# PDAProud of Our Impact at the National Level
We are also proud of the contributions of two PDA members who are serving as national media spokespersons .
PDA ’ s very own Dr . Seth Walbridge is now the chair of ADA ’ s New Dentist Committee ( NDC ) for the 2021-22 term , and he has been installed in that position at a time where the role has been expanded . Thanks to a resolution passed by the 2021 ADA House of Delegates at the recent SmileCon in Las Vegas , the NDC chair is now a full member of the ADA Board of Trustees .
NDC chairs have participated in ADA Board meetings since 2015 as guests , but now the NDC chair will have full voting privileges and receive access to all board materials and sessions .
“ New dentists can offer new perspectives that established dentists don ’ t always consider ,” Dr . Walbridge told ADA News in an Oct . 29 article . “ For instance , many new dentists aren ’ t practice owners . They are more likely to work as associates or at dental support organizations . They may also better relate to issues such as student loan debt . It ’ s important to have that voice represented .”
Dr . Thomas Sollecito and Dr . Roopali Kulkarni have been reappointed as ADA spokespersons . Dr . Sollecito has been involved as a spokesperson since 2017 , while Dr . Kulkarni is entering her second year in this role .
An educator for nearly 30 years , Dr . Sollecito is chair of the Department of Oral Medicine and Professor of Oral Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine . He has spent his career helping to educate and mold the next generation of dental leaders and was the 2018 PDA Recognition Award recipient for his research in areas including TMD , oral mucosal diseases , head and neck tumors & cancer , and HIV dental treatment .
Dr . Kulkarni is an Instructor of Oral Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Attending at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania . She has been actively involved in organized dentistry throughout dental school and beyond , most notably serving as the 2018-2019 American Student Dental Association President . She currently serves on the Philadelphia County Dental Society Board of Governors and PDA New Dentist Committee .
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 25