The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), the leading authority on children’s oral health, installed new board officers and trustees during the AAPD 2024 General Assembly meeting on May 26 in Toronto.
Members assuming new appointments include:
Scott D. Smith — PRESIDENT
Dr. Scott D. Smith received his DDS from the University of Michigan in 1986, and his MS in pediatric dentistry in 1988. Upon completion of his graduate and post-graduate studies at the University of Michigan, Dr. Smith and his wife Debbie moved to Denver, Colo., to establish a private practice. He currently has offices in Denver and Centennial, Colo. In addition to private practice, he is an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Instructor at both the University of Colorado and at the University of Michigan, traveling back to Ann Arbor monthly.
Shortly after arriving in Denver, Dr. Smith became involved in the Colorado Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the Metro Denver Dental Society, holding multiple offices with each group. In addition to being a founding member of the Rose Medical Center Cleft Lip and Palate/Craniofacial Anomalies Team, he has contributed to the Bright Futures Program with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In 1996, Dr. Smith was appointed by the Governor of Colorado to the Colorado State Board of Dental Examiners and served as President of the Board from 2000–2004. During his tenure on the State Board, he also served as an examiner for the Central Regional Dental Testing Service.
As a member of AAPD, Dr. Smith has served on multiple councils and committees, including the Council on Clinical Affairs Committee on Adolescent Health and the Council on Continuing Education. Dr. Smith was also the chair of the Annual Session Local Arrangements Committee for AAPD 2001 in Denver. In June of 2017, he completed a three-year term on the AAPD Board of Trustees. In addition to council and committee work, Dr. Smith has participated in the Leadership Institute at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business and both cohorts of the Advanced Leadership Institute at Wharton.
Outside of his involvement in the AAPD, Dr. & Mrs. Smith enjoy an active Colorado lifestyle that includes skiing, cycling, and fly fishing. Additionally, Dr. Smith plays ice hockey in an Adult Hockey League.
Thomas G. Ison — PRESIDENT-ELECT
Dr. Thomas G. Ison is owner of a private practice in Newburgh, Ind. He received his dental degree and certificate in pediatric dentistry from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and Chandler Medical Center in Lexington, Ky., and completed a Fellowship in Pediatric Dentistry at Indiana University School of Dentistry. He previously held appointments as assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and Chief of Dentistry at Norton Children’s Hospital, in Louisville.
He is a Fellow of AAPD and Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. He has served as a consultant to the AAPD Council of Clinical Affairs, and as District III (now Southeastern) Trustee. While Trustee, he was on the Strategic Planning Committee and was liaison to the Council on Dental Benefits as well as the AAPD PAC. He is a past president of the Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry and Kentucky Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Ison has been an examiner for the ABPD Oral Clinical Exam as well as committee member and part leader for the Renewal of Certification Examination. He resides in Evansville, Ind., with his wife, Connie, and daughter, Maggie.
Carlos A. Bertot — VICE PRESIDENT
Dr. Carlos “Charlie” Bertot received his dental degree from the University of Florida, College of Dentistry, and his certificate in pediatric dentistry from the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Medical Center. He became a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry in 1996 and has been involved with organized dentistry since his days in dental school. In addition to his membership and service to multiple dental organizations, Dr. Bertot is a past president of the Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and has served AAPD at the council, committee, and board levels.
A past Parliamentarian for AAPD and current Southeastern District Trustee, he is the managing partner of a busy pediatric dental practice in Maitland, Fla., a suburb of Orlando. Dr. Bertot is a graduate of the AAPD Leadership Institute at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University and the AAPD Advanced Leadership Institute at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Together with his wife of 31 years, he enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and staying fit. Dr. Bertot is most proud of his three children. His son is currently an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery resident.
His oldest daughter is a third-year medical student, and his youngest daughter is a college senior planning for a master’s degree in psychology.
Jacob K. Lee — SECRETARY-TREASURER
Dr. Jacob K. Lee earned his DDS from the University of Toronto. He completed his dental internship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, earned his diploma in pediatric dentistry at the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry, and was conferred Fellowship by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. Dr. Lee is a clinical associate professor at USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry.
With a keen interest in dental materials, Dr. Lee has presented at numerous state, national, and international meetings. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and volunteers as an examiner for the ABPD Oral Clinical Examination. Dr. Lee is a Fellow of AAPD, the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy, as well as a graduate of the AAPD Leadership and Advanced Leadership Institutes.
He has served the AAPD on numerous committees and councils, including as chair of the Graduate Students Research Awards and as coordinator of the academician meetings at the AAPD Annual Session. In addition, he has spearheaded and moderated the AAPD Practice Management Program. Dr. Lee has also served as the president of the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry, as a trustee of the Western Society of Pediatric Dentistry, and as the AAPD Western District Trustee. He is engaged in private practice with his son, a pediatric dentist, in San Clemente and Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif. In addition to sharing a love of pediatric dentistry, they are both accomplished classical violinists and enjoy performing together.
James R. Boynton — PARLIAMENTARIAN
Dr. James Boynton is Clinical Professor, Pediatric Dentistry Division Head, and Director of the Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
Dr. Boynton received his dental degree and specialty training at the University of Michigan and has served on the faculty since 2005. Dr. Boynton is a board-certified pediatric dentist with an active private practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has co-authored more than 40 publications and three (3) book chapters, is the primary investigator on an HRSA-funded project on improving dental student clinical experience with young children, and has given multiple presentations to local, national, and international audiences.
He has served nationally as Academic At-Large Trustee for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, as an item writer/consultant for the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, as a consultant for the Commission on Dental Accreditation, and as a consultant to State agencies and private law.
John Blake — AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP TRUSTEE
Dr. John Blake is the Executive Director and Dental Director of the Children’s Dental Health Clinic (CDHC) in Long Beach, Calif. This non-profit program and teaching facility address the comprehensive dental needs of underserved, special needs, and medically complex patients in their Long Beach and Catalina Island programs. Prior to joining CDHC, Dr. Blake spent his first 12 years in private practice. He is the current president of the California Dental Association (CDA) and has served on the CDA Council on Government Affairs for the past six years while remaining active with oral health-related policy and legislative issues.
Dr. Blake is the president of the Living Hope Clinical Foundation, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and the Pierre Fuchard Academy, and a member of the ADA Council on Government Affairs. Dr. Blake is also a part-time faculty member of the USC School of Dentistry. In addition, he helped start the CARE Dental Program at St. Mary’s Hospital. This grant-funded non-profit program is specific to patients with HIV.
Jennifer L. Cully — ACADEMIC AT-LARGE TRUSTEE
Jennifer L. Cully, DMD, MEd, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University and a full-time faculty member in the Division of Oral Health in the Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health at Children’s National Hospital (CNH) in Washington, D.C. She also serves as the Director of Research for the Division of Oral Health, where she manages the division’s research initiatives and resident-driven projects. Prior to joining the team at CNH, Dr. Cully was a full-time faculty member at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and worked in private practice in New Jersey. She received her DMD from the University of Medicine and Dentistry – New Jersey Dental School in 2007 and her certificate in pediatric dentistry from Children’s National Medical Center in 2009. In 2019, Dr. Cully received her Master of Education from the University of Cincinnati.
She has been a member of several AAPD committees, including serving as chair of both the Early Career Pediatric Dentistry Committee and the Council on Membership and Membership Services. She was also a member of the Council on Clinical Affairs and was recently featured as a speaker on the AAPD’s podcast “little teeth, BIG Smiles.” Dr. Cully is also a member of the AAPD Foundation Grants and Programs Committee, as well as a part leader for the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry Qualifying Exam Sub-Committee and an examiner for the oral clinical exam. Her areas of interest include educational assessments, quality improvement, dental trauma, and behavior guidance, and her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Cully enjoys running, traveling, supporting her favorite sports teams, and finding new restaurants and coffee shops with her husband and puppy.
Vineet Dhar — ABPD DIRECTOR
Prof. Dhar is the Department Chair of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry and the Assistant Dean of Postgraduate and Professional Studies at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in Baltimore. He serves on the Editorial Board and the Councils on Scientific Affairs and Post-doctoral Education of the AAPD. He is also on the Scientific Committee of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry and serves as Chair of the Clinical Excellence Subcommittee of the American Dental Association Council of Scientific Affairs.
He works on incorporating evidence-based dentistry in education and patient care and serves on AAPD, IAPD, and ADA expert panels to create evidence-based clinical recommendations. Dr. Dhar has received multiple awards, including the 2022 AAPD Lewis A. Kay Excellence in Education Award, 2022 AAPD Suzi Seale Coll Evidence-Based Dentistry Service Award, 2018 ADA Evidence-Based Dentistry MidCareer Faculty Award, and 2017 AAPD Jerome B. Miller “For The Kids” Award.
Katherine L. Chin — SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT TRUSTEE
Dr. Chin is the Chair and Clinical Medical Director at the Children’s Hospital Colorado Department of Pediatric Dentistry. She is also a member of the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board and previously served seven years on the Colorado State Dental Board’s Anesthesia Review Committee. She received her dental degree and MS in Oral Biology and Pediatric Dental Certificate at UCLA. Dr. Chin also completed a fellowship at the NIDCR at NIH. She is passionate about caring for underserved populations, participating in multidisciplinary care, and helping students and residents achieve their full potential. She loves spending time relaxing and traveling with her husband and caddying for her three children.
Donald C. Schmitt — WESTERN DISTRICT TRUSTEE
Dr. Don Schmitt has been in private practice in Danville and Concord, Calif., for over 20 years, in the same practice his father originally started almost 70 years ago. Dr. Schmitt received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and DDS degree from the University of the Pacific Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry. He completed a residency in pediatric dentistry at the University of Southern California. Dr. Schmitt currently is on the faculty of the University of the Pacific teaching in the predoctoral clinic.
Involved in organized dentistry starting in dental school, Dr. Schmitt has served on the Board of the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry in various positions since 2011 and is now President. Previously, he was President of the CSPD Foundation. Dr. Schmitt is a member of Cohort VII of the AAPD Leadership Institute at Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University and the Annual Session Scientific Program Committee. Outside dentistry, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two adult sons, traveling, and playing golf.
These appointees will join current members of the AAPD Board of Trustees for the 2024-2025 term, including:
- Hakan Koymen, Northeastern District Trustee
- Ann Bynum, Southeastern District Trustee
- Colleen Collins Greene, Northcentral District Trustee
- Gila C. Dorostkar, At-Large/International Membership Trustee
- Anthea Drew Mazzawi, At-Large/Federal Services Trustee
- Heber Simmons, Jr., Special Consultant to the Board of Trustees
- Warren A. Brill, Congressional Liaison
- Jade Miller, Congressional Liaison
- Noel K. Childers, Editor-in-Chief
For more information on the mission and leaders of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, visit www.aapd.org.
About the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) is the recognized authority on children’s oral health. As advocates for children’s oral health, the AAPD promotes evidence-based policies, best practices, and clinical guidelines; educates and informs policymakers, parents, and guardians, as well as other healthcare professionals; fosters research; and provides continuing professional education for pediatric dentists and general dentists who treat children.
Founded in 1947, the AAPD is a not-for-profit professional membership association representing the specialty of pediatric dentistry. Its 11,000 members provide primary care and comprehensive dental specialty treatments for infants, children, adolescents, and individuals with special healthcare needs.
For further information, please visit the AAPD website at www.aapd.org or the AAPD’s consumer website at www.mychildrensteeth.org.
