Our Featured Speakers
Dr. Sean Aiken
Dr. Sean Aiken is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but now calls Louisville home. He was an NCAA Division 1 athlete and team captain at the College of William & Mary in Virginia where he lettered for four years in baseball. He obtained a Master’s Degree from Louisville’s Medical School in Physiology and Biophysics before continuing on to Louisville’s Dental School where he earned an additional Master’s Degree in Oral Biology and his DMD. Dr. Aiken earned the Community Outreach Scholarship and James C. Moore Scholarship for his academics and passion for community service while in school. He currently serves as the District 6 representative to the New Dentist Committee of the ADA. When not at the office, he enjoys working on house projects, spending time with his wife, Dr. Taylor Hodge, and their English Shepherd, Tucker.
Dr. Will Allen
Dr. Will Allen is a private practicing Oral Surgeon based in Louisville, KY. He attended the University of Kentucky for undergrad and dental school. He entered Oral Surgery training in Manhattan, New York at Beth Israel and Jacobi Medical Centers where his training was heavily weighted in trauma, pathology and orthognathic surgery. Following residency, he spent one year as a fellow at Baylor University in Dallas, TX studying orthognathic surgery and joint replacement. Dr. Allen’s current focus is office based oral surgery with an emphasis on esthetic and complicated implant reconstruction.
Dr. Celin Arce
Dr. Celin Arce DDS, MS, FACP, a board-certified prosthodontist, received his dental degree from University Latina of Costa Rica. He completed a residency in advanced prosthodontics at the University of Alabama (UAB) at Birmingham and a master of science in clinical dentistry. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and a Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists. Dr. Arce is currently Assistant Professor of the Restorative Sciences Department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. His practice is limited to esthetics and implants.
Dr. Garth Bobrowski
Dr. Garth Bobrowski currently serves as Chairman of the KDA Council on Governmental Affairs and Chairman of the KDA Medicaid Dental Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). He is a Past President of the KDA and has served on many dental-related committees and boards. He is author of OPIOIDS IN TODAY’S WORLD, which was created as a guide for KDA dentists who treat patients with substance abuse disorders. Dr. Bobrowski also serves on the Green County Health Board and is a community and religious leader in Greensburg, KY.
Patty Bonasso Byrd
Patty Bonasso Byrd, RDH, BS is currently director of Infection Control at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. In dental hygiene since 1978, Patty is a graduate of the University of Louisville Dental Hygiene Program. She received her BS in Occupational Training and Development in 2002. She is an active member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association as well as past president of KDHA.
Having an accomplished background in several dental hygiene arenas, such as clinician, national speaker, corporate educator, faculty, sales, and author, she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her courses.
With the emergence of COVID-19, Patty was a key part of the team that figured out how to keep emergency dental operations open at ULSD throughout the pandemic. Associate Professor Sharon Cooper Carpenter, DH ’75, BDS ’79, MSEd, MS, PhD says that “Patty has worked tirelessly throughout the COVID pandemic to assure that patients, students, faculty and staff remain safe and healthy in our work environment. She has maintained a laser focus on all updates and changes that would be applicable to the practice of dentistry in a teaching institution.”
Dr. Jerry Caudill
Jerry W. Caudill, DMD, FAGD, MAGD, CDC, CTCP, FPFA, FICD, FACD is the national Vice President of Dental Services and Kentucky State Dental Director for Avesis, a Third-Party Administrator (TPA) for Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial dental plans in multiple states. He is an experienced Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial dental insurance executive with a demonstrated history of working in the health and wellness industry. He is a nationally recognized speaker on Medicaid dental administration including presenting at the national Medicaid Medicare CHIP State Dental Association (MSDA) in Washington DC. Avesis is currently administering approximately one million combined lives in Kentucky Medicaid for WellCare of Kentucky, Aetna Better Health of Kentucky, and Humana Healthy Horizons and millions of lives, nationwide. Dr. Caudill is an AADC Certified Dental Consultant (CDC). Certified consultants possess the clinical background to render consistent opinions on government and commercial emerging dental trends, utilization review, dental plan coverage, network management, claims policy and standards of care. In addition, Dr. Caudill is a CDCA-WREB-CITA Board Examiner helping to administer the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) board examination recognized in 47 states and territories.
When in clinical practice in Kentucky, Dr. Caudill was licensed by the KY Board of Dentistry in both General Anesthesia and Conscious Sedation and attended continuing education in treating IDD children at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Caudill had hospital privileges at several hospitals including University of Kentucky Medical Center and St. Claire Medical Center in Morehead. With this background, Dr. Caudill was able to treat patients with Intellectual/Development Disability (IDD) previously designated as “Patients with Special Healthcare Needs (SHCN)” in the private office setting as well as in local hospitals, instead of having to refer everyone to UK or UL dental schools.
Dr. Caudill has practiced in Dubai UAE, Kuwait, private and group practice in multiple states, was the National Director of a 120-office group practice and was the president of the NC Academy of General Dentistry with one thousand members. He has walked in the shoes of many of you having treated Medicaid patients in Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, College of Dentistry.
Dr. Keegan Chandler
Dr. Keegan Chandler was born and raised in Louisville. Dr. Chandler graduated from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 2018. After dental school, Dr. Chandler practiced with Aspen Dental before moving back to Louisville in July of 2020. In July of 2023, Dr. Chandler and his business partner Dr. Jury opened Oldham County Dental in Crestwood, KY. Oldham County Dental merged three private practices in Oldham County.
Outside of the office, Dr. Chandler enjoys staying active, traveling and spending time with his family. Dr. Chandler and his wife, Natasha, happily welcomed their first child, Beckham, in March 2023.
Dr. Jyme Charette
Dr. Jyme Charette, DMD, MSD Prosthodontist, Owner, Charette Prosthodontics and Implant Dentistry.
Dr. Charette was born and raised in Gillette, Wyoming. He moved to Louisville for dental school and has called Kentucky home ever since. He attended the University of Louisville School of Dentistry for his DMD degree, his certificate in Prosthodontics, and his MSD in the Art of Dental Science.
After receiving his Certificate in Prosthodontics, Dr. Charette went on to become board certified with the American Board of Prosthodontics in fixed, removable and implant prosthodontics.
In addition to private practice, Dr. Charette loves to teach. His passion for education has led to his establishment of Charette Dental Education which provides continuing education to Dentists and Hygienists on a national level. Courses offered range from simple focused topics to comprehensive two-day courses on diagnosis, treatment planning and full arch dental implant therapies.
Dr. Charette currently holds authorship on articles in the Journal of Prosthodontic Dentistry, the European Journal of Dental Education and Quintessence. He, along with others, developed the International Team for Implantology’s treatment guide protocol for an all-digital workflow associated with the immediate loading of full arch implant restorations.
As a dental educator, Dr. Charette is committed to strengthening the sense of community amongst dental practitioners, particularly between the specialty and general dental arenas. He aspires to be a resource and support system for both clinical and laboratory personnel. Dr. Charette has a genuine interest in helping others provide quality care to their patients and encourages correspondence from those who seek a friendly prosthodontic resource.
Outside of work, he seeks out as much time as possible with his wife and energetic daughter. His other passions in life include playing his guitar, hiking, wakeboarding, kickboxing, Brazilian Ju-Jitsu and other forms of high intensity interval exercise training.
Elijah Desmond
Elijah Desmond, founder of The Dental Festival and Smiles at Sea, and Dental Pitch Brokerage began his career at age 15 as a motivational speaker and still speaks for kids, internationally. Elijah is now known as Dentistry’s Celebrity DJ and dentistry’s Motivational Auctioneer. He enjoys bringing the fun and energy to all dental conventions, including his own! He was on Tour in 2022 for 7 months on his Tour bus called “MOTO- VATION” to major dental conferences all over the country and now he is back on tour on a private jet for 2024, performing and uplifting events.
You may know him for his businesses, Smiles at Sea, international educational conferences on cruise ships where he focuses on two main areas FUN and Education or his latest Endeavor, The Dental Festival where he brings the top dental influencers of our industry together at one time! Join him and travel the world, one destination at a time!
Dr. Olivia Estes
Dr. Olivia Estes is a general dentist in Walton, Kentucky. She completed her undergraduate education in biology and chemistry at Western Kentucky University and her Doctorate in Dentistry at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. She believes in furthering and expanding knowledge within the dental field. She is an active member of the American Dental Association and Kentucky Dental Association. On a local level, Dr. Estes is serving as the President for the Northern Kentucky Dental Society.
Dentistry runs in Dr. Estes’ family! Her dad and sister are both general dentists in her hometown of Cynthiana, KY. Her husband, Dr. Ryan Estes, is a periodontist and owner of Southern Roots Periodontics in Florence and Highland Heights, KY. They welcomed their son, Judge Ryan “J.R.”, in August 2022. Outside of the office, Dr. Olivia enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with friends and family and cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats!
Dr. Katie Flynn
Dr. Katie Flynn is a soon to be second year Periodontal resident at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology and later obtained her master’s degree in medical sciences. After that, she went on to pursue her Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2023. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, yoga and hanging out with her husband and two dogs.
Dr. Monali Haldankar
Dr. Monali Haldankar is originally from Louisville, KY. She received her undergraduate degrees as well as her dental degree from the University of Louisville followed by a one-year advanced education in general dentistry certification through NYU Langone Hospitals. She continued on to practice in Denver, CO before moving back home to Louisville, KY where she owns her own private practice.
Dr. Bryan Harris
Dr. Bryan Harris is a private practicing prosthodontist who maintains a practice of implant and esthetic restorative dentistry with a focus in digital therapies. Bryan started in Dentistry as a fixed crown and bridge technician. His interest in Dentistry grew and led him to pursue his DMD degree at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry (ULSD) where he graduated in 2004. He immediately pursued his Prosthodontic residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) where he focused on implant dentistry. While in residency he also earned his CDT credential in Crown and Bridge. Upon graduation in 2007 Dr. Harris returned to ULSD as an Associate Professor in Oral Health and Rehabilitation. In 2011 he helped establish the ULSD’s Advanced Education in Prosthodontics Program. In 2018, Dr. Harris left education and now maintains a full-time practice limited to implant, fixed and removable Prosthodontics. He is the author or co-author of 22 professional publications and has lectured before national and international audiences at the American Academy of Osseointegration, the Academy of Gnathology, and the ITI Symposium.
Kay Huff
Over 30 years ago, Kay Huff began helping teams as a Dental Practice Coach, and she has proudly been the driving force for hundreds of practices to reach and exceed their professional goals. Kay is passionate about her work and carries a strong background in dental business systems, team motivation, leadership, and practice profitability.
Tija Hunter
Tija Hunter, CDA, EFDA, CDIA, CDSO, MADAA, began her dental assisting career in 1981 and has never looked back. Being named one of the “Top 25 Women in Dentistry” in 2015 by Dental Products Report was one of the highlights of her career. She is a former vice president of the American Dental Assistants Association, where she holds the honor of Master. She has worked in her current office since 2003 in O’Fallon, Missouri, as an office manager and dental assistant. Hunter’s love of traveling takes her all over the world, where she speaks to dental assistants and dental teams.
Dr. George Kushner
Dr. George Kushner is a graduate of Temple University School of Dentistry. Dr. Kushner received his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He completed his Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency at the University of Louisville. Currently, Dr. Kushner is Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Louisville. He is the Director of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency program. Dr. Kushner is the author of several publications and articles and lectures extensively throughout the country. He maintains a faculty practice in oral and maxillofacial surgery through the University of Louisville School of Dentistry.
Karese Laguerre
Karese Laguerre, RDH, MAS is a leading voice in sleep and myofunctional therapy. She founded The Myo Spot, a practice aimed at amplifying oral wellness to whole body wellness, through which she has helped hundreds of patients, children and adults alike, discover how great life can be functioning on full. A current leader in the quest for myofunctional therapy awareness and public education Karese offers lectures that challenge dental professionals to re-discover their passion, achieve sustained productivity, and enhance their clinical perspective. Karese’s self-reflective and humorous approach helps her audience and clients overcome hurdles that prohibit them from showing up as their most profound self.
Dr. Nathaniel Lawson
Nathaniel Lawson DMD PhD is the Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and the program director of the Biomaterials residency program. He graduated from UAB School of Dentistry in 2011 and obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. His research interests are the mechanical, optical, and biologic properties of dental materials and clinical evaluation of new dental materials. He has published over 200 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and research abstracts. He was the 2016 recipient of the Stanford New Investigator Award and the 2017 Innovative Research Fellowship, both from the American Dental Association. He served on the American Dental Association Council of Scientific Affairs and is on the editorial board of The Journal of Adhesive Dentistry and Compendium. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the subject of dental materials. He also works as a general dentist in the UAB Faculty Practice.
KY Medicaid Commissioner Lisa Lee
Lisa Lee has 20 years of experience with Medicaid programs. Much of her career was spent in Kentucky State government with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. While at the Cabinet, Ms. Lee served in a variety of roles within the Department for Medicaid Services, including Member Services Representative, Director of Provider Services, Policy Analyst, Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner. In addition, Ms. Lee served as the Program Director for the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) for approximately 14 years. During her tenure as KCHIP Director, she led a successful outreach campaign that resulted in coverage of an additional 60,000 eligible children within Medicaid and KCHIP. In addition, Ms. Lee was instrumental in expanding Medicaid Services to childless adults in Kentucky as well as assisting with the creation of Kentucky’s successful state-based exchange, kynect.
Ms. Lee retired from state government in 2016 and worked as a healthcare consultant for three years before returning as the Commissioner for the Department for Medicaid Services. Shortly after returning to her current position, a public health emergency was declared due to COVID-19. Under Ms. Lee’s leadership, the state of Kentucky was a leader in the nation in terms of Medicaid enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the national level, she participated in several workgroups aimed at improving the health of children and delivered a variety of presentations related to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Jon Melton
Jon Melton has traveled nationally and internationally, teaching business concepts for 32 years while also creating and managing several small businesses. He has extensive experience in the dental field as a part owner and general manager of a dental office. The culmination of his experience has convinced him to now focus on helping others keep the money and assets they have and put more of each in their pockets. Thirty-nine “productive” years of marriage to Julie has resulted in 5 children and 16 grandchildren, so far. Jon played football for BYU and football and basketball for Fullerton College.
Dr. Allen Nasseh
Dr. Allen Nasseh received his Doctorate in Dental Surgery degree from Northwestern University Dental School in 1994 and completed his postdoctoral endodontic fellowship at Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1997, where he also completed a master’s in medical sciences degree in the area of bone physiology. He is Senior Clinical Instructor and lecturer at the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterial Sciences at Harvard School of Dental Medicine since 1997 and the former Alumni editor of the Harvard Dental Bulletin. Dr. Nasseh is the president and Chief Executive Officer for Real World Endo (RealWorldEndo.com) and lectures internationally on endodontic topics. His educational videos have registered over 3 million views based on Google Analytics. He is endodontic editor to several peer reviewed journals and periodicals and a member of the NIH/NIDCR Clinical Needs Advisory Board for the Michigan Pittsburgh, Wyss Center for regenerative Medicine (doctrc.pitt.edu) and the Materials and Instruments Committee for the American Dental Association (ADA). Dr. Nasseh is the owner and director of Microsurgical Endodontics, a multi-speciality endodontic practice in Copley Plaza Boston, MA (MicroSurgicalEndo.com).
Dr. Adam Rich
Dr. Adam Rich is the Kentucky State Dental director for United Healthcare Community and State. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Dentistry with an AEGD from the University of Mississippi. He has been in private practice for 20 years in Dry Ridge Ky and served in the managed care space for over 6 years as Dental Director for DentaQuest Kentucky, Avesis Pennsylvania, and United Healthcare KY. Dr. Rich has been a member of the Army Reserves since 1997, with 2 Iraq tours , and currently serves the Army Office of the Surgeon General for the Dental Guard and Reserve in the rank of Colonel. He is a past member and president of the KY Board of Dentistry. His favorite pastime is waterskiing with his daughters.
Dr. Augusto Robles
Augusto Robles, DMD, MS is Associate Professor and Director of the Operative Dentistry Curriculum at UAB School of Dentistry. He graduated from dental school from UPCH in Peru (South America) in 1992. In addition, Dr. Robles has earned an Advanced Specialty Education Certificate in Restorative Dentistry from University of Michigan 2006; Master of Science in Restorative Dentistry from University of Michigan 2007; Graduated The Dawson Academy Core Curriculum 2016; Graduated from the UAB DMD program at UAB 2017; is a Past-member of the University Relations Committee at AACD; is Currently an Accreditation candidate AACD; is a Reviewer for different publications including JERD, J Operative Dentistry, and such; is Co-founder (with Dr N Lawson) of “Dentinaltube” an educational Instagram account.
Dr. Robles’ current interests are Minimal Invasive Dentistry, e.g. resin infiltration, caries excavation, adhesion, dental materials, and ceramic onlays.
Dr. Mauro Santamaria
Dr. Mauro P. Santamaria obtained his DDS degree from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and has Master of Science and PhD degrees in Periodontology. In 2011, he joined the Sao Paulo State University as a full-time faculty. He has mentored and graduated 13 master’s and 11 PhD students, received several research funding grants and several national and international awards in recognition of his research, including IADR and CNPq awards. He has over 160 published papers and 11 book chapters (H-index 29) and is internationally recognized for his research in mucogingival defects and wound healing. He also reviews for several journals including Journal Clinical Periodontology, Journal Periodontology, and Journal of Dental Education, among many others. He joined the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in 2022 as an Associate Professor in the Division of Periodontology and in the Center for Oral Health Research.
Dr. William Scarfe
Dr. William Scarfe graduated from the University of Adelaide School of Dentistry in 1982 and was awarded Fellowship in the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons in 1986. He graduated from UTHSC at San Antonio with a Certificate and Masters in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and has been on the faculty at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry since 1993. Dr. Scarfe is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and a registered specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologist in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He is Immediate Past Treasurer of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Past-Vice President and Past North American Regional Director of the International Association of Dento-Maxillofacial Radiology. He is Fellow of the International Team for Implantology (ITI), Associate Editor of the Radiology Section of Oral Surgery, Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine, Oral Radiology and member of Journal Editorial Advisory Board for the Australian Dental Journal, and The Angle Orthodontist. Dr. Scarfe has published extensively on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) including recent consensus statements on general and specific use guidelines and discipline specific applications of CBCT. He co-authored chapters on CBCT in the most recent edition of the standard dental undergraduate textbook used in the United States, Oral Radiology: Principles and Interpretation by White and Pharoah. His definitive textbook, CBCT: Maxillofacial 3D Imaging Applications, co-edited with Dr. Christos Angelopoulos was published in January 2018. He presents internationally as well as nationally and is active in research on the clinical applications of CBCT imaging.
Dr. Mary Shields
Dr. Mary K. Shields has been practicing dentistry in the Louisville area for 10+ years. As a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, she started Triple Crown Dentistry, and works with the state as a forensic expert. In addition to her passion for providing dental care to her patients, she is passionate about forensics and aesthetics. In 2019, she opened the Louisville Center of Excellence to share her expertise through CERP-certified continuing education courses. In addition to her private training classes she is a speaker for Glidewell and a Key Opinion Leader for Evolus, and travels the country to educate others.
She is an associate member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and a member of the American Society of Forensic Odontology, where she provides forensic services ranging from the identification of human remains to legal consultations. Dr. Shields is also in the process of finalizing the requirements for board certification by the American Board of Forensic Odontology.
Dr. Brian Shumway
Dr. Brian Shumway is an associate professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the University of Louisville, School of Dentistry. He received his dental degree from The Ohio State University in 2003, followed by one year of advanced education in general dentistry at the Veteran’s Affairs Audie L. Murphy Memorial Hospital in San Antonio, TX. He then completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and master’s degree at The Ohio State University. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. He teaches in the dental hygiene, predoctoral dental and all specialty dental residency programs. He has an active clinical practice specializing in diagnosis and management of oral diseases and participates in the University of Louisville oral pathology biopsy service.
Dino Watt
Dino Watt, CSP is the Team Transformation Specialist and the Founder and CEO of Our Ripple Effect, Inc. He has been called one of the most exciting business relationship trainers in the world. As an award-winning mentor, author of five books, dynamic speaker and international trainer, Dino is constantly focused on how he can contribute more positivity and productivity to every business and person he interacts with. He does this by making things simple to understand and easy to use. Ultimately, he is focused on building trusting relationships where others can count on him.
As a high-performance practice advisor, Dino has frequently been referred to as “the Tony Robbins of private practices”. His goal is to help business leaders create more passion, be more productive and create more profit in all areas of their life.
Dino has been married to his childhood friend, Shannon, for over 29 years and they have 3 adult kids.
Dr. Taryn Wilson
Dr. Taryn Wilson grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky. She spent a lot of time around dentistry throughout her childhood, as her parents are both dentists. Dr. Wilson attended Western Kentucky University for her undergraduate degree and graduated from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 2018. She worked as an associate in private practices in Edgewood, Kentucky and Floyds Knobs, Indiana prior to buying in as a partner in a two-doctor practice in Louisville in early 2024. Outside of dentistry, she enjoys staying active, reading and spending as much time outside as possible with her husband, Dylan, and her son, Salem.