Katie Conklin, RDH, MS, MPH California Oral Health Technical Assistance Center (COHTAC), UCSF School of Dentistry Katie Conklin is with the COHTAC team at UCSF. Her role supports Results-Based Accountability (RBA), the Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA), and the Dental Public Health post-graduate residency program. She co-founded a non-profit called the Oral Health Awareness Society to train dental professionals in public health best practices and participated in the Dental Transformation Initiative (DTI) implementation in Sacramento and San Joaquin counties.
Bahar Amanzadeh, DDS, MPH Care Coordination and Sustainability Specialist, COHTAC, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Dentistry Dr. Amanzadeh is a COHTAC member, an adjunct assistant clinical professor, and an independent consultant in dental public health. Her expertise includes school oral health programs, dental care coordination and medical-dental integration. She strives to engage the communities and work on policies that build the infrastructures to combat oral health disparities. Dr. Amanzadeh works with multiple organizations and local jurisdictions to conduct oral health needs assessments, develop community oral health improvement plans, and guide the implementation and evaluation of such plans. She has been the dental health administrator at the Alameda County Department of Public Health, where she planned, evaluated, and oversaw the dental public health programs. This included the Alameda County Local Dental Pilot Project, Healthy Teeth Healthy Communities, and a $19.7M grant through the Department of Health Care Services to create a countywide coordinated dental care system using the community health worker model. Previously, she directed the Community Based Dental Education program at UCSF School of Dentistry. Dr. Amanzadeh has an extensive background in working with underserved communities, designing educational, preventive programs, and integration models. She is passionate about the role of community health workers in oral health promotion and care coordination; the oral health of pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness; motivational interviewing; and trauma-informed care.
Sharrie Sprouse Oral Health Program Director, Stanislaus County Health Services Agency Sharrie Sprouse has over 20 years of experience in the health and human services field. She has been with Stanislaus County since 2008. Sharrie has valuable experience in community engagement, evaluation, and has worked in various injury and chronic disease prevention programs. She is the program director for the Stanislaus County Oral Health Program and an advocate for health equity with an authentic desire to help communities flourish in every way possible.
Erika Hagstrom Dossi, RDA Director, Smile Keepers Dental Program Erika is a registered dental assistant and program director of the Smile Keepers Dental Program in Sonora, California. She has a long and successful history of running school-based oral health programs in rural California (Tuolumne County) and currently co-facilitates COHTAC’s School Open Hours program. Bernadette Millares, RDH, BA School-Based Oral Health Team, San Francisco Department of Public Health Bernadette, a Bay Area native, is a registered dental hygienist with 21 years dental experience and has worked in clinical private practice for 13 years. She recently joined the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) in January 2023 and is a part of the school-based oral health team providing oral health education, dental screenings, placing fluoride varnish in preschoolers, and sealants for elementary students.
Deanna Aguallo, RDH, MSDH School-Based Oral Health Team, San Francisco Department of Public Health Deanna is a registered dental hygienist with a master’s degree in dental hygiene education and public health and has over 10 years of experience focusing on oral health. She has worked as a clinical hygienist, educator, clinical researcher, and is currently working in the School-Based Oral Health Program for SFDPH.
Maryna Spielgel, MPH Project Director, San Francisco Oral Health Program, San Francisco Department of Public Health Maryna Spiegel joined the San Francisco LOHP in April 2024 and works closely with the school-based oral health services team. Maryna brings 14 years of public health program management experience and leads the local collective impact efforts to improve access to dental care in traditional and non-traditional settings, build medical-dental integration, and support community oral health education and promotion.
Stephanie Craig System Specialist, CodeStack, San Joaquin County Office of Education For the past 19 years, Stephanie has worked closely with the public and private education sector in the capacity of a frontline county office of education/school district employee, an SIS software technical support specialist, district and teacher trainer, and as an EdTech account executive. She has a very strong understanding of the needs of the stakeholders in education. She has a keen ability to find solutions to streamline processes to assist in improving educational outcomes.