SAID 55th Annual Session.

Matthew Schwab

Keynote Speaker

is a 23-year-old NC native, who has Down syndrome. He graduated from Holly Springs High School in June 2017 with an Occupational Course of Study diploma, and in May 2019 completed an internship-based educational program, at Wake Technical Community. Matthew enjoys speaking to groups, large and small, about a variety of topics. His favorite speaking engagement to date has been his Tedx Talk. 

Gaylene Baker

RDH, BSDH, MBS

received her BSDH from the University of Iowa and MBA from Aurora University. She holds a PHDH certificate for Illinois, has completed multiple OSAP Bootcamps, has received the OSAP-DALE Foundation Dental Infection Prevention Certification, and is a member of ADHA and a Past President of the IDHA. After 27 years of clinical practice, Gaylene left the operatory to help dental facilities with infection control and prevention needs. 

David Itzkoff

DDS

has been the Supervising Dentist at Shapiro Center, a 500-bed residential facility for adults with IDD operated by the State of Illinois in Kankakee for over 30 years.  He is a graduate of NYU School of Dentistry.  He is a senior fellow of National Academies of Practice where he serves as Chair of the Dental Academy and is a Diplomate and immediate past president of the American Board of Special Care Dentistry.  He has been a proud member of SAID for 30 years and hasn’t missed a meeting yet.

James Casadia

LCSW, LCADC

is a Mental Health Therapist at James A. Casadia Counseling, LLC in Philadelphia. He received his Masters of Social Work at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. He's worked as a COD Therapist at the Solstice Wellness Center and a Primary Therapist at the Pinelands Recovery Center of Medford.

Aous A. Abdulmajeed

B.D.S, Ph.D

is the Director of Biomaterials and Assistant Professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), School of Dentistry. He received his BDS degree with Honor from the University of Mosul, Iraq in 2007. Dr. Abdulmajeed then went on to earn his PhD (2013) in Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomaterials Science, his post-doctoral fellowship (2015) and AEGD residency (2020). He is a member of the Finnish Dental Association and International Association of Dental Research (IADR). He has over 60 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts in prosthodontics, implant dentistry,
and dental biomaterials.

Dr. Kimberly Ward

B.D.S, Ph.D

is a Social Clinical Research Assistant at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina. The Cecil G. Sheps Center seeks to improve the health of individuals, families & populations by understanding the problems, issues & alternatives in the design & delivery of health care services. Dr. Ward is the Associate Director of Collaborative Studies of Long Term Care and Project Coordinator for Program on Aging, Disability & Long Term Care.

Zhao Lin

B.D.S., M.S., M.M.Sc., Ph.D 

is an Assoc. Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2001, he earned his B.D.S. from Peking University where he also achieved an M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He received a Ph.D. in Oral Health Sciences from the University of Michigan; and an M.M.Sc and Certificate in Periodontology from Harvard University. In his research work, Dr. Lin is focused on novel strategies for periodontal and peri-implant tissue engineering. He and his team explore the potential of extracellular vesicle therapy in the regeneration of soft and hard tissues  around teeth and dental implants; as well as other tissue engineering approaches. Dr. Lin has numerous publications on related research topics.

Shirley Spater

DMD, MPH

received her DMD degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University College of Dental Medicine & her Masters of Public Health from the University of North Carolina. For almost 20 years, Dr. Spater was the Director of the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center, Division of Dentistry & Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Rhode Island Hospital.  While there, she treated & managed the treatment of many patients with special needs. Dr. Spater is currently the Clinical Director of Benefits Management at Skygen USA, & has the knowledge & expertise to provide insights into the changing features of health insurance with the objective of improving the care available to special needs patients.

Mannie Levi

DDS

received both his DDS degree and his Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from Columbia University in NYC. In his career, he has worked in the fields of both Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health. In his private pediatric dental practice, he saw many patients with special needs. Dr. Levi currently teaches in the Pediatric Dental Residency at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, and teaches General and Oral Pathology and Local Anesthesia to Dental Hygiene students.

Douglas Veasey

DDS

is a dentist at the Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center in North Carolina. Dr. Veazey was the Dental