2024 Alaska Dental Society Annual Meeting Speakers
Dr. Brian B. Nový
Dr. Nový is the Chief Dental Officer of the Alliance Dental Center, Massachusetts Public Employees Fund with faculty appointments at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Western University. His awards include the Academy of General Dentistry Weclew Award, The ADA Evidence Based Practice Award, The AADR/IADR Gies Award, and the ADA Adult Preventive Care Practice of the Year. He served on the ADA Council of Scientific Affairs from 2010 to 2014, and as President of the CAMBRA coalition. In 2016 he was appointed the Consumer Advocate, United States Food and Drug Administration Dental Products Panel.
Dr. Wynn Okuda
Dr. Okuda practices in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the Past National President (2002-03), Board-Accredited member (1995), Accredited Fellow (2014) of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). In 2017 he was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to the AACD” award for his contribution to cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Okuda is an international speaker for more than 28 years at universities and national conferences and he has authored numerous articles on cosmetic and restorative dentistry topics around the world. Recently, he authored a chapter on “Esthetics in implant Dentistry” in the 4th edition text book of “Dental Implant Prosthetics”.
Dr. Okuda is a Fellow of both the International College of Dentists and International Congress of Oral Implantologists. For over ten years he was the Esthetic Dentistry Expert to the National Dental Advisory Board of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) and the Esthetic Columnist for General Dentistry publication.. Since 2007, Dr. Okuda has been listed in Dentistry Today’s Leaders in CE. In 2007, Contemporary Esthetics presented the coveted “”National Cosmetic Practice of the Year” award to Dr. Okuda.
Dr. Okuda is founder of the Pan Pacific Dental Academy (www.panpacdental.com). Finally, he is the Co-Founder of the Give Back a Smile program, the national charitable foundation of the AACD, which helps survivors of domestic violence throughout the nation to restore their smile and lives. He may be reached at okudacosmeticdentistry.com and on Facebook at @drwynnokuda or Instagram at @drokuda
Tammy Staiger, RDH
Tammy Staiger, Registered Dental Hygienist since 1995, believes making an impact on dental teams will positively affect the overall patient experience and increase treatment acceptance. Her primary goal in patient care is to bring a level of compassion, connection, and communication to each person. She is honored to be a member of the Align Global Faculty, and is the only member to have received the Align Faculty Hygiene Educator of the Year Award. Motivated by her quest for knowledge, Tammy completed courses on Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in 2020. Tammy enjoys sharing her knowledge both clinically with patients and with dental professionals, helping to make the connection between occlusion, airway, and overall health. She has practiced in both private practice and Dental Support Organizations, and consults with offices to help them increase Invisalign case acceptance and integrate digital scanning into everyday dentistry.
Nancy DeWhirst, RDH
Ms. DeWhirst graduated from the University of Southern California, practiced dental hygiene for 20 years, is adjunct dental hygiene faculty at West Coast University and a member of Sigma Phi Alpha. Ms. DeWhirst is consistently listed as one of the nation’s “Leaders in CE”, presents over 80 seminars a year, is featured at major U.S. and Canadian Dental Conferences, and is a member of the California Dental Association Speakers Bureau. She has had many articles published in dental peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to dental textbooks and guidance documents.
JOHN TIEMESSEN, JD – Born and raised in Fairbanks, John Tiemessen has represented dental professionals for more than 30 years. He is counsel for the Alaska Dental Society and has presented continuing education on a variety of risk management topics to multiple medical and dental organizations and facilities for the past three decades. John has a B.S. in Political Science, Magna cum Laude from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor from Willamette University College of Law.