Speaker Bios
Speakers:
Christopher Balaban, DMD: is a practicing dentist in Boston, MA and serves as Vice President of Clinical Affairs for Overjet, the industry leader in dental artificial intelligence. Dr. Balaban holds a master’s degree in Biomedical Science, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine, where he held a faculty position in the department of general dentistry at the rank of Clinical Instructor. He is a member of the national dental honors society, Omicron Kappa Upsilon, and was recently appointed to fellowship by the American College of Dentists.
Tracy Blessing, DMD: graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 2010 and completed a residency program in New York City the following year. During residency, she trained extensively in facial injectables with some of the country’s leading plastic surgeons. For more than a decade, she has been blending her cosmetic and reconstructive dental training with her passion for botulinum toxin and dermal filler injectables, offering patients a new concept of “total facial aesthetics”. Dr. Blessing is the Founder and CEO of Aesthetic Interface, a training and consulting company dedicated to facial injectables in dentistry. She maintains a private practice in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl.
Michael Melkers, DDS, FAGD: is in private practice in Hanover, NH but impacts students, clinicians and patients worldwide. Dr. Melkers is a 1994 graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry & currently serves as Visiting Faculty at Rīga Stradiņš University in Riga, Latvia and as Advisor and Visiting Faculty for The Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, Florida. Dr. Melkers is a Fellow & Master of the Academy of General Dentistry and holds additional Fellowships in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and the American College of Dentists. He maintains a private clinical practice in Hanover, NH with a focus on comprehensive adult restorative care. Dr. Melkers balances his professional time between clinical practice, teaching, publishing, and research.
Aruna Ramesh, DMD, BDS: is a licensed dentist, specialized in oral and maxillofacial radiology. She is board certified through the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (ABOMR). She completed her Bachelors in Dental Surgery from Chennai, India and her Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology residency and Master of Science degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2000. She then received her DMD from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) in 2004. She has been serving as a full-time faculty at TUSDM since 2001. She is a Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Dental School. In her current role, she oversees the predoctoral and postdoctoral educational curricula. On a national level, she has been involved with the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (AAOMR) as a member of the Executive committee that governs the Academy workflows, and as the Councilor of Public Policy and Scientific Affairs from 2015-2020. She currently serves as the OMR Commissioner with the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards. (NCRDSCB). She is actively engaged in educational, research, patient care and administrative endeavors.
Moderators:
Robert Cauley, DMD: originally grew up in a small town in southern Vermont. He graduated with his DMD from Boston University’s School of Dental Medicine in 2014. After working as a General Dentist for two years in Vermont he decided to specialize in Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Rob completed his Pediatric Residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he served as Co-Chief Resident. He currently practices full time in Lowell, MA.
Carl McManama, DDS: is a Professor in the Department of General Dentistry and course director for several courses at Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine where he has taught since 1976. In addition to his teaching, he has maintained a private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts for the past forty-five years. Dr. McManama has presented over 100 CE courses on topics related to restorative and operative dentistry to all levels of dental audiences.
Maritza Morell, DMD: is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a Public health Dentist. Dr Morell is the Mass Dental Society region six Trustee. She is a Senior Clinical Associate in Pediatric Dentistry at the Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine since 1999. In addition, she owns 2 pediatric dentistry and orthodontics private practices in Andover and Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Ancy Verdier, DMD: is the founder of Worcester Periodontics, a periodontal dental practice located in Worcester , MA where he practices periodontology and implant dentistry. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from Tufts University, DMD and Periodontal residency at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Verdier is a Fellow in the International College of Dentists and American College of Dentists. He is also a regular contributor to Tufts Practice Based Research Network.