Hygienists Symposium: Critical Issues In Contemporary Dental Hygiene Practice

Dr. Chia-Yu (Jennifer) Chen received her dental degree (DDS) from Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan and completed her periodontology training and Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) in oral biology from Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

At HSDM, Dr. Chen was selected as a Presidential Scholar and, at graduation, was the recipient of both the James H. Shaw Award for excellence in biomedical research and the Joseph L. Henry Award, which recognizes excellence in research and clinical training from Harvard.

Dr. Chen is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. She maintains a clinical practice limited to periodontology and implantology in the Faculty Group Practice at the Harvard Dental Center.

Dr. Daniel K Coleman is a compassionate and talented dentist specializing in periodontics and implant dentistry. He is an educator and lecturer at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Coleman has been recognized for his outstanding education and clinical capabilities. His passion for dentistry has led him to provide courses on periodontal health and surgical technique for dental professionals all over the world.

Dr. Coleman is a graduate of the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts where he received his Doctorate of Dental Medicine, Post-doctoral Master of Science, Specialty training and Board Certification in Periodontics. During his residency, Dr. Coleman was privileged to serve as Chief Resident.

Dr. Coleman is a faculty member at the Harvard University School of Dental Medicine where he serves as a clinical instructor and lecturer in the Department of Periodontology. Recently, Harvard and the American Academy of Periodontology awarded Dr. Coleman with recognition as its Outstanding Educator of 2019. This award was given in part because Dr. Coleman serves as a speaker nationally and internationally to teach on topics of periodontal health and disease, additionally, he has co-authored a dental textbook entitled, “Non-Surgical Control of Periodontal Diseases” published in 2015 which is used in several dental programs to train new dentists. Among Dr. Coleman’s achievements, he was named one of Incisal Edge Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 dentists nationwide.

Aside from his numerous career achievements, Dr. Coleman dedicates himself to ensuring that his patients have an amazing experience when working with him through his core values of quality, compassion, and integrity.

Mia L. Geisinger, DDS, MS, is a professor and director of Advanced Education in Periodontology in the Department of Periodontology in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. She is a diplomate in the American Board of Periodontology and a fellow in the International Team for Implantology. She has served as the president of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, the chair of the American Dental Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs, and on multiple national and regional organized dentistry committees. She currently serves as an AAP District III Trustee, as a Board member for the ADA’s Science and Research Institute, and on numerous AAP and ADA committees and task forces. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications and lectures nationally and internationally on topics in periodontology and oral health care.

• Master of Arts in Dental Education, University of the Pacific, United States, 2015
• Pathway Program Dental Educator Certificate, University of the Pacific, United States, 2013
• Advanced Graduate Studies in Periodontology Certificate, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, United States, 2000
• Doctor of Dental Medicine, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, United States, 1997
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, United States, 1993
• Bachelor of Science in Biology, Northeastern Univeristy, Boston, United States, 1992

Paul A. Levi, Jr. was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on September 4, 1940 to his parents Edith and Paul. He was raised in Newton Centre, Massachusetts and attended the Newton public schools until the age of 13. He did two years of high school at Rivers Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and his second two years at Hebron Academy in Hebron, Maine. He attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York and graduated in 1962. He joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity in 1962 and was Annotator. He matriculated into Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM), graduating in 1966. For the next year he did a dental internship at the Mary Fletcher Hospital in Burlington, Vermont, and from 1967-1969 he was a dental officer at Great Lakes naval Training Center in North Chicago, Illinois. It was through a Sigma Chi brother that he met Patty J. Nichol, who in 1968 became Mrs. Patty N. Levi. They decided to move to Newton, Massachusetts after his two years in the service and Paul entered TUSDM for two years of specialty training in periodontology under the guidance of Dr. Irving Glickman. Graduating with his Certificate in Periodontology in 1971 they moved to Burlington, Vermont to live and establish a practice in periodontology. Paul was the second periodontist in Vermont and the first to achieve Diplomate status, which he did in 1975. Paul continues to practice in Burlington, Vermont.

Meanwhile he taught in the University of Vermont School of Dental Hygiene for twenty-seven years and began teaching at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) in 1994. In 2003 he began teaching half-time in the Department of Periodontology at TUSDM while continuing to teach part-time at HSDM. In September of 2010 he and Patty moved for a year to Barcelona, Spain, where Paul taught at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. Paul continues to teach part-time in the three schools as well as lecturing and giving workshops in many schools and for many dental organizations throughout the United States and in Europe and Asia.

In 2012, Paul received the Clinician of the Year award from the Massachusetts Dental Society and the Yankee Dental Congress (YDC) for his participation in lectures and workshops for the YDC. Paul retired from his private practice in September, 2019 In 2016, Paul, Natalie Jeong, Daniel Coleman, and Robert Rudy published The Non-Surgical Control of Periodontal Diseases: A comprehensive Handbook, published by Springer of Germany. It is considered the top book in its field presenting the theory and techniques for the non-surgical control of periodontal diseases. In 2018 St. Lawrence awarded an Alumni Certificate for the many students from St. Lawrence who participated in this internship. Paul continues to teach and do research. At this time in his life, dentistry is his hobby and passion and will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future.

Marisa Roncati, RDH, DDS, is a dental hygiene teacher at the Albanian University dental school. She also teaches oral laser applications at the University of Parma and Rome University and oral surgery and pathology at the University of Parma. Dr Roncati is a registered dental hygienist and the author of two books published in English: Get Sharp: Nonsurgical Periodontal Instrument Sharpening (Quintessence, 2011) and Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy: Indications, Limits, and Clinical Protocols with the Adjunctive Use of Diode Laser (Quintessence, 2017).