Dr David Carsten is a Biochemist, Dentist, Anesthesiologist, and a Commissioner. He has developed a strong record of teaching, research, leadership, and service on the local and national level. His professional focus is protecting the public through improvements in dental education, inter-professional collaboration, regulation, and licensure.

Bio

As a university educator he actively participates in several courses, introducing young student dentists, assistants, and hygienists to anesthesia, sedation, medical emergencies, special care, and trauma-informed care. As the course director of anesthesia and sedation for DS2 students, he has created an evolving curriculum with a virtual objective structured clinical examination final, small-group near-peer facilitation, asynchronous video content didactics, in-person case-based learning, and continuous improvement based on student feedback. In the Introduction to Dental Practice course, he contributed to the integration of an MD instructor and helps develop and deliver the Emotional Intelligence content. Dave teaches how to deliver comprehensive dental care for medically and psychologically complex patients via clinical supervision for GPR residents, specifically focusing on IV moderate sedation training and covering all facets of risk assessment, pharmacology, medical emergency management, and venipuncture.
Within the Washington State Department of Health, he provides mentorship to the legal team, staff, and dental commissioners. Dr Carsten’s recent research, publications, and advocacy focus on infection control in dental settings. He chaired the infection control committee for eight years and primarily authored the 2020 infection control rule in the Washington Administrative Code (WAC 246-817-615). It has been cited by the CDC. This led to his current participation in the CDC dental waterline management committee. His research collaborations contributed to a JADA publication in June 2024 on waterline infection control. As an infection control expert, he has delivered multiple presentations for the Association of Dental Safety (formerly OSAP). Dave’s contributions to scientific literature also include the topics of teledentistry, pregnancy, anesthesia, shade matching, and artificial intelligence in dentistry. His work is well recognized, with 144 citations recorded in Google Scholar. He has written nine publications, three in the past two years.
While leading the Infection Control Committee at the Washington State Department of Health, he did extensive literature research on infectious diseases from 2016 to 2020. That gave him the up-to-date background to deliver forty lectures during the COVID-19 pandemic, many recorded. Two were made for private distribution at the ADA during the earliest months of the pandemic. He was also able to connect Chad Gehani, the ADA President, with his contacts in China, helping Dr Gehani in his decision-making. Those contacts also created an opportunity to ship in masks during the shortage that supplemented supplies in the Portland/Vancouver metro area when none were available.

Dave’s leadership in organized dentistry includes two terms as Chair of the Clark County Dental Society, roles within the Washington State Dental Association, and service as Secretary of the Pacific Coast Society for Prosthodontics Executive Council. Nationally, he has contributed to licensure and assessment initiatives, including a seat on the Steering Committee for the DLOSCE examination. He was also part of the Technical Advisory Group for the Council of State Governments, developing legislation for licensure portability, the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. This compact legislation, signed into law in Washington State in 2023, has been adopted in eleven states. In January 2024 Dr Carsten was one of the participants at the standards-setting workshop for the Integrated National Dental Board Examination administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. Dave was recently invited to be a featured speaker on 23 January 2025 at the Council on Dental Education and Licensure. Dave looks for opportunities to help institutions and the people within them to make good decisions, using his experience in teaching, leadership, and problem-solving at both local and national levels.

Dr. Suzie Bergman is Execudent Education’s Subject Matter Expert in Oral Medicine and a Thought Leader around the topic of Medical and Dental Integration (MDI). Dr. Bergman is an Adjunct Associate Professor for Pacific Northwest University School of Dental Medicine, where she collaborates in the development of Orofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) curriculum. She is also a Visiting Scholar at Oregon Health Science University in the Department of Neurological Surgery, where she is a co-investigator in research surrounding the differential diagnosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia and TMDs. This work has been instrumental in developing an algorithm to help clinicians more accurately identify musculoskeletal disorders and make appropriate referrals. Together with researchers from UCLA and Duke University, Dr. Bergman is further focusing on outreach and collaboration for research that emphasizes the needs and priorities of patients. They are looking for innovative solutions which allow for enhanced outcomes that synergize optimally with patient expectations.

Bio

Dr. Bergman is a Fellow of the TMJ Foundation, a global consortium and online fellowship program for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, where she serves as Selection Chair, Advisor and Honorary Program Faculty. The TMJ Foundation established an accredited one-year global fellowship program to encourage critical thinking in the diagnosis and management of TMDs. They are entering their fourth year of this program, which has hosted lecturers from 14 international professional education institutions.
With a natural ability to form connections, Dr. Bergman has collaborated with numerous leaders in the field to inform clinicians about the unique needs of TMD patients, from routine dental care to end-stage management. She is a clinical expert for the TMJ Patient Led RoundTable, a patient-centered, public private partnership that the FDA launched with the TMJ Association under the auspices of FDA’s Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNet). This work advances national/international infrastructure to bring real world data and patient experiences together. Their most recent project has been the formation of a TMJ patient registry. Dr. Bergman served as a liaison to connect this group with the Association of Migraine Disorders, which also has a registry, to explore the synergy in sharing data surrounding chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs).
Dr. Bergman is a tenured instructor for McGann Postgraduate School of Dentistry (MPD), where she developed a TMD curriculum entitled “Twenty-First Century TMD Protocols.” After graduating with highest honors from MPD’s sister company, Progressive Orthodontic Seminars, Dr. Bergman began teaching orthodontics for the general practitioner, and a dental assistant course for orthodontic assistants. She has taught these courses domestically and in Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa since 2014.
Since 2022, Dr. Bergman has been a Quality Assurance consultant, author and content reviewer for Immersify Education, an award-winning Ed Tech company that uses Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and gamification to provide interactive educational content for dental and nursing students. She now also serves as a subject matter expert consultant for Immersify’s institutional partnerships. As a dental education specialist, Dr. Bergman’s role is to answer questions for dental faculty and deans who are interested in adopting Immersify into their programs and to assist in customizing the platform for each institution’s specific needs and requirements.
In December, 2024, Dr. Bergman was nominated and confirmed as the President-Elect of the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD). After a two year term, she will ascend to the position of President of AAWD. Among other duties, she will be developing directives for committees and planning the annual conference. Conference planning is one of Dr. Bergman’s strengths, as she enjoys bringing educators and learners together around shared passions.
At the age of 19, Dr. Bergman was involved in a fluke accident that caused severely damaged temporomandibular joints, resulting in multiple surgeries and eventual total joint replacements. This accident changed the trajectory of her life, and positions her uniquely as both a patient and provider. She has dedicated a large portion of her clinical career to treating patients with pain. The biopsychosocial model is what informs her work in clinical practice, education, outreach, and research. You can watch her TEDx Talk, “Why is healthcare ‘disjointed’?” here to learn more: Click here.
Dr. Bergman received her DDS degree from West Virginia University in 1994 and holds certificates from University of Kentucky and University of Michigan’s Orofacial Pain Shadowing Programs. When she is not working, she can be found spending time with her husband and their three adult children, either in the snow or the sun.

Dr. Douglas B. Keck, DMD is a distinguished pediatric dentist with extensive experience in clinical practice and dental education. He was in the private practice of pediatric dentistry in New Haven and Madison, Connecticut for 25 years before accepting his current role as Dental Director for Healthcare Network in 2019, the only Federally Qualified Health Center in Collier County.

Bio

A graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, he completed his pediatric post-doctoral specialty training at Harvard University School of Dental Medicine and Children’s Hospital Boston. In addition to his American Board of Pediatric Dentistry certification, Dr. Keck holds a Master of Science in Higher Education from Drexel University.
Dr. Keck served as the President of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Foundation from 2022-2024 but has been on the Board of Trustees of the organization since 2013. He has also served as the Associate Director of the Advanced Education in Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program Rhode Island site of NYU Langone Dental Medicine from 2017-2019.
Along with his leadership roles, Dr. Keck has been recognized for his contributions to dental education and literature, having published in the Journal of Dental Education and serving as co-editor of the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA)Specialty Scan for Pediatric Dentistry. Understanding the importance of giving back, Dr. Keck is proud to have been accepted into the Fellowship of the American College of Dentists in 2019 for his volunteer work in organized dentistry.
One of Dr. Keck’s most recent accomplishments was assisting in the writing and receiving of a HRSA Teaching Health Center Development Grant in 2021. He was primarily responsible for writing the Initial Application for Accreditation of a Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program that will be housed at Healthcare Network but sponsored by Lee Memorial Health. Dr. Keck will be the Program Director when the program becomes Initially Accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and begin recruiting pediatric dentistry residents to Southwest Florida.

Dr. Kim is a general dentist, with expertise in dental education and research. As Director of the Office of Educational Partnerships (OEP) at University of Washington School of Dentistry, Dr. Kim leads the team toward fruition of the service mission to improve the oral health and wellbeing of the people of the region through key partnerships and community engagement. The OEP team coordinates outreach programs that are informed through needs assessments to tailor specific services for communities, especially for minority, disadvantaged, and vulnerable populations. OEP aspires to collaborate on community engagements with potential to improve the oral health of underserved communities directly; and increase the number of health professionals, educators, and leaders within these communities in the long-term.

Bio

Dr Kim has served as the Co-Director of the University of Washington’s Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional education (CHSIE), and Associate Director of Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE). Her commitment to workforce development and service is evidenced by her grant work, as former Principal Investigator of Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) and Early Childhood Oral Health Training (EchoTrain).
Prior to joining the University of Washington, Dr. Kim managed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program (pacific northwest and central west regions) of NYU Langone Hospitals. This program started as a workforce development grant through HRSA, and expanded nationwide to include partnerships with federally qualified health centers and community health networks. Dr. Kim has an extensive clinical and health services research background, having managed programs at the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research and the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. She currently serves as a consultant for Harvard School of Dental Medicine in clinical research administration.

Dr. Jason E. Portnof is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), the American College of Dentists (FACD) and the International College of Dentists (FICD). His interests include the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery with an emphasis on the correction of dentofacial deformities, orthognathic surgery (corrective jaw surgery), maxillofacial reconstructive surgery, corrective jaw surgery (for TMJ), oral and maxillofacial pathology, and complex dental implantology.

Bio

Dr. Portnof graduated with honors from the Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine in Ft. Lauderdale. He also earned an MD from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, where he was trained in oral and maxillofacial surgery. He received fellowship training in pediatric maxillofacial surgery/craniomaxillofacial surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. Portnof was the 2021 Chair of the AAOMS Committee on Cleft, Craniofacial and Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (CCCPOMS) and the pediatric consultant to the AAOMS Committee on Anesthesia (CAN). He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA). Dr. Portnof is a board examiner for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS). He is Past President of the Florida Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (FCPA) and the Florida Society of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons (FSOMS). He is currently the President of the Palm Beach County Dental Association (PBCDA) and the Second Vice President of the Atlantic Coast District Dental Association (ACDDA).

I have been actively involved in the digital development of the dental curriculum at UMKC, where I also managed the 3D printing and simulation labs within the Department of Orthodontics. Dental students would oftentimes request our help informally and showed interest in this new approach to dental care. Our team made significant contributions to treatment simulations and collaborated with the Departments of Periodontics and Endodontics to advance the use of 3D printing technologies in dental education. My experience in these areas is particularly relevant now, as the focus of curriculum development is increasingly shifting towards digital technologies and the integration of machine learning into dental education.

Bio

After graduating from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Montreal in 1978, I practiced general dentistry in Quebec for ten years. I then pursued advanced education, obtaining both a certificate and a Master of Science degree from Boston University School of Dentistry in 1993. Following my postgraduate studies, I returned to private practice in Quebec for seven years while simultaneously volunteering at the Montreal Children's Hospital in the Department of Craniofacial Sciences for an additional seven years. During this time, I also taught continuing education courses in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the Montreal Children's Hospital.
My academic career took a significant turn when I was recruited by the new Dean of McGill University's Faculty of Dentistry to lead the Orthodontic Division. In 2000, I became the Director of the Orthodontic Division as the sole full-time faculty member. My mission from the Dean was to revamp the curriculum and rewrite the second third and 4th year curriculum to better reflect the new realities of dentistry in the 20th century. I was responsible for teaching second-, third-, and fourth-year students while also serving as the Clinic Director for the orthodontic department. During my tenure at McGill, I successfully navigated three accreditation cycles and initiated a project to establish a postgraduate program in orthodontics. Although the program received Senate approval, it was ultimately postponed due to economic constraints.

In 2019, I was recruited by the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) to serve as Chair of the Orthodontic Department. I held this position until my retirement in 2023, serving as both Chair and Endowed Professor. My responsibilities included overseeing pre-doctoral orthodontic courses on growth and development for second- to fourth-year students, managing the orthodontic clinic, and improving the orthodontic residency curriculum which had not been changed for over 20 years and not reflecting the new digital reality of orthodontics.
Upon my retirement from UMKC, I received an offer from the Department of Molecular Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, to continue my research on the craniofacial aspects of osteogenesis imperfecta. This research began during my tenure at McGill, continued at UMKC, and has achieved notable success, currently undergoing its third renewal application. I also serve as a consultant, providing clinical oversight in digital orthodontics to ensure that treatments provided under the NIH BDC auspices meet the highest clinical standards.

In 2024, I was recruited as a guest professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. My role involves teaching an introduction to biomechanics in orthodontics to residents and assisting in the establishment of a 3D printing laboratory to leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital orthodontic technologies. We are in the process of acquiring the necessary materials and equipment, with plans to launch the curriculum in 2025 once all institutional approvals are obtained.
Additionally, since 2017, I have held the title of Honorary Professor at the Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology at the University of Ocean City in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I have been actively involved with the institution since 2014, contributing to the development and delivery of a blended learning curriculum aimed at advancing orthodontic education and care in Vietnam.