As part of its continued commitment to improving oral health in the community, the Colgate-Palmolive Company named 24 hygienists to two Oral Health Advisory Boards. The board members will partner with Colgate to inspire better oral health in their patients.
Dental hygienists are critical partners for Colgate because they share Colgate’s commitment to help patients achieve optimal oral health. As such, for the first time Colgate created two advisory boards. The boards are comprised of 24 dental hygienists from a wide range of communities across the United States.
The Spring Board meeting was hosted in May followed by the Summer Board meeting in August, providing the board with the opportunity to share their ideas with Colgate and each other. The board members met with top key opinion leaders and Colgate scientists at Colgate’s Global Research and Technology Center in Piscataway, N.J., where they were provided with an inside look at Colgate’s product research and innovation process.
The Colgate Oral Health Advisory Board, established in 2009, is a critical element in Colgate’s well-established Colgate Oral Health Advisor program (COHA). This complementary, innovative program offers educational benefits exclusively for the dental hygienist. Its most recent enhancement, the COHA Facebook Community, provides COHA members a unique forum for networking with fellow dental hygienists as well as an opportunity to have direct access to Colgate. For more information, please visit www.colgateoralhealthadvisor.com.
The practicing hygienists on the Board were selected based on the recognition submitted by their colleagues, commitment to dental hygiene, and leadership within their profession. Two practicing dental hygiene authors/lecturers complete the board composition.
The Spring Board members are as follows:
- Mary Kay Barrett, RDH, Naperville, IL
- Christi Binder, RDH, Lancaster, PA
- Mary Jones-Bridges, RDH, CDA, Johnston, RI
- Anna Brovender, RDH, BS, Princeton, NJ
- Susan Buchenberger, BSDH, Wake Forest, NC
- Niccole Dellposta, RDH, Clio, MI
- Angela Little, RDH, Concord, NH
- Luz Munera, RDH, Roselle Park, NJ
- Carol Rykiel, RDH, BS, Steamboat Springs, CO
- Heather Steich, RDH, BSDH, San Francisco, CA
- Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, RDH, PhD, Cave Creek, Arizona
- JoAnn R. Gurenlian, RDH, PhD, Haddonfield, New Jersey
The Summer Board members are as follows:
- Susan Afeltra RDH, BS, Aurora, IL
- Theresa Brandon RDH, Booneville, MS
- Nancy Brohawn RDH, BSDH, Newark. DE
- Heidi Halverson RDH, LAP, BS, Missoula, MT
- Janis McClelland RDH, Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Mary Lou Neddermeyer RDH, Bronx, NY
- Sharon Newton RDH, Lancaster, NY
- Rachel Patten RDH, Egg Harbor Twp, NJ
- Brooke Sergent RDH, BS, Jonesborough, TN
- Mary Ellen Simas RDH, BS, Providence, RI
- Francesca Taapken RDH,BS, Lockport, IL
- Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, RDH, PhD, Cave Creek, Arizona
(From left to right) Angela Little, Gavin du Toit, Marie Jones-Bridges, Nicole Dellaposta, Anna Brovender, Carol Rykiel, Susan Buchenberger, Heather Steich, Luz Munera, Christi Binder, JoAnn Gurenlian, Ann Spolarich, Mary Kay Barrett, Yixin Keller, Barbara Shearer
(First row, left to right) Ann Spolarich, Yixin Keller (Colgate), Tess Black, (COHA Host), Mary Lou Neddermeyer, Rachel Patten (second row, left to right) Theresa Brandon, Susan Afeltra, Mary Ellen Simas, Gavin du Toit (Colgate), Janis McClelland, Francesca Taapken, Heidi Halverson, (third row, left to right) Brooke Sergent, Maria Elisa Carvajal (Colgate), Tom Priestman (Colgate), Sharon Newton, Nancy Brohawn
For more information about Colgate-Palmolive's global business, visit the company's web site at www.Colgate.com. To learn about Colgate's global oral health education program, Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, please visit http://www.colgatebsbf.com.
