2010 U.S. Public Health Service Dental Awards
San Diego鈥擳he U.S. Public Health Service scientific and training symposium May 25 featured presentation of the 2010 USPHS dental award honorees. These commissioned officers and civil servants include federally employed dentists, several of whom are on assignments or in positions at agencies that interface with the Association and ADA councils.
The doctors are introduced by rank as uniformed PHS Commissioned Corps officers. The following information, slightly edited for ADA News purposes, and the accompanying photos were offered by the Commissioned Corps from the awards ceremony.聽
Ernest E. Buell Dental Award: Lt. Cmdr. Mahyar Mofidi
The Ernest Eugene Buell Award was established in 1989, in commemoration of the Commissioned Corps Centennial Year. CAPT Buell was the first U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps dental officer. He was commissioned in June 1919 and assigned to the Division of Marine Hospitals and Relief. This award is presented annually to a junior USPHS dentist who has made a significant contribution in oral health education, research or service.
Dr. Mofidi joined the U.S. Public Health Service in December 2006 to provide national oversight and management of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS oral health programs in the Health Resources and Services Administration Division of Community Based Programs – HIV/AIDS Bureau, which targets HIV service delivery to adults, women, infants and children. Dr. Mofidi led the bureau鈥檚 efforts to develop oral health performance measures for more than 700 grantees by implementing evaluation of the Community Based Dental Partnership Program. Through his efforts, grantees have expanded dental services to more than 40,000 HIV patients and provided training in HIV oral health care to more than 12,000 dental students and residents.
In addition to his duties with HRSA’s Division of Community Based Programs, Dr. Mofidi provides volunteer dental care to underserved communities in Louisville, Kentucky.聽
Ruth Lashley Mid-Career USPHS Dental Award: CAPT Suzanne Saville
The Ruth Lashley Mid-Career USPHS Dental Award was established in 2005 by the U.S. Public Health Service Chief Dental Officer. It is presented each year to a mid-career dentist. CAPT Lashley had a stellar career during her assignment with the Bureau of Prisons. The award is named to honor her work as an inspiration to all dentists.聽
Dr. Saville received her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Missouri in 1984 and her Masters of Public Health degree from the University of Kansas Medical School in 2004. She started her career with the Indian Health Service in 1995 as a staff dentist at Ketchikan, Alaska and in less than three years was named the dental chief. In 2001, she accepted a Coast Guard assignment at the training center in Petaluma, Calif. In 2007, after only eleven PHS years, she was named chief dental officer of the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard鈥檚 highest dental billet. During her CDO tenure, she coordinated coverage for critical staffing shortages, oversaw a 25 percent increase in dental readiness, spearheaded procurement of a nationwide digital dental radiology system, served as the contracting officer’s representative for a $2.3 million peer review program and revised the Coast Guard Dental Clinic Policies and Procedures Manual.
Through her personal initiative and commitment to PHS mission, Dr. Saville has effectively modeled the core values of service, leadership and integrity. Her service to the Commissioned Corps emulates the career legacy of Capt. Ruth Lashley.
Senior Clinician Dental Award: CAPT Christine Heng
The Senior Clinician Dental Award was established in 2001 by the U.S. Public Health Service Chief Dental Officer to recognize a senior level dentist who has chosen a clinical career track and excels in clinical skills.
Dr. Heng began her PHS career as a staff dentist with the Bureau of Prisons in 1993. She currently serves as the chief dental officer at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Conn., where she is the sole dentist serving a population of more than 1400 female inmates. She manages advanced dental cases, extracts impacted third molars, performs biopsies and, on average, refers less than one inmate out each year. This is attributable to her clinical skills and commitment to being a good steward of institutional resources.聽
In 2006, Dr. Heng was named the national dental public health consultant for the Bureau of Prisons, and she is the only board-certified dental public health specialist in the Bureau of Prisons.聽She completed her Masters of Public Health degree at the University of Connecticut and her DPH residency with the New York State Department of Health at Montefiore Medical Center.聽She is actively involved in teaching and mentoring new clinicians. She has been appointed as adjunct faculty at the Jacobi Medical Center, the University of New Haven dental hygiene program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research dental public health residency program.聽
Herschel S. Horowitz Oral Health Research and Policy Award: CAPT Bruce Dye
The Herschel S. Horowitz Oral Health Research and Policy Award was established in 2005 by the chief dental officer of the U.S. Public Health Service. CAPT Herschel S. Horowitz, a researcher, educator and Dental Public Health specialist exemplified dedication and commitment to improving the public’s health through research and action. He played a major role in leading and stimulating scientific investigations whose results extended the use of fluoride for professional, public health and self-care applications, critically studied the effects of combined preventive measures and was the first to study cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness in oral health. The Herschel S. Horowitz Oral Health Research and Policy Award is presented annually to a PHS dentist(s) whose performance contributes to improving the oral health of the public through: (1) clinical or basic research (including research in epidemiology, behavioral/social sciences and health care delivery); or (2) the application of research findings to (a) development of oral health policy or (b) the management/administration of federal programs, including demonstration projects, that have implications for regional, national or global applications of these policies.聽
Dr. Dye entered the USPHS in 1989 with the Indian Health Service in Sisseton, S.D. He later transferred to the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan before joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He completed his Doctorate in Dental Surgery at the Ohio State University, earned a Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan, and completed a USPHS epidemiology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. He earned a certificate in Dental Public Health from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and has received Board Certification in Dental Public Health.
In 2004, Dr. Dye was assigned as a Public Health Service dental epidemiology officer. He is responsible for coordinating oral health related activities for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which produces information on the health and nutrition of the U.S. population. For oral health, NHANES produces key national estimates on the prevalence of dental caries, periodontal disease, dental sealants, tooth loss, etc.聽
Dr. Dye led the research team that produced the monograph on Trends in Oral Health. He has authored more than 20 research papers on topics ranging from systemic-oral health connections to oral health exam survey methodology and he authored a textbook chapter on data management in clinical oral health research. He has participated in international and national research studies including coordination of field work in China on an esophageal cancer and oral health study. He also trained dental examiners at the University of Puerto Rico Dental School to use NHANES examination methods and served as reference examiner and trainer for oral health for the Women’s Inter-Agency HIV Study.
Dr. Dye’s dedication in the area of dental public health and epidemiology is reflective of the body of work that Capt. Horowitz pursued to improve the oral health of the public.
Jack D. Robertson Dental Award: Dr. Jay Anderson
The Jack D. Robertson Award was established in 1982 by the U.S. Public Health Service chief dental officer in honor of CAPT Robertson. The award is presented annually to a senior dentist whose professional performance best exemplifies the dedication, service and commitment to the PHS demonstrated by CAPT Robertson during his career.聽CAPT Robertson served as the acting chief dental officer several times during his career and was the senior advisor to the chief dental officer for numerous years.
Dr. Jay Anderson began his USPHS work with the Health Resources and Services Administration in April 1993. He has served in numerous administrative positions with increasing responsibility, culminating in his selection as the agency’s chief dental officer in November 2008. He is the principal dental consultant for all HRSA oral health programs. He has worked tirelessly on several fronts to promote oral health.聽
Dr. Anderson developed a National Oral Health Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement to provide assistance and training for HRSA grantees. He led the HRSA oral health work group to develop HRSA’s Oral Health Strategic Plan. He developed and monitored Healthy People national oral health measures and spearheaded implementation of HRSA-wide oral health performance measures. He developed HRSA’s Oral Health Disparities Collaborative, integrating primary medical and oral health care. This endeavor resulted in increased access to oral health preventive care for children and pregnant women.聽
Dr. Anderson developed and administered the oral health service expansion grant program which was part of former President Bush’s health center initiative. As a result of this initiative, there was a 53 to 70 percent increase in health centers with onsite dental programs and the number of patients who had a dental visit grew from 1.3 million to 2.7 million.聽Dr. Anderson’s leadership as HRSA’s chief dental officer has greatly advanced access to oral health care for underserved and vulnerable populations.聽聽聽聽
DENTAL RESPONDERS OF THE YEAR: CAPT Angel Rodriguez-Espada and CAPT Arturo Bravo, USPHS (ret.)
The Dental Responder of the Year Award was established in 2006 by the USPHS Chief Dental Officer to recognize a dentist’s impact on emergency preparedness, disaster response and contributions to local, national or international public health threats. This year, there are two co-recipients of this distinguished award due to their high level of performance.
Dr. Rodriguez-Espada began his PHS career in 1983 after receiving his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine. His initial duty station was at the National Health Service Corps Ciales Primary Health Care Center. Since 1983, he has served in at least than eight geographic and 18 job assignments with increasing levels of responsibility.聽聽
Dr. Rodriguez-Espada has shown dedication to national and global public health through his work with emergency preparedness. He has deployed in a wide variety of missions, including a two-week assignment to assist the 2nd Dental Battalion in Camp Lejeune. He served as commander of the medical team in response to Hurricane Rita to establish special needs federal medical shelters. He led more than 140 officers in providing health care for more than 400 patients. He and his team ultimately set up and ran a total of three federal medical shelters in College Station, Marlin and Waco, Tex., in collaboration with the Veterans Administration. In 2007, he deployed with the USNS Comfort providing dental care and education to indigenous peoples of Ecuador, Colombia and Haiti.
Dr. Rodriguez-Espada has been a Team Leader for a regional deployment team since October 2007 and served as deputy team leader from June 2006 to October 2007. He guided his team through the reorganization process in June 2009. He ensured operational readiness and team cohesion by preparing his team for training exercises at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. in September 2009.
He has shown career commitment to readiness, superior leadership, and exceptional contributions to the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment.
Dr. Bravo (photo unavailable) is recognized for sustained high quality performance as officer-in-charge of four teams of 49 USPHS officers deployed aboard the United States Naval Ship (USNS) Comfort from March 2009 to July 2009.
Dr. Bravo entered the USPHS in 1983 as a National Health Service Corps scholarship recipient for HRSA. His commitment to increasing access to health care for underserved populations kept him with HRSA for his 26 years of service. During his active duty time, he had a positive impact on emergency preparedness, disaster response and international public health.聽
In 2003, he provided backfill support to Navy dentists at the Quantico Marine Base. In 2005, he was assigned to the New Orleans Convention Center to help monitor disaster mortuary operational response team (DMORT) activities as a result of Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, he was a part of PHS Team 1 aboard the USNS Comfort Health Diplomacy Humanitarian Mission providing dental care services and education to patients in Belize, Guatemala, and Panama.
In 2009 in direct support of presidential “Partnership of the Americas, Continuing Promise 2009,” Dr. Bravo served as USPHS officer-in-charge of the U.S. Navy ship-based mission to seven Central and South American countries to deliver humanitarian assistance, perform public health assessments, conduct public health infrastructure repairs and provide training for indigenous health care workers. He provided primary command interface between Corps officers and Navy leadership. This successful mission resulted in evaluations for more than 100,000 host nation patients with more than 400,000 patient services provided to children, women and adults with a wide variety of medical, dental, optical and surgical problems.
While deployed on the USNS Comfort, Dr. Bravo distinguished himself by providing outstanding leadership for a challenging humanitarian mission.
The PHS Commissioned Corps Responder of the Year Award among all disciplines: CAPT Dean Coppola, a dentist
The Commissioned Officers Association annually calls for nominations from each chief professional officer. Nominees must be active duty or retired members of the Commissioned Corps. Criteria include:
- one-time impact on public health preparedness and response;
- career contributions to emergency preparedness and/or disaster response;
- role in deployments and impact thereof;
- training and education applicable to preparedness and response;
- publications and presentations in the public arena related to preparedness and response, and
- nominee’s willingness to give credit to the US Public Health Service for deployment activities.
Dr. Coppola has been involved in emergency response for more than 14 years. He has served as command staff of the first Public Health Service Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) Team PHS 1 and chief of dental and allied health and team cache leader for four years on the PHS-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) of which he was a member more than 11 years. Dr. Coppola has responded to numerous disasters through the PHS Commissioned Corps Office of Force Readiness and Deployment. He has participated in at least 18 responses as a dental officer, ESF-8 DMORT liaison, team leader, liaison officer and preventive medicine officer. He responded to the NYC World Trade Center; Operation “Provide Refugee” assisting Kosovar refugees at Ft. Dix; the Joint Task Force Operation “Pelican” in Belize; the 2001/ 2005 Presidential Inaugurations, and the 2004 Florida hurricanes. He deployed in support of the 2nd Naval Dental Battalion by augmenting force preparedness of the Second Marine Expeditionary Force for deployment of “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” He deployed as ESF-8 DMORT Liaison for the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita responses. In 2008, he deployed as team commander of a College Station, Tex., team for Hurricane Ike and as officer in charge of the PHS contingent aboard the USS Boxer for Operation Continuing Promise Pacific. The Pacific Phase of Continuing Promise 2008 included 28 combined mission days in Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru.
Hispanic Officers Advisory Committee Juan Carlos Finlay Award for Career Dedication: CAPT Angel Rodriguez-Espada (also honored as a dental responder of the year)
Established by the Hispanic Officers Advisory Committee, this award honors individuals, groups and organizations demonstrating leadership in the development of programs, methods or initiatives that improve access to and/or health services for Hispanics. Juan Carlos Finlay (1833-1915) was a Cuban physician and epidemiologist who discovered that the mosquito was the vector of “fiebre amarilla” or yellow fever. Dr. Rodriguez-Espada has had significant impact on the oral health and overall health of Hispanic communities and other underserved populations. His exemplary 26-year PHS career spans five states and 10 assignments beginning in 1983 at the Ciales Primary Health Care Center in Puerto Rico. His service includes direct patient care, improvement of the dental public health infrastructure and augmentation of the dental workforce in Hispanic communities.
Surgeon General David Satcher Keynote Lecture: Dr. Chester W. Douglass
This annual lecture honors former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., for his commitment to health promotion and disease prevention and his 2002 oral health report. Dr. Chester W. Douglass, DDS, PhD, professor emeritus, former chair, oral health policy and epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, delivered this year鈥檚 lecture. He is a former president of the American Board of Dental Public Health.