ATTENDEES CONNECT WITH FRIENDS, LEARN AT CE AND EXCEL WITH TECHNOLOGY AT 2022 ODA ANNUAL SESSION
The ODA Subcouncil on Diversity and Inclusion hosted a new event at ODA Annual Session this year, Cuisine + Colleagues From Around The World, where attendees could experience food and beverages from different regions around the world throughout the Exhibit Hall.
The 2022 ODA Annual Session featured 64 CE courses presented by local and national experts, 152 vendors in an expansive Exhibit Hall, special events and thousands of dental professionals.
“Annual Session is a tremendous benefit of ODA membership,” said Dr. Laura Martin Miller, a general dentist in Kent. “I know I can count on quality CE every year. Annual Session provides the House of Delegates to ensure a positive future for our profession. I especially always enjoy catching up with classmates and colleagues at the social events. Members get discounted rates. The ODA also helps new dentists by providing further discounts on CE and they offer fun events each day throughout the weekend!”
More than 2,700 dental professionals registered for the 2022 ODA Annual Session, including 850 dentists.
“I loved meeting and learning with new dentists as well as spending time with my co-workers outside of the office,” said Dr. Paige Durkin, a general dentist in Martins Ferry. “In addition, it was awesome watching my boss, Dr. John Kramer win a well-deserved award!”
ODA Annual Session featured many hands-on workshops, team building courses, front office courses and more.
“I feel the ODA always provides quality and clinically useful CE that I can implement at our practice,” Martin Miller said. “My favorite speaker recently has been Dr. Ashleigh Briody. She offers a phenomenal oral pathology course. If you haven’t taken it – you must!”
Some of the most popular courses this year included:
- “Opioid Use, Misuse, Abuse and Addiction: Appropriate Opioid and Non-Opioid Prescribing” presented by Dr. Harold Crossley.
- “ABC’s of Oral Pathology” presented by Dr. Ashleigh Briody.
- “Working the Life-Work Balance and Living Your Best Life” presented by Dr. Gina Dorfman.
- “Do Dentistry, Not Prison Time: Clinical Records Prevent Criminal Records” presented by Dr. Roy Shelburne.
- “Every Dental Professional’s Toolkit in Successfully interpreting a Patient’s Medical History” presented by Tom Viola, R.Ph, CCP.
“My favorite part of the ODA was the various classes offered and the longer lunch that allowed our staff to eat together,” said Dr. Norm Sommers, a general dentist in Norwalk. “The courses I attended, especially Drs. Dan Ward and Nate Lawson, provided information I am utilizing; real world information that each dentist faces.”
Durkin also said she learned information she’s able to use in her practice.
“As a new dentist, I tried to absorb as much information as possible,” she said. “In the dental compliance course, I learned many resources that the ODA provides to assist owners such as the Regulatory Compliance Manual. In addition, I took an endodontics course and learned a ton about diagnosing and managing dental emergencies.”
Annual Session also featured several social events, including The New Dentist Social, Dinner with the Speakers, Morning Yoga, MATCH @ ODA Annual Session, the Callahan Celebration of Excellence Honoring ODA President Dr. Thomas Kelly, Night at the Columbus Clippers, and The Bash!
“I attended the Night at the Ballpark event,” Durkin said. “It was such a cool atmosphere to have fun and network with new dentists and employees of the ODA!”
Martin Miller also attended several special events.
“I look forward to celebrating with old friends each year and meeting new ones! The ODA does a great job catering to new dentists and I encourage other young dentists to become involved in organized dentistry,” she said.
The Exhibit Hall is rated by ODA Annual Session attendees as one of the top reasons they attend the meeting each year. This year’s Exhibit Hall featured 152 vendors, where attendees could comparison shop with the help of knowledgeable company representatives.
“It was enjoyable to look through the exhibits and see what the latest tech was like,” said Dr. Veeshesh Patel, an Ohio State University Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery resident. “Being a recent graduate, dental technology has changed significantly in just the last five years.”
This year’s Exhibit Hall featured several new events, including Cuisine + Colleagues From Around The World hosted by the ODA Subcouncil on Diversity and Inclusion, Hops & Shops and Dark Roast & Donuts. The Exhibit Hall also featured ODATalks, free one-hour interactive presentations. The Exhibit Hall also featured daily prize drawings.
“There are many aspects I enjoy about the Annual Session every year, but this year I’d have to say my favorite thing was getting lucky and winning the ODA’s dentist Exhibit Hall prize – a Microsoft Surface Pro!” Martin Miller said.
Many attendees said that the ODA Annual Session is a benefit of their membership.
“It is a benefit because it allows a special and unique time in the year where you can meet with old friends, learn about the latest tech, network, share and attain knowledge, and enjoy yourself” Patel said.
Sommers said it’s a benefit because “it’s in state, we’re able to get some CE and it’s a chance for our staff to travel and spend time together.”
Durkin said ODA Annual Session is definitely a benefit of her membership.
“We had access to amazing CE courses, and I got to meet a lot of employees from the ODA that have helped me during the start of my career” she said.
Callahan Celebration of Excellence
In conjunction with the ODA Annual Session, the Callahan Celebration of Excellence took place on Sept. 16. The celebration recognized the 2022 Awards of Excellence winners.
The 2022 Awards of Excellence winners include:
- 2022 Joseph P. Crowley Distinguished Dentist Award – Dr. Thomas Matanzo.
- 2022 Achievement Award – Dr. Ken Brandt and Ms. Marla Morse.
- 2022 Marvin Fisk Humanitarian Award – Dr. Jennifer Kale.
- 2022 N. Wayne Hiatt Rising Star Award – Dr. Natasha Sheridan.
- 2022 Callahan Memorial Award – Dr. Domenick Zero.
For more information about the award winners, visit www.oda.org.
ODA Leadership pins were awarded to Dr. John Kramer and Dr. Denise Hering.
Kramer has a long history of service to the ODA and is known as a dentist who will treat all people regardless of their background, race, disability or ability to pay. He has served on numerous ODA committees and task forces including chair of the ODA Services Corp, chair of the ODA Council on Dental Education and Licensure and chair of the Finance Committee. Kramer received the ODA Humanitarian Award twice, once in 2000 and then again in 2006 as one of the Hurricane Katrina Mobile Dental Unit Volunteers. He has also testified on behalf of the ODA in support of Medicaid reforms at the Ohio Statehouse.
Hering has served as chair of the Dental Education and Licensure Committee and has also served on numerous other ODA committees. She was vice speaker of the ODA House of Delegates from 2013 until 2017 and then served as the first female speaker of the House from 2017 through 2022, all while acting as parliamentarian to the ODA Executive Committee during her speakership time. She has been a role model for others and has worked to encourage younger dentists and people of more diverse backgrounds to become active in the ODA House of Delegates leading by example in a welcoming demeanor.
The ODA Leadership Pin recognizes members who demonstrate leadership in service to the ODA and their peers, a high level of volunteerism within the profession, and a commitment to organized dentistry. The ODA Executive Committee selects a recipient who is a positive influence in growth and development of the ODA – and who is a true role model for future leaders in organized dentistry.
Table Clinics
On Sept. 16, ODA Annual Session attendees had the opportunity to earn up to two hours of free CE by attending Table Clinics. The presentations covered a wide variety of topics, and a panel of judges rated each of them.
This year’s winners are:
- Best of Show – Drs. Travis Pero, Veeshesh Patel and Aktham Adams.
- Auxiliary 1st place (tie) – Sydney Novy and Camryn Werner.
- Auxiliary 1st place (tie) – Natalie Wing, Brooke Shank and Rylie Sines.
- First Place Dental Resident – Dr. Jennifer Lee.
- Second Place Dental Resident – Dr. Mohammed Dameri.
“The Annual Session caused me to have even more enthusiasm for research as my co-residents and I ended up winning the Grand Prize at the Table Clinic, which showed that our research had a beneficial impact on the judges and other attendees,” Patel said. “I enjoyed seeing the latest technologies being offered in the dental space and hearing/sharing everyone’s research projects in the Table Clinics.”
Earn online CE
Registration for the ODA Annual Session includes access to 18 free hours of virtual CE, available until Dec. 31, 2022.
Didn’t register for the in-person event? No problem, you can still register to access the online CE.
Register and access CE at https://www.prereg.net/2022/oda/.
Download CE slips and course handouts
Obtain CE credit verification and download handouts for courses attended at the 2022 ODA Annual Session by visiting https://www.prereg.net/2022/oda/.
To access CE certificates, click the “proceed to CE dashboard” button shown at the top of the screen.
To access course handouts, links are posted on the account summary page, which is the first page shown after you log in.
Save the date
The 2023 ODA Annual Session will be Sept. 21-23, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Watch the ODA Today, www.oda.org and NewsBites for more details.
