop her understanding of social determinants of health and her perspectives on lessening the impacts of those determinants to work with key stakeholders in communities to improve the oral health of the most vulnerable populations.
Michele Griguts, DDS - Dental Director at Office of Health Insurance Programs, NYS Department of Health
Biography
Dr. Griguts is the Dental Director for the NYS Medicaid program.
Program Information
Dr. Griguts will provide a Medicaid update on policy and planning in New York.
Dolores A. Cottrell, DDS, MSHA - Executive Secretary at NYS Board for Dentistry
Biography
Dr. Cottrell is Executive Secretary for the NY State Board for Dentistry. In her role, she coordinates the work of the State Dental Board for the professions of dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental assisting. She provides assistance to the Board of Regents by reviewing and evaluating applications for licensure, assessing professional practice and residency issues, convening disciplinary panels, providing assistance to legislative staff, preparing bill comments, and assisting in the development of Departmental bills, as well as other matters regarding professional regulation. Dr. Cottrell completed a specialty in dental public health and has a strong commitment to improving access and quality of care for all New Yorkers. She also serves as Executive Secretary for the State Boards for Optometry, and Chiropractic.
Kendra Muckle - Telehealth Policy Lead at NYS Medicaid
Biography
Kendra Muckle began her career in New York State Medicaid Policy in 2013 after 20+ years’ experience in the healthcare industry. She holds a degree in Healthcare Management from SUNY, Empire State College and is passionate about her job. The primary focus of her role is as a telehealth and laboratory policy lead. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and visiting the ocean.
Jean Moore, DrPH, FAAN - Director at Center for Health Workforce Studies, Oral Health Workforce Research Center
Biography
Jean Moore, DrPH, FAAN is the Director of the New York Center for Health Workforce Studies (the Center) at the School of Public Health, State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. She serves as the Principal Investigator for two Cooperative Agreements funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Oral Health Workforce Research Center and the Health Workforce Technical Assistance Center.
Sarah Bedard-Holland - CEO at Virginia Health Catalyst
Biography
Sarah Holland is the CEO of Virginia Health Catalyst, an alliance of individuals and organizations improving the health care system in Virginia to ensure all individuals have access to affordable, comprehensive health care inclusive of oral health. Sarah leads this charge by building strategic partnerships with health experts and thought leaders to address societal, environmental, clinical, and systemic needs to advance public health in the Commonwealth. In her nearly twenty years of effort to improve public health systems, she has gained expertise in state and federal policy, clinical care infrastructure, and how systems are affected by systemic racism and inequities. Notably, Sarah led a successful advocacy campaign to add an adult dental benefit to Virginia's Medicaid program – paving the way for nearly a million adults to access covered oral health services. She negotiated cost savings for the dental safety net valued at over half a million dollars. Sarah will continue to drive change in Virginia by advancing care integration and patient-centric care models, improving equitable access to water, and ensuring that the health care system supports and promote overall health.
Program Information
Sarah will provide a snapshot of Virginia's efforts to improve the oral health system.
Frances Walsh, MPH - Director of Network & Systems Strategy at Oral Health Progress and Equity Network
Biography
Frances is the Director of Network and Systems Strategy for OPEN: the Oral Health Progress & Equity Network. She joined the Network in 2015 as the Oral Health Program Manager for The L.A. Trust for Children’s Health, working in the LA Unified School District to educate, screen, and connect students to a dental home. In 2017 Frances joined the Network Support Team as the Implementation Manager, where she began interacting with all levels of the Network to brainstorm, develop, implement, and refine resources and strategies aligned with members collective values as it evolved into a multi-hub action network. Prior to this work, Frances served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in rural education development in Chadiza, Zambia. She holds a BS in Communications/Public Relations from East Carolina University, and MPH concentrated in Community Health Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Program Information
As the Network prepares for implementation of the Blueprint, session participants will learn about: (1) how staff activated Network members around informing and refining the Blueprint; (2) how pursuit of the five levers in a coordinated, concurrent way will maximize the potential impact on the national oral health system; and (3) ways to get involved in this monumental, nationwide effort.
Gus Birkhead, MD, MPH - Chair, Policy and Advocacy Committee at NYS Public Health Association
Biography
Gus Birkhead is professor emeritus in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Public Health, University at Albany. He is also a member of the board of the New York State Public Health Association and the chair of its Policy and Advocacy Committee. He was previously the Deputy Commissioner for Public Health at the New York State Department of Health.
Dennis Johnson - Managing Director for Strategy & Evaluation at Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
Biography
Dennis Johnson is Managing Director for Strategy and Evaluation at Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. Prior to that, he was executive vice president for government affairs at Children's Health Fund and policy director at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. In his twenty-seven years at Children’s Health Fund, Mr. Johnson also served as vice president of external affairs and interim director of the Fund's national network of mobile-based pediatric programs.
Prior to his tenure at The Children's Health Fund, Mr. Johnson was a senior program officer at the Fund for New York City Public Education and a research analyst at the Public Policy Institute of the Business Council of New York State.
Mr. Johnson received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his Master's Degree in Political Management from the Graduate School of Political Management at Baruch College.
