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Dental school community presents at 2026 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition

By Kyle Rogers March 30, 2026
A podium with a microphone stands in front of dark blue stage curtains lit by overhead lighting. A sign on the front of the podium displays the ADEA logo and the words “The Voice of Dental Education,” indicating a formal event or conference setting.

The American Dental Education Association’s 2026 Annual Session and Exhibition, held March 21-24 in Montreal, Canada.

UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry faculty, staff, and students shared their expertise at the 2026 American Dental Education Association Annual Session and Exhibition, held March 21-24 in Montreal.

The annual meeting brings together dental education leaders from across the country to share research, innovations, and best practices in oral health education.

School of Dentistry representatives collaborated with colleagues from institutions across the country on many of the presentations. School of Dentistry presenters were as follows:

Saturday, March 21

  • Priyanshi Ritwik, BDS, MS, collaborated on a workshop:
    “Bridging Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue to Build Emotional Resilience”
  • Anahita Mortazavi, RDH, MEd, collaborated on a short talk:
    “Bridging Pathways Between Medicine and Dentistry: Interprofessional Education in Action”
  • Anita Joy-Thomas, BDS, PhD; Ritwik; and Carolyn Huynh, DDS, EdD, presented a painting workshop:
    “Self-Reflection – A Bridge Between Learning and Life-Long Learning”
  • Khairunisa Hashmani, RDH, MA, EdD; Ahmad Naraghi, DDS; and Gargi Mukherji, DDS, collaborated on an educational session:
    “Advancing Access: Supporting Dental Faculty Through Self-Care and Institutional Initiatives”
  • David Fray, DDS, MBA, and Ben Warner, DDS, MD, MS, collaborated on an educational session:
    “Medical/Dental Homes for Adults with Disabilities: Collaborative or Interdisciplinary?”

Sunday, March 22

  • Joy-Thomas collaborated on an educational session:
    “Bridging Innovation and Care: AI’s Role in Advancing Dental Access”
  • Aaron Glick, DDS, collaborated on a poster presentation:
    “Incorporating Dental Sleep Medicine into Predoctoral Dental Education: A Critical Need”
  • Pantea Amirjalali, RDH, BA; Raha Naderi, RDH, MEd; Leanna Rubio, RDH, BSDH, MS; Courtney Routh, RDH, MSDH; Victoria Vo, DDS; and Michelle Aguilos Thompson, DDS, presented at the TechExpo:
    “Bridging Pathways for Future Dental Hygienists Utilizing CAD/CAM Technologies”
  • Lisa Cain, PhD, and Thompson collaborated on an educational session:
    “Empowering Women in Academic Dentistry: Best Practices”
  • Peggy Hsieh, MEd, PhD, and Shalizeh “Shelly” Patel, DDS, MEd, presented an educational session:
    “Unlock Faculty Productivity: The Power of AI in Dental Education”
  • Ryan Quock, DDS, collaborated on a seminar:
    “ADEA Task Force on Envisioning and Transforming the Future of Oral Health and Education — Where We Are and Where We Are Going”
  • Vuvi Nguyen, PhD, MS, and Hamid Nurrohman, DDS, PhD, collaborated on a symposium:
    “ADEA Emerging Leaders Program Symposium: Dental Students’ and Residents’ Perceptions of Careers in Academic Dentistry”

Monday, March 23

  • Michele White, DDS; Ana Candia Solari Neumann, DDS, MPH, PhD; and Michele Bright, DDS, presented a poster:
    “Unlocking the Critical Thinking Toolbox for Dental Faculty”
  • Ritwik, Thompson, Cain, and Hashmani collaborated on a seminar:
    “Bridging Pathways for Success Through the Women’s Faculty Forum”
  • Kim Pham, second-year dental student, and Vuvi Nguyen, PhD, MS, faculty sponsor, presented a poster:
    “Exploring Academic Teaching: Reflection on Peer-Led SHPEP Anatomy Sessions in Lecture and Laboratory Settings”
  • Britney Nguyen, second-year dental student, and faculty sponsor Vuvi Nguyen, PhD, MS, faculty sponsor, presented a poster:
    “Building Academic Identity Through Peer Teaching in SHPEP Anatomy Lectures”
  • Nha (Alice) Pham, second-year dental hygiene student, presented a poster:
    “Mastering Learning Through Concept Maps”
  • Yuleima Zamora, third-year dental student, presented a poster:
    “Dentistry Through Different Lenses: Teaching, Learning, and Career Pathways”
  • Irene Elsa Jayan, second-year dental student, and faculty sponsors Neha Parikh, PhD, and Joy-Thomas presented a poster:
    “Microlearning as a Strategy to Improve the Learning Environment and Learning Outcomes in Dental School”
  • Ney Neshan, DDS, and Warner presented an educational session:
    “Saliva Speaks: Revolutionizing Dentistry Through Predictive Biomarkers and Proactive Care”
  • Joy-Thomas presented the seminars:
    “Building Bridges for Faculty Excellence: The ADEA Council of Sections Research Fund Overview”
    “Designing a Successful Application for the ADEA Council of Sections Program Fund”
  • Brandon Key collaborated on an educational session:
    “Enriching Learning Pathways to Advance Patient Safety”
  • Joy-Thomas collaborated on an educational session:
    “From Pathways to Access: ADEA COS Impact”

Tuesday, March 24

  • Maria Loza, DMD, MS, and John Valenza, DDS, collaborated on an educational session:
    “Bridging New Programs from Concept to Rapid Development and Implementation”
  • Leticia Guajardo-Morales, DDS, collaborated on a short talk:
    “Short Talk: Bridging the Gaps Between Simulation and Practice via Enhanced Learning”
  • Routh and Rubio presented an educational session:
    “Generations in Transition: Bridging the Workforce Gap in Dental Education”

For a full list of presentations and the event schedule, visit the official 2026 ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition website.

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