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A particular moment stands out to Sarah Bedard Holland, the CEO of Virginia Health Catalyst, as when she realized she wanted to work in health care: “When I was in high school, someone who was very close to me was diagnosed with AIDS, and I had the opportunity to see firsthand how my community reacted to that,” Bedard Holland says. “I saw how the health care system responded to him, his diagnosis, and ultimate death. . . . I think it was that general injustice and inequity that really cemented for me that there was an opportunity to change things.” 

Raydiance Swanston, MPH, CHES, Mecklenburg County Pediatric Clinic In late 2022, Raydiance Swanston, MPH, CHES, was eager to bring the Community Oral Health Transformation (COrHT) program to the Mecklenburg County Pediatric Clinic in North Carolina.

The prevalence of early childhood caries in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities is three times higher than for white children. Black and AI/AN women are 2.9 and 2.5 times more likely, respectively, to die from pregnancy-related causes than non-Hispanic white women. There is growing evidence that individuals who use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are at a higher risk for dental caries. These are just a few key findings from three of the most popular CareQuest Institute research reports published in 2023.

In partnership with thought leaders, health care providers, patients, and local, state, and federal stakeholders, CareQuest Institute of Oral Health champions oral health transformation. Each day is filled with mission-driven, meaningful initiatives that aim to create an oral health system that is accessible, equitable, and integrated. Who leads that work from inside the virtual walls of CareQuest Institute? And why are they so invested in the mission?

In early 2022, 700 Afghan refugees arrived in central Iowa, trying to settle into a community unlike any they’d ever seen. A strange landscape. A sea of unfamiliar faces. A new life.And they had 90 days to get settled.

When patients fill out a form at a dentist’s or doctor’s office, do they see themselves represented? For individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or have other sexual orientations or gender identities (LGBTQ+), the answer can sometimes be a hard “no.” And it’s an example of a larger problem in oral health: Structural bias and stigma around gender, gender expression, and sexual orientation can deepen LGBTQ+ oral health inequity.