Since his installation , Dr . Radack has crisscrossed our state , and others , taking part in a number of events , while also ramping up the planning of the new Annual Session ( PA-147 is scheduled for April 24-25 , 2015 ). The bold change in direction with the new format is right in line with his philosophy and he hopes to expand the number of members who take an active role and attend Pennsylvania ’ s Dental Meeting each year .
This will no longer be strictly a governance meeting dominated by House of Delegates business , reference committees and caucuses . PA 147 will be open to all members .
Dr . Radack has the most active social media presence of any PDA leader , aggressively communicating to the membership via his President ’ s Blog (“ Club 814 ’) on the PDA Social Network as well as tweeting updates from all the events he attends .
He is always excited about new ideas , but at the same time pragmatic about what is realistic . His effective consensus-building should prove to be a valuable asset . And he always brings the passion and energy to whatever he is working on .
“ I ’ ve been known as someone who may be a little more blunt than others . For better or worse I like to take the bull by the horns , and once I have a project I ’ m there to see it through ,” Dr . Radack said . “ I have been known to push a few bodies aside in the process and get a little vocal when it comes to debating issues . But the bottom line is , if you want to do something and you are passionate about doing something then you have to get to the conclusion and complete the task .”
A graduate of Grove City College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine , Dr . Radack has been practicing in Erie for the last 28 years .
Upon entering private practice , it did not take him long to get involved in Erie County Dental Association and the Ninth District Dental Society .
“ Shortly after I came back to Erie , the gentleman I purchased my practice from was a member of the Erie County Dental Association and a former president , and like a lot of people my age , an older member of the society grabbed you and said you ’ re coming to the first meeting and that ’ s what he did , and ever since then I have probably missed half a dozen meetings in 28 years ,” Dr . Radack said . “ One of the things about our local society in Erie County is once you get in , they get you involved quickly .”
Almost immediately he became an officer in Erie County , serving as president in 1992-93 . He then began volunteering on a variety of PDA committees while at the same time becoming Ninth District president in 1995-96 . Dr . Radack served as the Ninth District trustee on the PDA board from 2000-2004 , while also becoming PDA treasurer in 2002 , a position he held for five years . Following that term , he held positions on a number of ADA committees while still remaining active at his local dental society , and eventually serving another term as Erie County president while gearing up on PDA ’ s Governance Task Force in 2012 , taking the lead in a process that has led to the current restructuring and building a new PDA . Dr . Radack has been a member of PDAIS board of directors since 2009 . He is a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy , the International College of Dentists and the American College of Dentists .
While membership tops the agenda , a strong presence in the legislative arena is also important to him .
“ Obviously the intangible benefits we have being a part of organized dentistry , the advocacy we offer at ADA and PDA is huge ,” Dr . Radack said . “ You can ’ t put a dollar figure on it and it serves the whole profession .”
Following up on another highly successful Day on the Hill event June 3 , Dr . Radack is optimistic that PDA will continue the success evident over the last several years in a string of recent victories at the Capitol , with the passage and signing into law of HB 1056 ( now Act 7 ), PDA ’ s volunteer dentistry bill , the recent restoration and continuing of vital Donated Dental Services funding and of course the signing of Act 168 , the non-covered services bill .