Lisa J. Heaton is a Science Writer with the Analytics and Data Insights team at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, where she collaborates with internal and external partners to produce peer-reviewed publications and self-published materials for CareQuest Institute. These materials focus on issues related to the expansion of access to oral health care for historically underserved populations, the intersections of oral and overall health, and integration of dental and medical health care. A clinical psychologist by training, Lisa was a post-doctoral fellow and faculty member at the University of Washington School of Dentistry for 16 years before her time at CareQuest Institute, where she provided clinical behavioral health care to patients with dental care-related fear and anxiety and chronic orofacial pain, taught several courses involving the intersection of behavioral and oral health, and conducted research focused on oral health disparities and dental care-related fear and anxiety.

Nicole Johnson has been leading initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for 25 years, always focusing on the practical application of strategies to build lasting change. For the last nine years, she has served as the Associate Director for Policy, Partnerships, and Strategic Communication in CDC’s Division of Oral Health. In this role she promotes evidence-based interventions to prevent cavities across the nation, particularly among those at greatest risk of decay, and strategies to promote adherence to dental infection prevention and control guidelines in clinical settings. She also currently leads an agency effort to accelerate medical-dental integration to improve oral health equity and overall health outcomes. Other major areas of focus have included tobacco prevention and control, heart disease and stroke prevention and sodium reduction. She received a dual BA degree in Psychology and Spanish from Western Michigan University and her MPH in behavioral science from Emory University.

Barbara Park has over 30 years of experience in public health working in oral health and chronic disease prevention and health promotion at the local, state, and national levels.  Ms. Park is currently a consultant for the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and serves as a subject matter expert on strategies for successfully integrating oral health and chronic disease programs in states and communities. 

Prior to joining NACDD, Ms. Park served in various leadership capacities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) for 22 years – working in oral health, tobacco prevention and control, and diabetes prevention and management. 

Before joining CDC in 1993, Ms. Park was the Manager of Fluoridation and Preventive Health Activities for the American Dental Association (ADA) from 1988 to 1993. 

Ms. Park began her career in public health in 1985 at the DuPage County Health Department in Wheaton, Illinois where she worked as a community dental hygienist. 

Ms. Park also practiced clinical dental hygiene for 10 years in a variety of practice settings and was an assistant clinical professor at Loyola University, School of Dental Hygiene from 1983 to 1985.

Associate Professor, Department of Community Dentistry andPopulation Health

Associate Director, Center for OralDisease Prevention and Population Health Research 

Program Director, DDS/MPH program