Board of Directors
Three corporate leaders--Tom Engels (3M ESPE), Gary Kunkle (Dentsply) and Dan Even (Sybron)--are slated to join TNCDF's Board of Directors in August and will serve with founding directors Chairman Cherilyn Sheets, DDS; Joseph Greenberg, DMD; Robert Hayman; Fred Joyal; and Michael Miller, DDS.
Scientific Adviosry Board
This group of 16 nationally recognized thought leaders provides the experience and expertise necessary to guide TNCDF's service delivery and outomes research program. Kathy Roth, DDS, ADA President Elect, and Joan Gluch, RDH, PhD, from ADHA, have recently joined this distinguished group of professionals. Still to be added are pediatricians and representatives from other relevant disciplines.
Corporate Funding Partners
TNCDF is grateful to Kerr/Sybron's lead gift of $1 million, early leadership gifts from Discus Dental, 3M ESPE, Biolase, Ultradent, Delta Dental, and multiyear commitments from Dentsply, 1800 Dentist, Reality, Axis, Zenith, DaVinci and others.
Million Smiles Club
Thank you to James Cowherd, Pete Dawson, DDS; Chester Douglass, DMD; Ronald Goldstein, DDS; Joseph Greenberg, DMD; P.D. Miller, DDS; Buddy Mopper, DDS; Ross Nash, DDS; Steve Sadowski, DDS; Brian Kucey, DDS; Cherilyn Sheets, DDS; Lori Trost, DMD; and Donald Trump who have committed personal leadership gifts of $10,000. The goal is to identify 100 philanthropic individuals to raise $1 million to provide OH educational materials and technical support for 20 facilities.
Media Partners
A special thank you to media partners Advanstar, Aegis Communications, Ascend Media, Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, Dental Town, Dentistry Today, Montage and PennWell.
TNCDF has already begun delivering financial and product support to community centers and the design and development of the National Learning Institute is under way.
Network Affiliate Centers
Responding to numerous calls from facilities throughout North America requesting information and support, TNCDF has begun to meet with community leaders to provide materials and technical support to increase access to and quality of oral health programs for underserved children.
The National Learning Institute
This TNCDF Web-based program will serve as a primary resource for the development of real world practical solutions to the challenges of increasing underserved children's direct access to quality oral health programs and services across the country. Using the collective experiences of The Children's Dental Center of Greater Los Angeles, Kids Smiles of Philadelphia, and Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County, and the members of the Scientific Advisory Board, the Institute will be a vehicle for effecting this transformation.
In preparation for this launch of the Institute, two publications are in development and scheduled for release this fall. The companion documents, Beginning with the Future, Part I: New Models for the Delivery of Children's Oral Health, and Beginning with the Future, Part II: A Guide for Communities to Enhance Children's Oral Health, represent the Foundation's commitment to share its expertise and to work collaboratively with individuals and organizations interested in enhancing care to underserved children in their communities.
Outcomes Research
TNCDF's network of pediatric OH facilities will be a valuable resource for the collection of data to validate, modify, and/or develop the most efficacious pediatric oral health-care solutions.
Everyone involved with the establishment of TNCDF recognizes and appreciates the tremendous efforts of so many individuals and organizations to address the national pediatric oral health crisis. Yet with pediatric dental disease remaining the No. 1 childhoold illness in America, there was an obvious need for this independent, mission-driven organization focused on direct delivery of comprehensive community-based care for underserved children, with an emphasis on education and prevention.
Collaborations and Cooperation
Everyone benefits from productive collaborations. TNCDF is rapidly establishing collaborative relationships with nearly all of the relevant major dental organizations as part of its commitment to deliver access to critical comprehensive oral heal care for dentally underserved children.
Organizations with whom TNCDF is currently defining collaborative relationships include ADA--Give Kids a Smile, Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Hygienist Association, American Association of Public Health Dentistry, Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, Children's Dental Health Project, National Dental Museum, National Health Museum, Hispanic Dental Association, National Dental Association, National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped, California Dental Association, California Society of Pediatric Dentists, Pacific Coast Society of Prosthdontics.
TNCDF to be headquartered in Charlotte, NC
Within the next several months, TNCDF will be establishing its base of operations in Charlotte, N.C., one of the most rapidly growing cities in America and the second biggest banking center in the US.
