Maria Emanuel Ryan, DDS, PhD, is Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at the Colgate-Palmolive Company where she provides oversight and leadership to dental and dermal clinical organizations, knowledge management, scientific communications and the biosolutions team. Dr. Ryan previously served as professor and chair of the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology at Stony Brook University where she was actively involved in teaching, clinical practice and research. She is the Past President of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR). Dr. Ryan has received numerous awards including NIH National Research Service Awards and a Physician Scientist Award and is a nationally and internationally known speaker and author who has appeared on multiple media outlets to discuss the role of the dental professional in the provision of optimal overall health care.