Dr. Charles J. Incalcaterra
PDA Congress — surprising results!
The PDA Congress was held on Saturday, October 26 in Camp
Hill. The program opened with the unveiling of our new PDA
Strategic Plan by Autumn Wolfer, our ADA Manager for Dental
Society Outreach. Aided by Autumn, our key committees met
to discuss their three-year goals. Membership, New Dentists,
Dental Benefits, Access to Oral Health and Government
Relations work groups spent the morning crafting their goals,
guided by the Strategic Plan, and they reported their progress
in the afternoon session. My thanks to everyone who spent the
time providing guidance to the future leaders of our PDA.
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JA NUA RY/F E B R UA RY 2020 | P EN N S YLVA N IA D EN TA L J O U R N A L
The highlight of the day was a presentation on the pros and
cons of Dental Therapists (DTs). We held a panel discussion by
various leaders in our organizations. Guest panelist Dr. Kevin
Dens, former President of the Minnesota Dental Association and
their current Speaker of the House, was on the “pro” side, along
with Dr. Jim Mancini, Dental Clinic Director for the Salvation
Army. Dr. Mancini works in multiple dental clinics providing
dental care to underserved citizens of our Commonwealth.
On the “con” side were Dr. Bernie Dishler, former PDA President
and past Chair of the PA Coalition of Oral Health, along with
third-year Penn Dental Student, Dr. Craig McKenzie who is the
national President of the American Student Dental Association.