Continuing professional development, publishing research publications and expanding community outreach were just a few of the achievements dentists celebrated in 2025.
These eight dentists recently connected with Becker’s to share what they are most proud of from their work last year.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What is your proudest accomplishment/moment from 2025?
Steven Albert, DMD. Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Rising Tide Dental Partners (New York City): My proudest accomplishment in 2025 was staying committed to a simple but increasingly rare principle: dentists should control the platforms they build with their life’s work. At Rising Tide Dental Partners, we continue to grow while preserving clinical autonomy, transparency and shared governance. This year, we focused on building systems that reward long-term thinking, empower partner doctors and protect the trust between providers, teams and patients. In a consolidating industry, I am proud that we have shown growth and dentist control are not competing goals; they are complementary ones. My partners and I are looking forward to an exciting and successful 2026.
Steve Hochfelder, DMD. Dentist at Lake Mary (Fla.) Dentistry: Attending the University of Florida College of Dentistry CDP33 (Comprehensive Dental Program) from my alma mater, which is a monthly, three-day program for two years to attain enough CE hours to be eligible for my Master’s in the Academy of General Dentistry. Only 2% of dentists attain this, and I will attend a convocation ceremony to be formally recognized in 2026 at the AGD annual meeting.
Yau-Hua Yu, DMD. Associate Professor in the Department of Periodontology of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (Boston): My most significant achievement in 2025 was the completion of a coherent and impactful series of population‑based studies that represent the culmination of my long‑standing research program in oral health access, social determinants of health and the integration of oral health into broader systemic health frameworks. My scholarly work began with analyses of NHANES [National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey] data, through which I established foundational associations between oral health, functional status, bone health and mortality. My research trajectory later expanded to include large women’s health cohorts and genetic epidemiology, including genome‑wide association studies and Mendelian randomization analyses linking periodontal disease to cardiometabolic, skeletal and cancer‑related outcomes.
In 2025, this research trajectory reached a meaningful point of integration through two major investigations utilizing the nation’s largest biomedical databases. Using the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program, I led a study that demonstrated robust associations among oral health, inflammation and cardiometabolic risk within a diverse veteran population, reinforcing the importance of oral health as a clinically relevant component of chronic disease prevention. Concurrently, my publication using the NIH All of Us Research Program provided a comprehensive, lifespan‑oriented evaluation of oral health care access and social determinants in the United States, directly aligning epidemiologic evidence with national health equity and policy priorities.
These original research contributions were strengthened by my engagement in national policy efforts through authorship of AADOCR and IADR position statements, translating emerging scientific evidence into guidance of public health significance. Additionally, I successfully mentored a master’s student thesis in assessing ten‑year publication trends in periodontal and implant surgical treatments, fostering rigorous scientific inquiry and the development of independent research skills.
Huzefa Kapadia, DDS. Dentist at Kapadia Dental Care (Waterford Township, Mich.): I sold one of my office locations myself. At 50, I didn’t want to end up working two locations. It was a lot of work, and I am glad the sale went through.
Laurence Levine, DDS. Periodontist at Bella Smiles (Las Vegas): After multiple decades of treating periodontal and implant patients, I have received many appreciative texts from patients and fellow dentists whose patients I treat. In early 2025, I placed two implants on a patient who had no concept of nutrition and only got cursory diabetic control information from her physician. Prior to implantation, I spend a lot of time explaining fasting glucose, A1C, fasting insulin values and relating the significance of high triglycerides related to high HDL as it relates to insulin resistance. I kept it simple, but I explained the importance of high protein, healthy fats, low carbs and the glycemic index for eating. The implants were successful, the patient liked her smile and around Thanksgiving, I got a wonderful text about how the implants were life-changing for the patient and validated everything we do for the patient’s entire health.
Steffany Mohan, DDS. Dentist at Plaza Dental Group (Urbandale, Iowa): My proudest accomplishment of 2025 is going out of network with insurance in one of our offices. It was a huge project, and I’m extremely proud of our team for making it happen.
Robert Trager, DDS. Dentist at JFK Airport (New York City): My proudest accomplishments occurred this December 30th, when I turned 86 years old and am still practicing dentistry. God has given and granted me the ability to practice dentistry with the same skills that I possessed over 50 years ago. I am still able to practice the skills of my profession with a high degree of caring and concern for my patients, as well as the ethics that will lead to a successful outcome. I can still accomplish surgical extractions, implant restorative procedures, as well as other prosthetic procedures at the same speed as I did years ago. I stay active in my profession by attending monthly meetings and participated in six oral cancer screenings this past year. I thank Becker’s Healthcare for allowing me to be a presenter at their annual conferences over the past few years. All these events have kept my mind and body active and up to date. All good things must come to an end, since my lease will be up at JFK Airport this August. After 41 years, I hope that I can find someone to take over my practice and serve the airport community while continuing a legacy of personal care and ethical treatment. My best accomplishment for this coming year will be selling my practice to the right individual(s) who will maintain a high quality of dental service to the JFK/LGA Airport communities.
Trent Vernon, DMD. Dental Director of Fairchild Medical Center (Yreka, Calif.): My team and I have been working tirelessly to improve our community outreach and the interdepartmental collaboration with our physician partners. We have been able to start a program with the help of California Northstate’s dental school and the Siskiyou County Department of Public Health to expand our dental outreach by working with community health workers and schools to try to identify oral health issues early and improve preventative treatments. We have also connected with the other departments in the hospital to improve collaboration prior to surgeries in identifying oral needs and improve oral health throughout pregnancy and focus on teaching parents the importance of oral health. All of these efforts in the last year have been noticed by my physician colleagues, who elected me as the new chief of staff for the next two years, which is a rare honor among dentists.
