DentaQuest announced 12 individuals named to its 2023 Health Equity Heroes list, which recognizes those that advance equitable access to medical, oral or behavioral health services.
Of the 12 Health Equity Heroes, six are being honored for their contributions in the dental industry, including dental school deans, oral health organization advocates and dentists, according to a July 13 news release.
DentaQuest is also donating $5,000 in the name of each individual to a qualified nonprofit of their choice.
Here are the individuals being recognized for their work in dentistry:
- Richard Black, DDS, is the founding dean of the Texas Tech University Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine in El Paso. The school trains dentists in a county where there is only one dentist for every 4,840 residents.
- Gail Brown is the director of the New Hampshire Oral Health Coalition. The state recently expanded its Medicaid dental benefits for adults, in part thanks to the work of the coalition.
- Theresa Cheng, DDS, is the founder and president of Everyone for Veterans, which provides free dental care to veterans. Dr. Cheng has grown a network of 680 volunteer dentists across 34 states.
- Cathy Levering is the executive director of the Sacramento District Dental Society, which holds dental plan providers accountable for their Medicaid members. Her efforts have helped expand dental access for children, as nearly 95 percent in the region are now insured.
- Darlene Sorrell, DMD, is the co-founder of the Society for American Indian Dentists and is the first Navajo dentist. Dr. Sorrell works with the Navajo Nation's only nonprofit dental clinic, Nizhoní Smiles.
- Mark Wolff, DDS, PhD, is the dean of Penn Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 2020, he created the Penn Dental Medicine's Personalized Care Suite/Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, which now serves more than 7,000 individuals.