NYSOHC 2026 Annual Meeting
The Reimagined NYSOHC is excited to share the 2026 Annual Meeting Agenda, Registration and Awards information. Register today and please share. Meeting information and Registration is also available on website, Oral Health | New York State Oral Health Coalition
Annual Meeting
November 9 from 6-8 PM
November 10 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Hilton Garden Inn, Troy NY
Oral Health 2026:
New Conversations on Access and Inclusion
Registration $77-includes CE's
Nominations being accepted for the Dr Elmer Green and Dr Thomas Curran Awards
HOTEL BLOCK-Extended to Oct 18th
Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Hoosick St. Troy, NY
Group Code: NYSOHC
AGENDA
November 9, 2026
6:00-8:00pm WELCOME RECEPTION
Join us to connect with Coalition members from around the state. This is always a popular feature of the program where old colleagues reconnect and new friendships and partnerships are formed.
November 10, 2026
9:00 BREAKFAST and NETWORKING
10:00 WELCOME
UPDATE ON NYS ORAL HEALTH COALITION PROGRESS AND PLANS
Hear where the Coalition stands after a year of building and what's ahead as we move toward a stronger, permanent structure for oral health advocacy in New York.
Melissa Wendland
Chair NYSOHC
10:20 ORAL HEALTH AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL:
The Increasing Role of State Coalitions
A national view of how coalitions like ours are shaping oral health policy and driving progress across the country.
Tanya Dorf Brunner
Executive Director, American Network of Oral Health Coalitions
10:45 UPDATE ON NYS ORAL HEALTH POLICY
Dr. Dionne Richardson
State Dental Director
New York State Department of Health
11:30 PRESENTATIONS ON COALITION ISSUE AREAS
Melissa Wendland, Chair NYSOHC,
Lindsay Wright, Erie County Health Dept.
Gregg Salzman, COO Dentserv
Join us to learn more about the Coalition’s plans for new projects. Participate in the conversation and contribute to the plans for progress in the coming years. Bring your ideas and be prepared to get involved.
· Children’s Oral Health: Years of Progress, More to Do
· Veterans Oral Health: Possibilities for a New Program Area
12:30 LUNCH, AWARDS and STUDENT POSTERS
Presentation of the Elmer Green Award and the Thomas Curran Award
Visit student posters
1:30 AFTERNOON SESSION
Advancing Oral Health Care for
Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
KEYNOTE: Willow Baer-Commissioner NYS Office of Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)
Commissioner Willow Baer joins us to discuss the state's priorities for oral health care access among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, followed by a panel response and open conversation on next steps.
Willow Baer is a respected public servant and attorney with deep experience in state government, human services policy, and disability rights. She currently serves as Commissioner of the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), where she leads the agency’s work to ensure that more than 120,000 New Yorkers with developmental disabilities have access to person centered services, opportunities, and supports that promote independence, inclusion, and dignity.
She earned her Juris Doctor from Albany Law School and is known for her collaborative approach, strategic thinking, and unwavering dedication to advancing equity and opportunity for New Yorkers with disabilities and their families.
REACTION PANEL and CONVERSATION ON NEXT STEPS
Moderator: Sally Dreslin, Executive Director, Step Two Policy Project
Panelists:
Holly Saupp, LMSW, NYS Office of the Chief Disability Officer, Associate Director
Barbie Vartanian, BA, Director, Advocacy & Policy Initiatives, NYU College of Dentistry
Tanya Dorf Brunner, Executive Director, ANOHC
Adela Planerova, D.D.S., M.U.Dr., M.S., Associate Professor, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester, Chair Special Needs Dentistry Department
Jennifer Tassler, JD, Vice President for Government Relations and Strategic Affairs, New York State Academic Dental Centers
3:30 Close-Safe travels
CE's available for Dentists and Hygienist through NYSDHA and NYSDA
“The New York State Dental Association is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.
Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at CCEPR.ADA.org.”
