Meet the Speakers
Carrie Burkin
Carrie Burkin has a deep rooted background in advocacy. As a trained health educator, Carrie started her career in community education focusing on women’s health in the mid-90s. She then moved into HIV/AIDS prevention education, helping the community to understand how to lessen their exposure to HIV while also becoming an ally to people living with the disease.
In 2003 when her oldest daughter was born with Down syndrome, Carrie entered the arena of disability advocacy working as an Educational Advocate. She currently works to help shape the minds of medical residents and other clinicians for the Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities at University of Rochester Medical Center as both the Advocacy Discipline Coordinator for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program and the coordinator for the Family Experience for Medical Residents program. Carrie has also been newly appointed to the role of Family Liaison for the Project SEARCH program.
Jack Dillenberg, D.D.S., M.P.H.
Dr. Dillenberg is Dean Emeritus of A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH) after serving fifteen years as the Inaugural Dean. After dental school he served as a Dentist in the US Navy then practiced at a residential facility for people with severe disabilities before moving to Jamaica to work in a very rural clinic for their Ministry of Health.
Prior to joining ASDOH, Dr. Dillenberg was Associate Director for public health programs in the California Department of Health Services and prior to that served as an Area Health Officer serving the west area of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
During most of the 1990s, Dr. Dillenberg served in several capacities in the Arizona Department of Health Services, including four years as its Director.
Dr. Dillenberg is the recipient of a great number of honors and awards, including the Arizona Medical Association Humanitarian of the Year, the Fresh Start Foundation Man of the Year, the Harvard School of Public Health Alumni Award of Merit and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry. Most recently, the American Association of Public Health Dentistry 2019 Distinguished Service Award.
He currently is the executive clinical director for the newly created non-profit Pacific Dental Services Special Needs Dental Clinic in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Dillenberg serves as the Board President of Global Smiles For All a 501c3 nonprofit making a difference in global oral health. He also serves as the Global Ambassador for the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, and currently is the Board Chairman for both the Center for Oral Health and the Brighter Way Institute. He was recently elected to the Town Council of Jerome, Arizona.
Mary E. Foley, R.D.H., M.P.H.
Ms. Mary E. Foley is the Executive Director of the Medicaid|Medicare|CHIP Services Dental Association (MSDA). Ms. Foley is a dental hygienist from Massachusetts and holds a Masters Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Policy.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Foley served as the Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Office of Oral Health (OOH). In this role she had oversight of all state funded dental public health programs addressing surveillance; access; prevention; and education. This included management of the MA Community Water Fluoridation Program; Expansion of the MA Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Dental Safety-Net; the Tufts Developmentally Disabled Dental Program; State Oral Health Surveillance efforts; and participation with the Massachusetts Special Legislative Commission on Oral Health.
From 2005-2007, Ms. Foley served as the Program Director for a HRSA funded AAPD national initiative entitled, Improving Perinatal and Infant Oral Health.
Just prior to her current position, Ms. Foley served as the Dean of the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Massachusetts. Since joining the Medicaid|Medicare|CHIP Services Dental Association, Ms. Foley has been instrumental in 1) broadening national and state level stakeholder collaboration, 2) raising awareness of oral health within HHS and CMS, 3) developing an online National Profile of State Medicaid and CHIP Oral Health Programs; 4) convening Medicaid stakeholders to an annual National Medicaid-CHIP Oral Health Symposium, and 5) advancing state program policies and protocols aimed at improving the health, health care and costs for all Medicaid programs and their beneficiaries.
Matt Holder, MD, MBA
As an international leader in the emerging field of Developmental Medicine, Dr. Matthew Holder advocates on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for better quality health services. Dr. Holder currently serves as the Global Medical Advisor and Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee for Special Olympics International, he is a co-founder and Past President Emeritus of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, President of the American Board of Developmental Medicine and is the Chief Executive Officer of the Lee Specialty Clinic in Louisville, Kentucky – an interdisciplinary teaching and research clinic whose mission is to address the health needs of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a physician, educator and healthcare advocate, Dr. Holder has impacted the state of healthcare policy, research and medical education around the world.
M. Dian Chin Kit-Wells DDS
Dr. Dian is a professor and clinician of Pediatric and Community Dentistry. She is a graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, where she completed her Doctorate of Dental Surgery, a General Practice Residency and her specialty training in Pediatric Dentistry. Prior to her education here in the US, Dr. Chin Kit-Wells was a school dental nurse in remote villages in Trinidad and Tobago. She decided on dentistry as a profession because of her love for health care and desire to make a difference, especially where health equity is a concern.
Currently, Dr. Dian teaches community dentistry courses, runs programs, chairs committees, conducts public health research, mentors students of many disciplines and, of course, serves as a Give Kids A Smile Ambassador. She credits her program successes to strong community partnerships and resources. As discussed during a poster presentation at the recent APHA meeting, her Give Kids A Smile program seeks to be of service to populations often overlooked throughout Western New York. These populations include refugees, the adolescent, children with poor access to care, and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Dr. Dian is known for linking local programs, such as the Mayor’s Clean Sweep, and national programs, such as Special Olympics, into her Give Kids A Smile events. Knowing that the number of dentists who treat those with intellectual and developmental disabilities is low, she held a gathering of local healthcare and education leaders in 2016. Out of this meeting came a collective effort to provide more dental resources for Buffalo’s Special Needs population. One such event is Give Kids A Smile, a program that Dr. Chin-Kit Wells sees as much more than a free day of dental care. Give Kids A Smile provides education, exposure and desensitization to both the patient and the provider. But more than that, it’s a movement in kindness and inclusivity for the whole community, not just those who volunteer. This year’s 2019 program will be no exception. It will include a slew of events, including one at a school for young children with severe disabilities and a second to honor Special Olympics athletes and Best Buddies Inc./Down Syndrome Parent Group of Western New York (DSPWNY). An interdisciplinary team, made up of medical students and PT/OT specialists, will be on hand to assist pediatric dentists in the delivery of optimal care.
When Dr. Dian is told she’s as dedicated to social work as she is to pediatric dentistry, she’s quick to smile. It’s her mission to help all children, from Western New York to her hometown of Trinidad and Tobago where it all began. Someday, she’d love to host an inclusive international Give Kids A Smile event.
Wayne Lipschitz, DDS, MS
Dr. Lipschitz is an Associate Professor of Clinical Dentistry at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health and is the Director of the University Dental Faculty Group. He earned his dental degree in 1987 at the University of Stellenbosch school of Medicine and Dentistry in Cape Town, South Africa, and then completed a 2 year residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry at EIOH. He exchanged the sandy beaches of Cape Town for the snowy trails of Rochester, and joined the University as a full time faculty member in 1997.
Dr. Lipschitz practices all aspects of General Dentistry and was appointed as the Director of the UDFG in 2005.
He has maintained a special interest in the treatment of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities and has provided treatment to thousands of patients in the operating room at Strong Memorial Hospital over the last 20 years. He received the 2010 Golisano Leadership award for providing exemplary health care services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
Dr. Lipschitz serves as an attending in the General Practice Residency program, with an emphasis on training residents in the treatment of patients with complex medical conditions. He returned to studying in 2016 at the University of Rochester Simon School of Business, where he completed his Masters of Science in Business Administration with honors.
He is married to Jacqui, has children Gabi and Matt, is an avid soccer fan and travels annually to visit family in South Africa.
Rick Rader, MD, FAAIDD, DHL (hon)
Rick Rader, MD is the Director of the Habilitation Center at the Orange Grove Center in Chattanooga where he is responsible for the creation, implementation and evaluation of innovative and novel programs of healthcare delivery systems for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is the Editor in chief of Exceptional Parent Magazine and has published over 300 article in the field.
He is the VP of Public Policy and Advocacy at the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry and serves on the Board of the American Association on Health and Disability. He is a member of the Medical Advisory Committee at Special Olympics International and is the Medical Adviser at the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals. Dr. Rader is a member of the Steering Committee at the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices. He is an adjunct professor of Human Development at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Karen A. Raposa, RDH, MBA
Karen A. Raposa, RDH, MBA is currently Clinical Education Manager with Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company. She has authored articles on a variety of dental subjects and has co-edited a textbook titled "Treating the Dental Patient with a Developmental Disorder". In addition, her work has been published in the Dental Clinics of North America "The Special Care Patient" publication. Karen also has extensive experience in the academic world as a former assistant professor in Boston University's Department of General Dentistry and was awarded the title as one of the "Top 25 Women in Dentistry".
Mark S. Wolff, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Dr. Mark S. Wolff is the Morton Amsterdam Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and a Professor in the Department of Preventative and Restorative Dentistry. Dr. Wolff joined Penn Dental Medicine as the 12th Dean of the School. He is a celebrated teacher, globally engaged scholar, and deeply experienced clinician. Prior to joining Penn Dental Medicine, he was professor and chair of cariology and comprehensive care at the College of Dentistry at New York University (NYU) and also the College’s senior associate dean for development and alumni relations.
Dr. Wolff has completed numerous international research and oral health assessment programs and has been a lifelong advocate and dental provider for individuals with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities of all ages. He has served as the principal or co-principal investigator on multiple benchtop and clinical research projects, investigating dental caries, novel remineralizing agents, dental erosion, periodontal disease, dental materials, and dentinal hypersensitivity. He has published over 100 scientific papers, text chapters, and edited multiple textbooks.
Dr. Wolff lectures worldwide and is a frequent consultant to the industry. He has been the principal or co-investigator on nearly $7.5 million in industrial and National Institute of Health-funded research.
Sara E. Walworth, LMSW
Sara E. Walworth, LMSW is a State University of New York at Buffalo graduate and School Social Worker at Mary Cariola Children’s Center. She has worked with children and families at Mary Cariola Children’s Center for 17 years. Throughout this time, she has advocated and supported children and their families. She has seen firsthand the health disparities for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities. She initiated and created a partnership with Eastman Institute for Oral Health and Mary Cariola Children’s Center where the Smilemobile comes to school to provide oral health care to students from MCCC with complex needs. Ms. Walworth maintains the role as liaison and coordinator for Oral Health at Mary Cariola Children’s Center in addition to her social work position. To meet the needs of all students at Mary Cariola Children’s Center, she has created and began a school-wide oral health program where students work on improving their oral hygiene. Ms. Walworth has mentored several students from local universities and conducted trainings for upcoming social workers and staff.