The Oral Health Community Engaged Research Task Force (OHCER) is a committee of diverse stakeholders dedicated to improving oral health for marginalized communities through community-engaged research. The CER task force will foster collaborative understanding, design research pathways, and co-create a shared research agenda for community-engaged research in oral health. This task force will develop a roadmap for building AIDPH’s and the broader oral health community’s collective capacity toward community engagement.

Amplify oral health as a critical component of whole-person health while exploring opportunities to design engagement tools and strategies for the broader PCOR/CER network.

Nade Bozhinova is a public health practitioner with 10+ years of Public Oral Health and FQHC practice. Nade got her Master’s in Public Health from San Jose State University and is an advocate for equal and equitable access to oral health. She is adjunct faculty at San Jose State University where she teaches a Global Health Course. Nade is recipient of the Service to Public Health award by SJSU and was nominated and shortlisted for Denobi Awards 2024. She is active participant in  oral health committees on a local level that address access to care.

Jessica Elwell serves as the Executive Director of Everyone for Veterans, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Issaquah, WA. As the proud daughter of veterans, she is dedicated to the organization’s mission to deliver highly effective and ethical services for veterans and their families. Jessica leverages over a decade of leadership experience in local and national nonprofit sectors. Her capacity as a facilitator, trainer, and manager has been instrumental in promoting inclusive and diverse human services programs through collaborative efforts and advocacy initiatives.

Lynda Gregorini earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Ferris State University and has accumulated more than 24 years of experience in dental public health, working in Federally Qualified Health Centers and the Indian Health Service.

Janice Evans Hawkins, PhD, RN, CNS, FAAN is an Assistant Professor and Chair of Graduate Nursing Programs at Old Dominion University. She has been a nurse educator for over 25 years with a focus on reducing health disparities and preparing a healthcare workforce equipped to care for vulnerable populations. Her contributions have equipped educators with evidenced-based strategies to infuse advocacy and oral health content into nursing curricula and mobilized health science students to actions to improve oral healthcare, vaccine access, and climate mitigation. Her contributions to the nursing profession and addressing health inequities were recognized with her induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. 

Sujay Mehta is a clinician focused to oral medicine and orofacial pain. He has taught or lectured to audiences in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and law as well as patient support groups, and hosted and moderated courses and lectures integrating oral and medical health. He has been nominated and accepted as an ADEA Emerging Leaders Fellow, Dental Public Health Leadership Academy Fellow with AIDPH, and a Harvard Macy Institute Scholar. He is currently Co-Chair of the scientific program and Chair-elect for the American Public Health Association’s Oral Health section.

Cody Price is a health policy research analyst for Texas Health Institute working with the research and evaluation team. Previously Price worked with the Texas TransFORWARD Initiative, Texas Primary Care Consortium, and Tulane University’s Professional and Continuing Education Platform. As a graduate of both Texas A&M University and Mississippi State University, he understands the value of rooting your everyday work in local culture. With a master’s degree in health policy and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Price enjoys enacting evidence-based policies to ease the lives of all Texans. His professional interests include substance abuse policy, patent policy, genomics, health insurance, and health equity.

Patrick Roberson has experience in private practice, military service, and community leadership. As the former owner of a thriving practice in Raleigh, NC, he joined NC DHHS as the Oral Health Section Chief in 2024. His military service included a role as the 3rd Brigade Dental Surgeon with the 82nd Airborne Division and deployments to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and to Joint Base Anaconda in Iraq. He is a graduate of NC State and the world’s first dental school, the University of Maryland’s School of Dentistry.

Morgan Santoro is a Biostatistician with CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Ms. Santoro spends her days managing and analyzing survey and dental claims data utilizing programs such as R and Tableau. Previously, she cleaned, managed, and analyzed the California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Ms. Santoro completed her B.S. in Psychology and her Master of Public Health (MPH) at Kent State University.

Eric Tranby is the Director of Data Analytics and Data Insights at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health where he leads an interdisciplinary data analytics, data warehousing, and publication team. He oversees all research and analytic studies designed to elevate oral health and position the CareQuest Institute as a leading voice in oral health. 

Heather Waldron is dedicated to promoting oral health and improving access to dental care in Indiana. Starting in 1998 as a front office assistant and sterilization technician, she advanced to chairside assisting while pursuing a degree in dental hygiene and have been practicing since 2004. Currently, as Treasurer of the Indiana Dental Hygiene Association, she advocates for student membership and promote Indiana’s legislative achievements in dental health. She coordinates community outreach programs and organizes dental services to improve access to care, working closely with public health centers and community partners. She holds a master’s degree in healthcare innovation from Arizona State University.