Reprinted with permission from Incisal Edge
Our profession has made it through what appears (we hope) to be the worst of the pandemic with aplomb. Incisal Edge’s fifth annual ranking of dentistry’s top players—scientists, practitioners, researchers and even a celebrity or two for good measure—aims to tell the tale of how far the industry has come in the last 18 months, and where it goes from here.
#1 THE ALIGNMENT EMPEROR
JOSEPH HOGAN
CEO, President, and Director, Align Technology
San Jose, California
Last year: 2
#2 THE GLOBAL IMPLANT KING
GUILLAUME DANIELLOT
CEO, Straumann
Basel, Switzerland
Last year: 25
#3 THE NIDCR’S NEW BOSS
RENA D’SOUZA
Director, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Washington, D.C.
NEW
#4 THE SELF-STARTER | THE ENTREPRENEURIAL DENTIST
Business-Minded, Newly Energized
Everytown, USA
Last year: 10
#5 THE TOP DOC AT WALMART
CHERYL PEGUS
Executive Vice President of Health & Wellness, Walmart
Portland, Oregon
NEW
#6 MARRIAGE COUNSELOR
DON CASEY
CEO, Dentsply Sirona
Dublin, Ohio
Last year: 6
#7 THE ADA’S A-TEAM
MICHAEL GRAHAM
Senior Vice President, Government and Public Affairs, the American Dental Association
Washington, D.C.
Last year: 9
MARKO VUJICIC
Chief Economist and Vice President, ADA Health Policy Institute
Chicago, Illinois
Last year: 9
#8 THE MODERN MEDIA MOGUL
ANTHONY BAROUD
Influencer
Chicago, Illinois
NEW
#9 THE P&G LIFER
KELLY HEAPS
Vice President, Professional Oral Health, Procter & Gamble
Cincinnati, Ohio
NEW
#10 THE MULTIMEDIA MULTIHYPHENATE
BILL DORFMAN
Influencer, Television Personality
Los Angeles, California
NEW
#11 SSC’S NEW VANGUARD
WAEL GARINE
Founder, Garine Prosthodontics
West Palm Beach, Florida
NEW
PARAG KACHALIA
Cofounder, Innovative Dental Concepts
San Ramon, California
NEW
AMANDA SEAY
Founder, Dr. Amanda Seay Dentistry
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
NEW
THE SEATTLE STUDY CLUB, founded by Dr Michael Cohen nearly 30 years ago, has long been the preeminent continuing-education organization for dentists. Rather than focusing on standard lectern-and-auditorium-style teaching, Dr Cohen instead created a club in which dentists come together in small groups to interact and learn from one another, and listen to presentations by globally renowned clinical speakers. SSC has grown tomore than 7,400 members in some 260 clubs worldwide.
During last year’s winter symposium, held virtually for the first time and featuring an array of dental talent from around the globe, Dr Cohen transitioned the club’s clinical leadership to Drs Wael Garine, Parag Kachalia and Amanda Seay. “Bringing more leaders in will strengthen the Study Club network, and that fuels our growth,” Dr Cohen says. Dr Garine will serve as the primary contact for all SSC directors and be in charge of increasing membership by bringing new clubs into the network. Dr Kachalia will be involved in content development for educational resources and events, and Dr Seay will take over as SSC’s director for outreach and engagement, focusing on developing and implementing plans to build the club’s relationships with dentists worldwide. (To that end, the trio will also work to help
SSC expand internationally.)
“With Amanda, Parag and Wael joining me in the leadership of SSC, our members can look forward to expanded educational offerings, new events and a renewed commitment to the growth of our global membership,” Dr Cohen said when he appointed them. It’s a big job—doctors of all stripes are surely craving personal interaction after a year on the pandemic sidelines, and this talented triumvirate will work to take Dr Cohen’s beloved brainchild to the next step in its multi-decade development. May dentists everywhere be the beneficiaries.
#12 THE ENVISTA VISIONARY
AMIR AGHDAEI
CEO, Envista Holdings
Brea, California
Last year: 15
#13 THE SWISS MASTER
DIEGO GABATHULER
CEO, Ivoclar Vivadent
Schaan, Liechtenstein
Last year: Honorable Mention
#14 THE MAN WITH THE (INSURANCE) PLAN
JAMES “WELLS” HUTCHISON
President and CEO, Delta Dental Plans Association
Oak Brook, Illinois
NEW
#15 THE KEY EDUCATION AND OPINION LEADERS
GORDON CHRISTENSEN
Founder and CEO, Practical Clinical Courses
Provo, Utah
Last year: 16 (tie)
JOHN KOIS
Founder and Director, the Kois Center
Seattle, Washington
Last year: 16 (tie)
FRANK SPEAR
Founder and Director, Spear Education
Phoenix, Arizona; Seattle, Washington
Last year: 14
#16 THE DSO OLD-PRO TRIO
RICK WORKMAN
Founder and Executive Chairman, Heartland Dental
Effingham, Illinois
Last year: 12
ROBERT FONTANA
CEO, Aspen Dental
East Syracuse, New York
Last year: 12
STEVE THORNE
Founder and CEO, Pacific Dental Services
Irvine, California
Last year: 12
#17 THE MAN IN THE FOXHOLE
CASEY HANNAN
Director, Division of Oral Health, the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Atlanta, Georgia
Last year: 3
#18 THE SMILE DIRECTOR
DAVID KATZMAN
CEO, Smile Direct Club
Nashville, Tennessee
NEW
#19 THE GLIDEWELL AIDE-DE-CAMP
GREG MINZENMAYER
Chief Operating Officer, Glidewell Laboratories
Newport Beach, California
Last year: 23
#20 THE SCHEIN STANDOUT
JONATHAN KOCH
Senior Vice President and CEO, Global Dental Group, Henry Schein
Melville, New York
Last year: One to Watch
#21 THE ACCESS FACILITATOR
DENISE TERESE-KOCH
Dean, Lincoln Memorial Dental School
Knoxville, Tennessee
NEW
#22 THE ORIGINAL DENTAL MEDIA MOGUL
HOWARD FARRAN
Founder, Dentaltown.com, Dentaltown magazine
Phoenix, Arizona
Last year: 8
#23 THE MARKET OBSERVER
JEFF JOHNSON
Senior Research Analyst, Medical Technology, Robert W. Baird & Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Last year: 28
#24 THE “NATION’S DOCTOR”
VIVEK MURTHY
Surgeon General of the United States
Washington, D.C.
NEW
#25 THE CLINICIAN AND CRITIC
SABIHA BUNEK
CEO and Editor in Chief, Dental Advisor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
NEW
#26 THE PATTERSON REJUVENATOR
ERIC SHIRLEY
President, Patterson Dental
St. Paul, Minnesota
NEW
#27 THE FINANCIAL LIFELINE
BETE JOHNSON
Vice President and General Manager of Dentistry, CareCredit
Costa Mesa, California
NEW
#28 THE DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER DISRUPTER
SIMON ENEVER
Founder and CEO, Quip
New York, New York
NEW
#29 THE LAB WHISPERER
ANTON WOOLF
CEO, Argen
San Diego, California
Last year: 27
#30 THE SAFETY GURU
MICHELLE LEE
Executive Director, Organization for Safety Asepsis and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia
Last year: 19
#31 THE SAVVY MILLENNIALS
KENDALL JENNER
Cofounder, Moon Oral Care; Co-Developer, the Kendall Jenner Teeth Whitening Pen
Calabasas, California
NEW
SHAUN NEFF
Cofounder, Moon Oral Care; Co-Developer, the Kendall Jenner Teeth Whitening Pen
Los Angeles, California
NEW
#32 THE LEADER OF LABS
TOM DAULTON
CEO, National Dentex Labs
Cincinnati, Ohio; St. Petersburg, Florida
NEW
