Oral Health America elects new members to Board of Directors

CHICAGO, Illinois--Oral Health America has added three new members to its Board of Directors.

The trio are Dr. Foti Panagakos, DMD, PhD, associate director of Clinical Dental Research and Development Division of Colgate-Palmolive; Dr. Leo E. Rouse, DDS, immediate past president of the American Dental Education Association and Dean of Howard College of Dentistry; and Paula Vogel, corporate communications and public relations manager at A-dec.

The board members, along with current board members, assembled at OHA’s new office for orientation and training. The orientation was run by OHA’s incoming Board Chair Margaret Cottrell, president of ProEdge Dental, who will serve as chair in 2013 and 2014. She replaces Dr. Keith Suchy. The new members will serve two-year terms starting in February 2013.

Dr. Foti Panagakos--DMD, PhD, Associate Director of Clinical Dental Research and Development Division of Colgate-Palmolive
Dr. Panagakos joined the Colgate Palmolive Oral Care Clinical Research Department in June 2005 as an associate director, becoming Director of Professional Relations and Scientific Affairs-North America in 2006 and his current role as Director of Clinical Dental Research and Development Division in 2009.

This includes oversight of clinical studies, directing communications and managing relationships with experts and associations globally. Dr. Panagakos received his DMD from UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School and his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 1992. In 1999, he received his Masters in Education from Seton Hall Universit,y and in 2007 he received his Master’s in Business Administration from Lehigh University. He served for 14 years as a faculty member at New Jersey Dental School and maintained a private practice in Westfield and Newark, N.J.

Dr. Leo E. Rouse, DDS, Immediate Past President of the American Dental Education Association and Dean of Howard College of Dentistry
Dr. Rouse holds a DDS degree from the Howard University College of Dentistry and serves as the dean. He is also the Immediate Past President of ADEA, and was the first African-American president. Rouse served as chair of the ADEA Council of Deans and as one of the four ADEA commissioners on the Commission of Dental Accreditation.

In 2009, he was awarded an ADEA Presidential Citation for distinguished service to the association and dedication to the advancement of the dental education community. He also serves on the board of directors for the American Dental Association Foundation and the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools, Inc.

Paula Vogel, Corporate Communications and Public Relations Manager at A-dec
Vogel joined A-dec in 1989 with experience in international project management, accounting, and product management. In her current role, she has headed the publications and technical training departments, led product launches, and represented A-dec on industry advisory boards such as the Journal of the American Dental Association, the Hispanic Dental Association, and the National Dental Association. She received a Bachelor of Arts-Special Studies degree in iternational relations from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Masters in international management degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. She serves as a board member for the Hispanic Dental Association Foundation and the Academy of Dentistry International Foundation.

For more information, visit www.oralhealthamerica.org.

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