Moderated by: Mark Wolff, DDS, PhD

Mark Wolff, DDS, PhD, has completed numerous international research and oral health assessment programs and has been a lifelong advocate and dental provider for individuals with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities of all ages. He has served as the principal or co-principal investigator on multiple benchtop and clinical research projects, investigating dental caries, novel remineralizing agents, dental erosion, periodontal disease, dental materials, and dentinal hypersensitivity. He has published over 100 scientific papers, text chapters, and edited multiple textbooks. Dr. Wolff lectures worldwide and is a frequent consultant to the industry. He has been the principal or co-principal investigator on nearly $9 million in industrial and National Institute of Health-funded research.

Melinda Clark, MD, MJ  is an academic pediatrician and Professor of Pediatrics at Albany Medical Center in NY. She authored the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Protecting All Children’s Teeth curriculum and served on the AAP Section on Oral Health and COHA Advisory Committee. She serves as a reviewer, content expert, and consultant for multiple dental and health organizations, including as editor of Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum. Oral health grants, publications, presentations, and curriculum development focus on enhancing primary care service delivery and system redesign to improve access and population health. Dr. Clark received both the AAP Oral Health Service Award and the National Special Achievement Award for her efforts in advancing pediatric oral health. 

Kim Fenesy, DMD, is Vice Dean of Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) with oversight of Academic, Student Affairs, & Institutional Assessment. Her 4-year IPE curriculum formed the scaffolding for Rutger’s health professions schools. She has a national reputation in IPE, was appointed to the IPEC Core Competency Revision Group, resulting in “2023 IPEC Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice”. Her 37 years in dental education was recognized by awards: “Chair of the ADEA Board of Directors Citation for significant contributions to dental education and ADEA,” & in May 2025 the “Outstanding Medical Educator Award,” for “a medical educator who has made an outstanding contribution to medical education in N.J.” and is the first DMD to ever achieve this recognition.

Ira Lamster, DDS, MMSc, research efforts have focused on diagnostic testing and risk assessment for periodontal disease, the interrelationship of periodontal disease and systemic disease, the oral health care needs of older adults and the future of dental education and practice.  

Dr. Lamster is the author of more than 200 manuscripts and book chapters.  He is the editor of “Improving Oral Health for the Elderly,” published by Springer in February 2008, and has edited two volumes of Dental Clinics of North America (January 2011, Contemporary Concepts in the Diagnosis of Oral Dental Disease; October 2012, Primary Health Care in the Dental Office). Most recently, he is the editor of “Diabetes and Oral Health:  An Interprofessional Approach” published by Wiley Blackwell in 2014. From 2015 to 2021 he was the Editor-in-Chief of the International Dental Journal, the scholarly publication of the FDI World Dental Federation. Dr. Lamster is a member of the Santa Fe Group, and was the first Chair of its Coalition for Oral Health Policy.

Emily Sabato, EdD, is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, where she oversees the predoctoral curriculum and partners with Student Affairs to uphold accreditation standards and foster student success. A co-investigator on HRSA-funded initiatives, including the SPICE interprofessional education and FP2P faculty development programs, she has published on social determinants of health, faculty development, and academic outcomes. Her work centers on aligning policy, equity, and data-driven improvement to prepare future health professionals for collaborative, patient-centered care.

Disclosure: These speakers do not have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.