Jeff Nauges
Vice President Network and Business Relations at Chewsi.
Meet the Speakers
Nicole Fortune MBA, RDH
Nicole is a registered dental hygienist who works in a busy periodontal office providing non-surgical and preventative care. Nicole believes the best patient care happens when combining her dental hygiene knowledge with the latest technology. She is a recognized expert in training dental hygienists in areas of periodontics, including peri-implantitis. Nicole has delivered multiple educational presentations to Vermont Technical College Dental Hygiene School, University of Michigan’s Ramfjord Symposium, The National Osteology Foundation, RDH Under One Roof and The Institute for Dental Implant Awareness, as well as numerous other clubs and professional groups across the country.
Nicole holds certifications for various laser wavelengths from the Academy of Laser Dentistry. She is a member of several professional organizations including, the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health, Vermont & American Dental Hygiene Association and the National Speakers Association. Nicole is a Key Opinion Leader with the Dental Codeology Consortium. She is currently the only dental professional in Vermont who is certified in periodontal endoscopy. She was awarded Dental Hygienist of the Year for 2017 in Vermont. Nicole earned her hygiene degree and her BA from the University of Vermont. She also holds an MBA from Champlain College.
Erin A. Kierce, RDH, BA, MS, MPH
Erin Kierce is the Chief Compliance Officer for New England Family Dentistry in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and Adjunct Faculty of Graduate Studies at MCPHS University in Boston, Massachusetts. After twelve years of practicing dental hygiene, Erin has devoted her career to clinical compliance, safety, and risk management. She has developed, implemented, and maintained compliance and safety systems for offices of varying specialties throughout New England, including establishing standards and policies pertaining to regulatory requirements. Her current role for NEFD includes compliance and risk management oversight of more than 50 dental offices. Erin has presented continuing education courses in the areas of pediatric oral health, chronic disease management, maternal oral and obstetrical health, clinical compliance, documentation and record-keeping, infection control and OSHA, and quality assurance. She is a member of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and Alpha Eta and Sigma Phi Alpha Honor Societies.
Christopher Balaban DMD, MSc.
Dr. Christopher Balaban is a practicing dentist in Boston, MA and serves as clinical Director 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 currently holds a faculty position in the department of general dentistry as a Clinical Instructor. He is a member of the National Dental Honors Society, Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the ADA and MDS. His passion for both dentistry and technology came together when he joined Overjet 2 years ago and he is helping to shape the future of dentistry through Artificial Intelligence for the next generation of dentists.
Thomas Viola RPh, CCP
Tom Viola, the founder of “Pharmacology Declassified”, is a board-certified pharmacist who also serves the professions of dentistry as a clinical educator, professional speaker, and published author. Tom is a member of the faculty of ten dental professional degree programs and has received several awards for outstanding teacher of the year. Tom has presented hundreds of continuing education courses to dental professionals, nationally and internationally, in the areas of oral pharmacology and local anesthesia and is well-known for his regular contributions to several dental professional journals. Through his informative, humorous and engaging live seminars and webinars, Tom has earned his reputation as the go-to specialist for making pharmacology practical and useful for all members of the dental team.
Jennifer Sinapius BA, M.Ed.
Jen is a special needs educator who earned her B.A. in Elementary/Special Education and Human Development at Rivier College and her MEd. in Special Education at Salem State University. She has worked for the last 15 years in the Massachusetts Public School system with children in grades K-6. She holds certification in Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education. She has served on a committee to assist the Massachusetts Department of Elementary Education create model curriculum units. Jen is also the mother of a child who suffered with Selective Mutism.
Lisa F. Mallonee, MPH, RDH, RD, LD
Lisa received a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and a Master of Public Health with a coordinated degree in nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to becoming a Registered Dietitian, Lisa practiced full time as a Registered Dental Hygienist in both general and public health practice settings.
Lisa is a tenured Professor, Graduate Program Director and Registered Dietitian in the Caruth School of Dental Hygiene at Texas A&M College of Dentistry, where she currently teaches courses in public/community health and provides nutrition lectures in the dental hygiene and predoctoral dental curriculum, and oversees practicum placement and thesis research as co-director in the College of Medicine’s Education for Healthcare Professionals graduate program. Additionally she serves as a preceptor for the Baylor University Medical Center Dietetic internship program.
Lisa serves as a reviewer and expert content advisor on numerous publications that include: The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Journal of the American Dental Association, the Journal of Dental Hygiene and organizations such as the National Diabetes Education Program, National Maternal & Child Oral Health Resource Center and the American Dental Educators Association (ADEA). Lisa is a published author in dental textbooks and peer reviewed journals on multiple topics pertaining to diet, nutrition and oral health and the practical application to whole body health for dietetic and dental professionals. She coauthored the Nutrition Curriculum for the revised 2015 edition of the ADEA Curriculum Guidelines for Allied Dental Education Programs. Additionally, she served as primary author for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Practice Paper on Oral Health and Nutrition. Her most recent accolade was being selected to serve as co-author on the editorial team that will continue the legacy of Dr. Esther Wilkins. The 13th edition of Wilkins’ Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist was recently published in January 2020. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Nutrition Education of Health Professionals award and the 2016 Texas Dental Hygiene Directors’ Association/Proctor & Gamble Teaching Excellence Award. Lisa presents educational lectures both nationally and internationally.