Allison Massari

Entrepreneur, celebrated artist and executive coach

Believe I’mPossible: Burn Bright and Blaze a Trail for Others

What is the mindset needed to be vibrant, alive and in command of your life? What does it look and feel like? At any moment, life can throw turmoil in our direction—uncertainty and unrest from changes at work, the shock of sudden financial loss, an automobile accident, serious illness. What does it take to be okay inside of ourselves no matter what?

Allison Massari’s journey, delivered through the art of storytelling, reveals that we can discover untold amounts of strength, joy and aliveness when we learn to embrace our challenges rather than resist them. Ms. Massari states, “We can each make a vigorous, life-changing choice to navigate our way through and beyond adversity and be a force of light for ourselves and others.”

With vision, clarity and compassion, Ms. Massari teaches audiences the potent life lessons she learned on each step of her path after she was severely burned in a fire and faced seemingly insurmountable odds. Her riveting keynote boosts confidence and well-being and offers a balm of hope as she intimately shares the nuances of how to respond to difficult circumstances and maintain personal command and integrity despite life’s disruptions. With genuine encouragement and support, you’ll receive a new perspective from which to see the world and walk away with effective methods to handle challenges and move toward dreams and goals with courage, purpose and the strength of an open heart. Prepare to be profoundly moved and deeply inspired to turn the seemingly impossible into the possible.

Harnessing the Oral Health Profession to Tackle the Climate and Health Crisis

Moderator

Cecilia Sorensen, M.D., Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Presenters

Donna Hackley, D.M.D., M.A., Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Neelima Tummala, M.D., George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Tiffany Huang, University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry
Ethan Madison, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Ibeth Morales-Acosta, Pacific University School of Dental Hygiene Studies
Ashley Arounpradith, Pacific University School of Dental Hygiene Studies

The United Nations and the World Health Organization have named climate change the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Climate change impacts all aspects of health, including oral health, and its effects present challenges as overall health care services contribute to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Oral health professionals must be aware of oral manifestations related to climate change exposure pathways while also working toward decreasing the carbon and environmental intensity of their practice and ensuring continuity of care during extreme events.

While a global approach is necessary to achieve these goals, dental education must lead at the forefront. Health professional students should be trained to prevent and respond to climate-related health impacts on patients and the health care system. You will hear from experts in climate and health and oral health students on how dentistry can learn from best practices and respond to climate and environmental risks through education, adaptation and mitigation.

Rangina Hamidi

Advocate, educator, entrepreneur and author

ADEA Tapestry Table: Embroidering Within the Boundaries: Weaving Global Change for Women and Girls

Moderator
Sonya Gyjuan Smith, Ed.D., J.D., M.Ed., M.A., ADEA Chief Diversity Officer

Guest
Minister Rangina Hamidi, M.A., Former Minister of Education in Afghanistan

Rangina Hamidi served as the last woman Minister of Education in Afghanistan until the return of the Taliban in August 2021. Concerned about the future of her 12-year-old daughter, Minister Hamidi left Afghanistan 8 days after the fall of Kabul, when all other leaders had left by Aug. 15.

Courageous and outspoken, she continues her humanitarian efforts in support of the education of girls and work of women. She is the co-author of Embroidering within Boundaries: Afghan Women Creating a Future, the winner of the Silver Medal in the Multicultural Category of the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards. The book tells the story of the entrepreneurial spirit and the embroidery social enterprise, Kandahar Treasure, that Minister Hamidi founded to assist women working within the cultural boundaries of Pashtunwali to earn a living and find a degree of self-determination in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The handcrafting of these exquisite tapestries, created by over 120 Afghan women, continues today and speaks not only to the beauty, talent, struggle and resilience of Afghan women but also to the leadership possibilities of women and girls throughout the world if given the right tools.

The 2023 ADEA Tapestry Table^® features a talk show format in which Minister Hamidi and ADEA’s Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Sonya Smith, discuss Minster Hamidi’s life, the importance of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (UN SDGs) on gender equality and quality education goals, and how investing in these goals for women and girls as a collective global strategic priority are the keys to unlocking other key UN SDGs, such as good health and wellbeing; eradicating poverty; reducing inequality; and securing peace, justice and inclusive institutions. Discussions will also include the critical need to develop programs for women and girls to ensure that more women leaders serve as key decisionmakers in areas such as global health and education. The audience will also have the opportunity to purchase copies of Embroidering within Boundaries with proceeds going to support Kandahar Treasure, the Afghan women’s artisan social enterprise.

National Inclusive Curriculum Health Education for IDD—Moving Forward Together

Presenters

Allen Wong, D.D.S., Ed.D., DABSCD, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
Priya Chandan, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., University of Louisville School of Medicine
David Fray, D.D.S., M.B.A., UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry
Mark Wolff, D.D.S., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine

The American Dental Association recently renewed their commitment to address the national disparity of care for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). A National Inclusive Curriculum Health Education initiative in dentistry was formed to develop a resource guide and toolkit to assist in the education about and treatment of individuals with IDD. This collaborative project aims to bring best practices, evidence-based dentistry experts and schools with special needs programs together to lift all dental education institutions.

You will hear from experts who will share lessons learned from the American Academy of Developmental Medicine & Dentistry National Curriculum Initiative in Developmental Medicine project and current IDD initiatives in oral health education. Participants will have opportunities to share their own experiences in implementing IDD curriculum to promote conversation and potential collaboration within the dental education community.

New Thinking for the New Century: Preparing for the Next 100 Years

Remarks

Nader Nadershahi, D.D.S., M.B.A., Ed.D., University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry

Presenters

Todd Ester, D.D.S., M.A., University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Andrea Esteves, D.D.S., University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry
Janet Guthmiller, D.D.S., Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry
Joyce Hudson, Ed.D., Ivy Tech Community
Nadeem Karimbux, D.M.D., M.Sc., Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Afsheen Lakhani, D.M.D., Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Fotinos Panagakos, D.M.D., Ph.D., Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

As ADEA embarks upon its second century as The Voice of Dental Education, the New Thinking for the New Century (NTNC) project, under the leadership of Dr. Nader Nadershahi, identified new solutions to key chronic and emerging challenges facing dental education while supporting the development of the next generation of leaders for dental education.

The NTNC Steering Committee members will present the process, findings and recommendations of NTNC subcommittees that studied three identified challenges: faculty and staff recruitment, leadership development and succession planning, and preparing students for the future of collaborative practice.

Patricia Mechael, Ph.D.

Writer, public health specialist and pioneer in the field of mHealth

Answering the Call for Better Health: Global Health Initiatives That Improve Health Access for All

Innovation and global health initiatives call us to action to improve general health access, oral health access, gender equity and social justice. During this session, Dr. Patricia Mechael will help attendees learn why their work to advance these initiatives are ripe for input and how they might make a difference through their work. Whether looking at the landscape in low-income countries across the spectrum to high-income countries, our call is to make a difference.

The World Health Organization’s resolution on oral Health brings attention to a global need to improve access to oral health and broadly implement efficient, cost-effective solutions. As we celebrate the work of ADEA over the last century and look to a year of work in preparation for the 2024 ADEA International Women’s Leadership Conference VII, we all can believe “I’m possible.”