Coalition Launches Lecture Series

The first presentation in the Coalition Lecture Series will be held in late November.  Dr. Nathan Suter, Oral Health Director, COMTREA Comprehensive Health Center, and Coalition Board Vice Chair, will present at the kick-off meeting of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry Student Chapter at the UMKC School of Dentistry in Kanas City on November 30, 2017. The presentation is about the developing story of teledentistry in Missouri. The Coalition has actively supported the development of teledentistry in Missouri to increase access to dental care in Missouri’s many underserved communities.  Dr. Suter continues to be a key proponent.  Dr. Suter will be introduced by Dr. John Dane, Missouri State Dental Director and Coalition Board Member. 

The Coalition is proud to sponsor this important presentation on teledentistry for dental students at UMKC. The Coalition believes that students and new graduates tend to be early adapters of emerging and developing technologies, helping to move the health care system forward. 

The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry American Association of Public Health Dentistry Student Chapter is a student run organization that is closely affiliated with both the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry.   The mission of the group is to provide community awareness to future dental professionals and engage students in dialogue about current dental public health issues. The group promotes the advancement of public health in the field of dentistry, provides learning through community service and volunteerisms, and ultimately function as the student arm of the national organization of AAPHD. 

Dr Michael D. McCunniff, D.D.S., M.S., Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Dental Public Health and Behavioral Science, is the Faculty Advisor.  Olga Shakhnovich and Rachel Carpino are Co-Presidents.  

The Coalition Lecture Series includes occasional presentations on issues of importance to the oral health of Missouri, including state oral health challenges and policy goals to improve health care access and delivery.  The Lecture Series is designed to complement the Missouri Oral Health Policy Conference held in the spring.  The 2018 conference will be held March 1 & 2.  For the first time, the conference will include a pre-conference webinar on fluoridation advocacy (February 28).  Watch the Coalition website, Facebook page and Twitter account for future segments in the Coalition Lecture Series, and to learn more about the upcoming conference.