Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Andrews is a native of Southern California. She obtained her B.A. in Biology from California State University, Northridge, followed by her Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree from the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. She owned and operated a general dentistry private practice for 10 years in Merced, CA, and completed her specialty training and master’s degree in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry. During her time in private practice, Dr. Andrews was the first female dentist in Merced, leading Merced County as the Health Department Liaison helping to improve oral health for the community. She also served as the first female President of the Yosemite Dental Society and subsequently, was appointed as a Trustee to the California Dental Association. 

In 2008, Dr. Andrews joined Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine (WU CDM) during its infancy as a new dental school.  She served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and was integral in developing the Office of Academic Affairs, managing staff and faculty while providing oversight of the burgeoning curriculum to ensure student and programmatic success. Early on, Dr. Andrews helped establish the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) chapter at CDM, fostering service activities aimed at helping women in need. The AAWD chapter established a girl scout troop in Pomona and provided over $40,000 of dental care to women from the Crossroads Program. 

Nationally, Dr. Andrews served as the Chair for the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Women in Leadership Section and was instrumental in establishing a leadership development program at no cost to all ADEA members.  

Dr. Andrews has been teaching Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology in her faculty role since 2009, and her research interests include HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and the impact of interprofessional collaborative care. After serving 11 years as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for WU CDM, Dr. Andrews was appointed to serve as its Dean—setting the bar again as the first female Dean of a California dental school.

Lisa Cain, Ph.D. is the Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Development for the  University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (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 UTHealth Houston’s 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 UTMB 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. 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 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  chair of 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. 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 and is an artist who has incorporated her art into educational arenas.

Dr. Rosa Chaviano Moran, DMD, is the Associate Dean for Admissions at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM). She is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Periodontics and Community Health and also holds faculty appointments at the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies and the New Jersey Medical School. A dedicated leader and educator, Dr. Chaviano Moran plays multiple roles on campus—as an administrator, clinician, recruiter, mentor, and faculty member—contributing significantly to the academic and professional development of students and colleagues alike.

Dr. Chaviano Moran is a nationally recognized advocate for equity and excellence in dental education. She has been honored by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and by Rutgers University’s “Leaders in Faculty Diversity Committee” for her leadership in individualized assessment for dental school admissions, mentorship, advocacy, and student empowerment. She is a Past President of the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) and a Fellow of both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists—recognitions that reflect her enduring commitment to ethics, service, and professional advancement in dentistry

Prof. Oluranti daCosta is a specialist in the field of Orthodontics. She is a lecturer with the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, and an Honorary consultant with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. She graduated from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos in 1983 with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery and went on to specialize in Orthodontics at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Lagos, Nigeria, being one of the first three to be trained in the specialty in Nigeria. She has actively practiced Orthodontics for over 30 years and is responsible for training and mentoring hundreds of undergraduates as well as numerous postgraduate students, many of whom are now academics themselves. 

Prof. daCosta has attended and presented at numerous national and international conferences and workshops on her specialty to improve her knowledge and skill acquisition. She is a member of numerous dental and orthodontic associations both nationally and internationally. She is a Past President of the Nigerian Association of Orthodontists. She is also a member of the Smile Train African Medical Advisory Committee. 

Prof. daCosta has authored and co-authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. She has held several positions of responsibility at faculty-, college- and university-level. A member and Chairman of various committees, a past Departmental Coordinator, Acting Head of Department and is the Immediate Past Dean, Faculty of Dental Sciences.   

Prof. Oluranti daCosta is happily married to Dr. V. A. daCosta, who is also a dentist, and is the mother to three wonderful children.

Blánaid Daly is Professor of Special Care Dentistry and Dean of Dental Affairs /Head of School at the School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin (TCD).

Blánaid graduated in Dentistry from TCD. She worked in the Irish Community and Hospital Dental Services and then moved to the UK to pursue higher training and joined the Dental School at King’s College London (KCL). While at King’s, she combined her academic interest in Dental Public Health (DPH) with the clinical specialty of Special Care Dentistry (SCD). She was course director for a Master’s programme in D.P.H. and the M.Sc. in Community Dental Practice. Her Ph.D. explored the oral health needs of homeless people and was informed by her work setting up and providing direct dental care services to homeless people in three London boroughs. Blánaid has always had a great interest in oral health promotion and was a co-founder of the Oral Health Promotion Research Group in 1992 with Richard Watt (UCL) and was President in 1999/2000.

Blánaid returned to TCD in 2016 as Professor of Special Care Dentistry and Head of the Department of Public & Child Dental Health.  Her overarching research and advocacy interests have remained the reduction of oral health inequalities, and widening access to dental care particularly amongst vulnerable groups and people living with disability. In 2019, she was a contributing author to the Lancet series on oral health that highlighted the global public health importance of oral diseases and the need for a radically different policy agenda to tackle this major public health problem. In 2020 she was appointed to the Lancet Commission on Global Oral Health Inequalities and was joint winner of the Aubrey Sheiham award for distinguished research in Dental Public Health from the International Association of Dental Research (IADR). As Dean of Dental Affairs since 2022, Blánaid is keen to ensure dental curricula are inclusive and equip graduates with the skills and competence to meet the oral health needs of the Irish population including those who are vulnerable and marginalised.  She is also a strong advocate for retention, participation and inclusion of women in academic dentistry and in STEM research. 

Dr. Ji Woon Park is Chair and Professor of theDepartment of Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis at Seoul National UniversitySchool of Dentistry, and faculty at Seoul National University Dental Hospital.She earned her D.D.S., M.S.D., and Ph.D. from Seoul National University, whereshe also completed her residency and fellowship in oral medicine, focusing onorofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Dr. Park is board-certified in Oral Medicine by theKorean Ministry of Health, a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain,and a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. She currentlyserves as Director of Academic Affairs for the Korean Academy of Orofacial Painand Oral Medicine, Director of Educational Affairs for the Korean Academy ofDental Sleep Medicine, and Council Member of the Asian Academy of OrofacialPain and Temporomandibular Disorders.

A prolific researcher, Dr. Park has authored morethan 70 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including ScientificReports, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, Clinical OralInvestigations, and J Oral Facial Pain and Headache. Her researchexplores the biological, psychological, and behavioral dimensions of TMD,craniofacial pain, and sleep-related disorders. She is also a sought-afterspeaker at global meetings such as IADR, World Sleep, and the InternationalHeadache Society, where she shares insights on integrating multidisciplinaryapproaches to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

Dr. Saksena earned her B.D.Sc. from the University of Melbourne, Australia, a Certificate in Prosthodontics and an M.M.Sc. in Oral Biology from Harvard University, and her DMD from Tufts University. She is the Associate Dean for Education and Campus Culture at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Dentistry. She has been an associate dean at UNMC since 2018. Dr. Saksena has been in administration for over ten years with experience in academic affairs, student affairs, admissions, clinical affairs, and faculty development. Her research interests include education and campus culture. Dr. Saksena also has an appointment at UNMC’s Graduate College, serves on several committees at the university level, and coordinates and leads interprofessional education activities for UNMC’s Lincoln campus. She has chaired the ADEA Section on Educational Research, Development and Curriculum, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and has served on several committees at the national level. In 2024, she was a recipient of the ADEA Chair of the Board Citation Award and has presented nationally and internationally.