FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 6, 2017 (ATLANTA) —  The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), a community of clinicians, educators, consultants, researchers, and industry representatives who advocate for safe and infection-free delivery of oral healthcare, has announced the members of the 2017-2018 OSAP Board of Directors and the 2017-2018 OSAP Foundation Board of Directors.

The new OSAP Association Board is chaired by Kathy Eklund RDH MHP, Director of Occupational Health and Safety and Patient Safety Advocate at Forsyth Institute. Vice-Chair is Marguerite Walsh, Vice President, Product Merchandising for Henry Schein. Doug Risk DDS ABGD, Director of the USAF Dental Evaluation and Consultation Service will serve as Treasurer, and Karen Gregory RN, Director of Compliance and Education for Total Medical Compliance, will continue to serve as Secretary. Mike Smurr, Director of Marketing, Merchandise, for Patterson Dental is the Immediate Past Chairman.

“It is truly an honor to serve as the 2017-2018 Chair of OSAP,” says Eklund. “I am thrilled to have so many talented and dedicated leaders on our Board of Directors. OSAP’s Board and membership are committed to being the leading provider of infection prevention and control education supporting provider and patient safety in dental settings everywhere.”

Directors for the Association Board include Eve Cuny MS, Assistant Dean for Global Relations and Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Pacific Dugoni School of Dentistry; Hudson Garrett PhD MSN MPH, Global Chief Clinical Officer for Pentax Medical; Theresa Mayfield DMD, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry (Retired); Leanne Keefer RDH MSM, Director, Corporate Education & Professional Relations for Crosstex International; David Reznik DDS, Chief of Dental Services for Grady Health System and Founder and President of HIV Dental Alliance and Jessica Wilson MPH, international speaker, trainer and educator for Hu-Friedy. Christina Thomas MS CAE, OSAP Executive Director, will serve as the board ex-officio. OSAP is a 501(c)(6) membership association. The purpose of the Association is to be the voice for leadership and compliance with science-based dental infection prevention and safety practices through quality education and information dissemination.

The OSAP Foundation Board will be chaired by Andrew (Andy) Whitehead, Vice President of Crosstex International. Directors include Dr. Don Cohen, Chief Clinical Officer, HealthFirst; Margaret (Peggy) Cottrell, President of ProEdge Dental (retired) and Jennifer Naylor, General Manager, IMS and Infection Control Strategic Business Unit for Hu-Friedy Manufacturing. Christina Thomas MS CAE will also serve as the Executive Director of the Foundation. The OSAP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt educational foundation. The purpose of the Foundation is to augment and expand upon the Association’s ability to provide information and education by raising funds from the healthcare industry, private sector businesses, foundations, and the government. The Foundation is dedicated to education, research, service, and policy development to promote safety and the control of infectious diseases in dental healthcare settings worldwide.

“I am both humbled and honored to be the incoming Chair of the OSAP Foundation,” conveys Whitehead. “As one of the founding members of OSAP, I have a longstanding commitment to the organization and to dental safety. The Foundation Board members and I are committed to furthering the scope and reach of OSAP and are dedicated to exceeding the goals defined above. A special thank you to Dr. Don Marianos who chaired the Foundation Board for several years. He helped establish a solid base upon which we can advance the Foundation’s mission."

About OSAP

The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) is the only dental membership association solely focused on infection prevention and patient safety education. Our members include individual clinicians, group practices, educators, researchers, consultants, trainers, compliance directors, policymakers, and industry representatives who advocate for safe and infection-free delivery of oral healthcare. OSAP focuses on strategies to improve compliance with safe practices and on building a strong network of recognized infection control experts. OSAP offers an extensive online collection of resources, publications, FAQs, checklists, and toolkits that help dental professionals deliver the Safest Dental Visit for their patients. Plus, online and live courses help advance the level of knowledge and skill for every member of the dental team. For additional information, visit osap.org.

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