# Women in Dentistry Summit Speakers ## Dr. Meredith Bailey ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/2026-04/Bailey.jpg) Dr. Meredith Bailey is a general dentist and clinical assistant professor at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. She developed and serves as course director for the school’s Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry course and is director of educational support and performance evaluation. Bailey is a former president of the Massachusetts Dental Society and previously served as chair of the American Dental Association Council on Ethics, Bylaws, and Judicial Affairs, as well as chair of the ADA CL2 leadership group, composed of council chairs and vice chairs. She is a founding member of the Boston District Dental Society and served as district chair from 2018 to 2019. Bailey serves on the ADA Standards Consensus Body 12: AI and Knowledge Management and contributed to a 2023 white paper on dental imaging and artificial intelligence. She earned a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in health sector management from the Boston University Questrom School of Business in 2023 and serves on the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine alumni board of directors. She is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and a member at large on its New England Board of Fellows. Her honors include the Massachusetts Dental Society William McKenna Volunteer Hero Award, Ten Under 10 Award, and Incisal Edge 40 Under Forty Award. ## Dr. Zerita C. Buchanan ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2026-04/Buchanan_headshot.jpg?itok=dAum1Ekp) Dr. Zerita C. Buchanan is a fourth-generation dentist and graduate of a historically Black college and university. Her commitment to health equity earned her recognition as a “Healthcare Hero” from her alma mater, Spelman College. She currently serves on the Board of Fellows at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where she is a leading voice for advancing equity and leadership in oral health. Buchanan’s career spans the public and private sectors, with a focus on health policy, workforce innovation, and corporate social impact. She uses her social media platform to address oral health disparities and mentor the next generation of culturally competent dentists. She earned her DDS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry and her MPH in health policy from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. ## Dr. Mia L. Geisinger ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2026-04/Geisinger_headshot.jpg?itok=krRHl8VZ) Dr. Mia L. Geisinger is a professor and director of advanced education in periodontology, and chair of the Department of Periodontology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She earned a BS in biology from Duke University, a DDS from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, and an MS and certificate in periodontology and implantology from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Geisinger is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a fellow of the International Team for Implantology, the International College of Dentists, and the American College of Dentists. She has served as president of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, chair of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs, and a member of the board of directors of the ADA Science and Research Institute, as well as on numerous national and regional committees. She is immediate past president of the American Academy of Periodontology and continues to serve on multiple AAP and ADA committees and task forces. She has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and serves on the editorial boards of several journals. Her research focuses on periodontal-systemic disease interactions, implant dentistry in periodontally compromised patients, and regenerative therapies for oral soft and hard tissues. She lectures nationally and internationally on periodontology and oral health care. ## Dr. Jihyon Kim ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/2026-06/kim%20headshot.jpg) Dr. Jihyon Kim is a private practitioner with more than 25 years of clinical experience and a decade of teaching hands-on workshops in adhesive dentistry. She has published numerous articles, lectured extensively, and refined the injection overmolding method for direct composite restorations. She also developed the Smile Design Gauge, a tool used for chairside smile planning and treatment delivery. Kim's clinical practice focuses on esthetic smile rejuvenation through adhesive and biomimetic dentistry. She is passionate about direct composite dentistry and is committed to advancing the field through education. As an instructor, she provides advanced, intuitive, and highly interactive hands-on learning experiences for clinicians seeking excellence in restorative dentistry. ## Dr. Janice Lee ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/2026-06/Lee.jpg) Dr. Janice Lee is a U.S.-trained oral and maxillofacial surgeon who earned her DDS and MS from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her MD from Harvard Medical School. She completed a residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University, followed by a two-year fellowship in the Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Before returning to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Lee served as a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. She is currently NIDCR's clinical director, overseeing the institute's intramural clinical research portfolio focused on craniofacial and bone disorders through clinical trials and observational and longitudinal studies. Lee also leads her own laboratory and research program as chief of the Craniofacial Anomalies and Regeneration Section. Her research focuses on craniofacial birth defects, dentofacial growth and development, and oral anomalies through a patient-centered approach that combines clinical investigation with studies of underlying biological mechanisms. This work complements her surgical practice, which includes orthognathic and reconstructive surgery. In September 2020, Lee was appointed NIH deputy director for intramural clinical research, where she supports clinical and translational research across the NIH Intramural Research Program. ## Dr. Kevsar Paia ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/2026-04/pala.jpg) Dr. Kevser Paia is a specialist in reconstructive dentistry with a clinical and academic background in prosthodontics and implantology. She earned her dental degree from the University of Zurich and began her career in private practice before completing a three-year postgraduate program in reconstructive dentistry at the University of Zurich. Pala was awarded the title of Specialist in Reconstructive Dentistry by the Swiss Society of Reconstructive Dentistry and earned a Master of Advanced Studies in Oral Implantology from the University of Zurich. In 2023, she was selected as an ITI Scholar and joined the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where she continued for an additional year as a full-time postdoctoral research fellow. ## Dr. Corinthia Richardson ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/2026-04/headshot2.jpg) Dr. Corinthia Richardson earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Spelman College and a Master of Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in oral biology from Rutgers University. She received her Doctor of Dental Surgery from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, along with certificates in public health and health policy. She later earned a Master of Medical Sciences and a certificate in periodontology from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Richardson is a three-time recipient of the HSDM Division of Periodontology Fellowship. Her clinical experience includes the treatment of hard and soft tissue deficiencies through periodontal regeneration, guided bone and tissue regeneration, prosthodontically driven implant placement, and management of peri-implant diseases. She has been recognized by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the Academy of Osseointegration, and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons for excellence in implant dentistry. ## Dr. Victoria Sampson ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/2026-04/Sampson-headshot.jpg) Dr. Victoria Sampson is a London-based dentist, researcher, and entrepreneur specializing in the oral microbiome and its connection to systemic health. She is founder and CEO of THS Labs and creator of ORALIS1, a saliva-based diagnostic test that uses a multiomics approach to provide insights into oral and overall health. Her company recently completed a pre-seed funding round and is expanding into the U.S. market. Sampson serves on the Clinical Innovation Advisory Board at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and is a topical team member for the European Space Agency. She is also an affiliate researcher at the University of Oulu and was the first dentist shortlisted for Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare and Science in Europe. She is co-founder of The Health Society, a multidisciplinary clinic in London focused on precision dentistry and preventive care through advanced salivary diagnostics. ## Dr. Melanie Silvestrini ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/2026-06/Silvestrini-headshot.jpg) Dr. Melanie Silvestrini is a cosmetic and implant clinician whose work integrates dental medicine with the broader field of longevity medicine. A graduate of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, she also holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in biochemistry and chemical biotechnology. Her clinical practice focuses on aesthetic, implant, and biomimetic dentistry, with treatment planning centered on tissue preservation across the patient lifespan. Silvestrini completed advanced postdoctoral training through the Misch International Implant Institute and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, as well as the full Magne Education curriculum in biomimetic restorative dentistry under Dr. Pascal Magne. Her clinical decision-making is guided by a four-tier evidence framework that distinguishes causal evidence from hypothesis-stage claims, an approach she applies to oral-systemic health, regenerative dentistry, and the emerging field of oral longevity. Silvestrini is the founder and former host of the international dental show Dental Talk 360 and currently hosts the Doctorate Domain podcast. Through her podcasts, writing, and speaking engagements, she explores the intersection of dentistry, science, and entrepreneurship while translating emerging clinical research into accessible, evidence-based guidance on oral longevity across the lifespan, including women's oral health through hormonal transitions. She regularly lectures dental students and early-career clinicians on longevity-focused treatment planning and the development of evidence-based clinical practices. ## Dr. Flavia Teles ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/2026-04/teles-headshot.jpg) Dr. Flavia Teles is a professor in the Department of Basic and Translational Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Her work focuses on clinical and translational periodontal research, with an emphasis on the oral microbiome and biomarkers of periodontal disease progression. As a professor and core member of the Center for Innovation and Precision Dentistry (CiPD), she is advancing efforts to identify markers of disease initiation and progression and to develop AI-driven tools for personalized periodontal care through the integration of microbiology, immunology, and informatics. She leads a research program dedicated to understanding how the oral microbiome influences periodontal health and treatment outcomes. Her work has been supported by NIH/NIDCR, foundations, and industry partners for more than a decade. In addition to her research activities, Teles contributes to the field through several national and international leadership roles. She serves as an associate editor for the *Journal of Clinical Periodontology*, is a member of the editorial board for the *Journal of Periodontology*, and participates in the American Academy of Periodontology’s Diagnostic Technologies and Precision Medicine Workgroup and its Task Force on Design and Analysis in Oral Health Research. ## HSDM faculty [### Jessica Latimer ](/people/jessica-latimer)Lecturer on Oral Medicine Infection and Immunity ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-03/Jessica%20Latimer%20headshot.jpg?itok=VlbRqRzL) [### Magda Feres ](/people/magda-feres) [Magda\_Feres@hsdm.harvard.edu](mailto:Magda_Feres@hsdm.harvard.edu)Chair of the Department of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity ![Dr. Magda Feres](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/dental/files/feres_headshot.jpg?itok=ixEgP6Rf) [### William V. Giannobile ](/people/wiliam-v-giannobile) [William\_Giannobile@hsdm.harvard.edu](mailto:William_Giannobile@hsdm.harvard.edu)Dean and A. Lee Loomis, Jr. Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity Harvard School of Dental Medicine ![Headshot of Dean William Giannobile](/sites/g/files/omnuum6001/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2024-07/Dean-Giannoible.jpg?itok=n0A5touc)