Dr. Amyot, Ed.D. has served in a variety of positions during her 30+ years of teaching at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), School of Dentistry.  Administrative positions have included Associate Dean of Instructional Technology and Faculty Development, Interim Vice Provost of Online Education, Director of the Division of Dental Hygiene, and Director of Graduate and Degree Completion Studies. Dr. Amyot currently serves as Professor Emeriti.  She has taught at all levels of the curriculum; doctoral, predoctoral, graduate and undergraduate.  Dr. Amyot has received numerous distinguished teaching awards from the School of Dentistry and is a recipient of the university wide Elmer Pierson Outstanding Teaching Award.  In 2020, she was the recipient of the American Dental Education Association ADEA/GIES Award for Innovation – Dental Educator.  She served as co-chair for the 2024 ADEA International Women’s Leadership Conference.  Her research interests include portfolio assessment of student competency, community-based service-learning, access to care and distance and online education. Her service to the university and profession has been extensive.  She had the distinction of being a contributing author for the National Institutes of Health Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges 2021 report.  Dr. Amyot is the co-editor of the recently released 6th edition of Darby and Walsh Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice.

Lisa Cain, Ph.D., a native of Canton, Mississippi received a B.S. degree in Biology from the Honors College at Jackson State University, a Ph.D. in Anatomy from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and was a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Center for Biotechnology and Medicine in Piscataway, New Jersey. Currently, she is the Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Development for UTHealth Houston, the Associate Dean for Professional Development and Faculty Affairs, Professor in the Department of Diagnostic and 
Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston School of Dentistry (UTSD), and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the McGovern Medical School. She currently teaches in the Head and Neck Anatomy Course at UTSD, has been involved in educational program development and is the recipient of a UTSD Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Grant from the Health Resources Services Administration. She is one of the co-directors of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Health Education Fellowship Program. Prior to joining UTHealth Houston, she was Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Associate Member of the Institute for the Medical Humanities, director of the Medical School Enrichment Programs, and Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development in the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). She is a graduate of the UTMB Scholars in Education Program. She was a member of the Academy of Master Teachers (AMT) and served as chair of the AMT’s Mentoring and Consultation Team. She was course director for the Graduate School’s Cell Biology Course and the Gross Anatomy and Radiology Course. She received the Pre-Clinical Woman in Medicine Award due to her involvement in medical education. In 2015, she was a recipient of the University of Texas System’s Regents Outstanding Teaching Award and received the title of a University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor. In 2016, she received the Dr. Martin Luther King Service award for her commitment to assisting and providing medical pipeline and research programs for educationally and financially disadvantaged students. This resulted in the City Council of Galveston, Texas proclaiming January 13, 2016, as Dr. Lisa Cain Day. As a neuroscientist specializing in cholinergic neuron development and the protection of spinal cord neurons following injury, she utilized her research background and directed the UTMB Medical Student Summer Research Program and three other NIH-funded research programs. As director of the UTMB’s Medical School Enrichment Programs, she implemented research and academic programs for high school, undergraduate, and medical students and maintained contractual partnerships with six Texas Universities and community entities. She was a director and a PI on grants funded by the Health Resources Services Administration to support pipeline programs.  In 2020, she received the honor of being designated as the University of Mississippi Medical Center Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences Distinguished Alumnus. In 2022, she received from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the Pillars Lifetime Achievement Awards. The award honors individuals who have made meaningful contributions that promote a climate of inclusion. 

Dr. Cain has a vast array of experience in faculty governance, faculty affairs/faculty development. This is evident by her past roles as chair of the UTMB Faculty Senate, chair of the UTMB Faculty Development Council, co-chair of the Health Affairs Committee of the UT System’s Faculty Advisory Council, consisting of faculty leaders from the UT System Health Affairs Institutions and Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development at UTMB. Her leadership experience has extended to regional, national, and international levels. In 2022-2024 she held an elected position as s chair-elect in the American Association of Medical Colleges Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA). In this position, she represented approximately eight hundred faculty affairs leaders across the United States including Canada. In 2017, she founded and organized the regional Texas Consortium for Faculty Success which consists of thirteen Texas health science institutions and thirty-two faculty affairs/faculty development administrators. She has  been active in the  American Dental  Education Association. She is chair-elect of the American Dental Education Association’s (ADEA) Women in Leadership Section and was co-chair of the 2024 ADEA International Women in Leadership Conference.  In 2024  she  was a recipient of the Chair of the  Board of  ADEA Citation Award. She is a certified executive leadership coach who focuses on implementing strategic planning, behavioral analysis, effective communication, and networking skills to achieve desired results. She is an artist who has incorporated her art into educational arenas.

Speaker agrees that neither they nor members of their immediate family have any financial relationships with commercial entities that may be relevant to their presentation. 

Dr. López-Fuentes, D.M.D., M.P.H., FACD, FICD; is a tenured Professor, at the Community Dentistry Section of the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine (UPRSDM). She is currently the 2024-2025 Immediate Past-Chair of the ADEA Board of Directors, 2023-2024 Chair of the ADEA Board of Directors.Dr. López-Fuentes served as Dean of the UPRSDM from 2014-2018. At the UPRSDM, she serves as President of the Infection Control and Quality Assurance Standing Committees. She earned a certificate in dental infection prevention and control fromOSAP and the DALE Foundation. She is a member of the ADEA Collaborative on Dental Education Climate Assessment (CDECA), and UPRSDM’s ADEA Women Liaison Officer since 2006. She is Site Visitor for the ADA Commission on DentalAccreditation (CODA), and Ex-officio member/Consultant to the Board of Trustees of the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA). Dr. López serves as faculty advisor to the HDA and the American Association of Women Dentists Student Chapters.

Dr. López-Fuentes served as Co-Chair of ADEA’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee from 2014-2021, ADEA’s Annual Session Program Committee (2018-2021),Immediate Past Chair of ADEA’s Women in Leadership Section, and Councilor to the Council of Sections representing the Women in Leadership Section. From 2018 to 2019,represented the HDA in the American Dental Association Presidents’ Summit for Diversity and Inclusion. She served as faculty advisor to the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM), fellowship from 2018-2022.

Dr. López-Fuentes has served as faculty representative to the Academic Senate at the UPR Medical Sciences Campus, to ADEA’s Council of Faculties, UPRSDM Curriculum
Director, Community Dentistry Section Chief and UPRSDM Associate Dean. At the university level, she represented the Medical Sciences Campus (MSC), Academic Senate at the President’s Board and was appointed Executive Secretary to the UPR President’s Board. She directed the first dental assistant program at the University of Granada, Spain; resulting from a collaboration between the University of Puerto Rico and the University of Granada, Spain. Dr. López-Fuentes is an alumnus of several leadership programs: ADEA’s Summer Program for Emerging Academic Leaders, ELAM and the Bell Leadership Institute.

As Dean of the UPRSDM, she was instrumental in amending the local dental law, implementing the electronic health record, the approval of the Periodontics Graduate
program and the first Dean of the UPRSDM to be elected to ADEA’s Council of Deans Administrative Board. She is the Recipient of the 2018 Chair of the ADEA Board of
Directors Citation for significant contributions to dental education.

Dr. Nathalia Garcia is a Periodontist, Professor, Assistant Dean for Career Development, Chair of the Applied Dental Medicine Department, and Section Head of Periodontics at Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Garcia is also an Adjunct Faculty member at Saint Louis University.

With a deep commitment to dental education, Dr. Garcia is actively involved in both pre-doctoral and postdoctoral teaching. Her academic pursuits include a diploma in University Teaching and Education, reflecting her dedication to advancing innovative teaching methodologies and curriculum initiatives in the field of periodontics.

As the department chair, Dr. Garcia plays a pivotal role in faculty professional development, mentorship, and fostering external collaborations for research endeavors. She has contributed significantly to clinical and educational research, participating in various projects funded by private industry and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) including the Human Microbiome Project, and was the SIU PI of the multi-center study supported by the NIH-NIDCR entitled Biomarkers of periodontal disease progression. These research efforts have culminated in numerous publications.

Dr. Garcia's contributions to the dental community have earned her prestigious accolades, including membership in the OKU Dental Honor Society, fellowship in the International College of Dentists, and recognition as a fellow of the American Dental Association-ADEA Leadership Institute. In 2017, she was honored as the ADEA Enid Neidle Scholar. Acknowledged for her outstanding contributions to inclusion, equity, and diversity, Dr. Garcia was named a SIUE Phenomenal Woman in 2020. Subsequently, in 2022, she received the American Academy of Periodontology Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring in Periodontics at Saint Louis University. Notably, Dr. Garcia was a runner-up for the one-time piece ADEA President Centennial Award for Oral Health Education.

Beyond her academic and research roles, Dr. Garcia actively serves the dental community. She is a test constructor for the Integrated National Board Dental Examination for the American Dental Association and contributes to the American Academy of Periodontology's Educational Committee. Dr. Garcia holds leadership roles as the chair-elect of the ADEA Women in Leadership Section, the SIU-ADEA Woman Liaison Officer, and a representative to the ADEA Council of Faculties. She also co-chairs the American Dental Education Association - ADEA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and is a member of the ADEA Collaborative on Dental Education Climate Assessment group. She was recently invited to be part of the ADEA Task Force on Envisioning and Transforming the Future of Oral Health and Education. Dr. Garcia's commitment to diversity is further evidenced by her certification as a Diversity Facilitrainer (CDFT) by NCCJ Saint Louis.

Dr. Mary MacDougall is a Professor at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada having serviced as the first female and non-clinician Dean from  2017-2023. She earned her Ph.D. in Craniofacial Biology at the University of Southern California (USC), School of Dentistry and her B.A. in Biochemistry at the University of California at San Diego, Revelle College.  In 1986, she joined the faculty at USC School of Dentistry as a Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology.  In 1993, she was appointed an Associate Professor at the Dental School faculty at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA), in 1998 she was promoted to Professor with tenure, and in 1999 became the Dental School’s first Associate Dean for Research. In 2005, she was awarded the Presidents Council Chair in Dental Research. In 2005, she joined the faculty of the UAB School of Dentistry where she held the James R. Rosen Chair in Dental Research. In 2012, she became the founding director of the UAB’s university-wide Global Center for Craniofacial Oral and Dental Disorders (GC-CODED).  She was the founding director of the School of Dentistry’s NIDCR supported “Dental Academic Research Training” (DART) program and also served as the founding Faculty Advisor for the UAB PreDental Society. She has served as President of both the American Association of Dental Research (2005-2006) and the International Association of Dental Research (2013). Dr. MacDougall has received the IADR Distinguished Scientist Pulp Biology Research Award (2001) and Mineralized Tissue Research Award (2005).  She has received the AADR National Student Research Group Mentor of the Year Award (2003), the AADR Distinguished Mentorship Award (2011), the Burton C. Borgelt/SCADA Faculty Advisor Award from the Student Clinician of the American Dental Association (2012), and the IADR Distinguished Women Faculty Mentor (2017). She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow and the AADR. Dr. MacDougall’s research centers on the molecular mechanisms associated with tooth formation, dental tissue-specific cytodifferentiation, extracellular matrix formation, tooth stem cells and tissue regeneration as well as related human genetic dental diseases. She has published nearly 200 peer-review articles, 16 book/book chapters and over 425 abstracts with an H-index of 50 (Google Scholars), 44 (Scopus) and 40 (web of Science) and nearly 10,000 citations (Google Scholar). Her total career U.S. funding is over  22.5 million dollars. Her research has been featured in several publications including Reader’s Digest and Men’s Health as well as several TV programs including Discovery Health Channel’s “The Painless Dentist”.