Dr. Carmelina D’Arro is a seasoned public health dentist, educator, and award-winning author in Wilmington, Delaware where she teaches residents in general practice and dental hygiene students. She is also a qualified teacher of the evidence-based curriculum, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

Dr. D’Arro’s areas of special interest include the doctor-patient relationship, trauma-sensitive care, and patient satisfaction. She has lectured on mindfulness and patient-centered care in the US and Canada. Her most recent work, a text and video collection entitled The Mindful Health Care Professional: A Path to Provider Wellness and Patient-centered Care, features mindfulness for self-care and patient care; communication skills; and management of procedural pain and anxiety. This work was recently recognized by the Association of American Publishers with the 2025 Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences.

Ms. Daun-Barnett trains Orofacial Pain Program residents in evidence-based practices that integrate mindfulness-based interventions, wellness coaching, motivational interviewing, and biobehavioral treatment approaches to reach dental patient treatment goals. Her work integrates the biopsychosocial model into dental practice, ensuring that dental students and residents recognize and respond to the broader social and psychological needs of their patients. As a member of the interprofessional team in the Orofacial Pain Clinic, she provides dental patients with psychosocial assessments, short-term counseling, coping skills training, advocacy services, and community resource referrals. Her research using mindfulness-based interventions to manage orofacial pain and related stress was recently featured in a January 2025 article in the Journal of Dental Education. 

Ms. Daun-Barnett participates in the ADEA Behavioral Sciences Section and the national Social Work in Dentistry consortium. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, is a nationally board-certified Health and Wellness Coach and a certified Mindfulness and Meditation teacher. Ms. Daun-Barnett previously worked in the University at Buffalo Health Promotion Office, as a Health Coach in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and as a Clinical Social Worker for the University of Michigan. Her work reflects her commitment to improving lives through innovative, interdisciplinary collaboration--making her an inspiring voice in both dental education and social work.