In October 2021, after months of careful and meticulous logistical planning, the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD) was able to successfully administer the Oral Clinical Examination (OCE).

With safety and protection of candidates, examiners, and staff in mind, rigorous COVID-19 protocols were implemented including vaccination requirements,  negative PCR test result within 72 hours of arrival for everyone attending the examination, as well as mask wearing. In addition, antigen tests were routinely performed for examiners throughout the week.

A new site location was utilized this year: The AIME Center in Raleigh, NC. This state-of-the art facility is home for the American Board of Anesthesiology clinical certification process and uses advanced technology such as iPads for vignette delivery and scoring as well as video monitoring of candidates and examiners. Due to the 2020 OCE cancellation, the decision to accommodate as many examinees as possible was made, placing board candidates’ best interests first. A total of 784 candidates were examined during this “marathon” week-long exam. ABPD is grateful to have such an incredible group of talented and experienced volunteer diplomates who left their daily practice routine to certify the next group of pediatric dentists. 

Following the examination week, no cases of COVID-19 were reported, reinforcing the importance of adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols. In a post-examination survey, 87% of candidates and examiners felt safe during the OCE. We all hope that the 2022 OCE can be performed under more flexible regulations. Nonetheless, if needed, a safety plan has already been successfully developed and tested. 

Respectfully,
Marcio Guelmann, DDS
ABPD Secretary and OCE Liaison

Steve Rayes, DMD, MS
OCE Subcommittee Chair

 

Sincere appreciation goes to our Examiners:

Emilio Agrait-Defillo 
San Juan, PR

Alexander Alcaraz 
Pasadena, CA

Sahar Alrayyes 
Chicago, IL

Homa Amini 
Dublin, OH

Salwa Atwan 
Northville, MI

Kyoko Awamura 
Kailua-Kona, HI

Paul Bahn, III 
Newtown, PA

Suher Baker 
Portland, OR

Deepali Bhanot 
Rockville, MD

Mark Boone 
Virginia Beach, VA

James Boynton 
Belleville, MI

Tegwyn Brickhouse 
Richmond, VA

Jonathan Buenjemia 
Phoenix, AZ

Mary Burke 
Williamsburg, VA

Richard Burke, Jr.
Raleigh, NC

Glenn Canares 
Baltimore, MD

Michael Cellitti 
Estero, FL

Maria-Jose Cervantes Mendez 
San Antonio, TX

Neeta Chandwani 
Boston, MA

Willie Chao 
APO, AE

Val Cheever 
Riverton, UT

Judith Chin 
Fort Lauderdale, FL

David Ciesla 
Edmond, OK

James Coll 
York, PA

Brian Collins 
Middlebury, VT

Jennifer Criss 
Nacogdoches, TX

Yasmi Crystal 
Bound Brook, NJ

Jennifer Cully 
Cincinnati, OH

Dedra Davis-Wallace 
Eau Claire, WI

Daniel DeJarlais 
Madison, WI

Vineet Dhar 
Ellicott City, MD

Neva Eklund 
Jackson, MS

Shahrbanoo Fadavi 
Chicago, IL

Timothy Fagan 
Oklahoma City, OK

John Gawlik 
Las Vegas, NV

Adi Genish 
Los Angeles, CA

Andrea Gonzales 
Richardson, TX

Scott Goodman 
Matthews, NC

James Haas 
Londonderry, NH

Steven Hackmyer 
Fort Defiance, AZ

Kimberly 
Hammersmith 

Columbus, OH

Jennifer Hargleroad 
Fort Collins, CO

Rhea Haugseth 
Marietta, GA

Mary Hayes 
Chicago, MI

Jennifer Hill 
Flechtenmacher
 
Lame Deer, MT

Craig Hollander 
Saint Louis, MO

Leslee Huggins 
Salem, OR

Elsa Hui-Derksen 
Vancouver, BC

Conway Jensen 
Battleground, WA

Jeffrey Kahl 
Colorado Springs, CO

Carolyn Kerins 
Dallas, TX

Kelly Kirtland 
Portland, ME

Kavita Kohli 
Dobbs Ferry, NY

Reena Kuba 
Irving, TX
 

Flavia Lamberghini 
Chicago, IL

Jacob Lee 
San Clemente, CA

Sally Sue Lombardi 
Issaquah, WA

Cheen Loo 
Boston, MA

Tad Mabry 
Iowa City, IA

Manav Malik 
Sarasota, FL

Kelly Mansour 
Maitland, FL

Keith Margulis 
Elmsford, NY

Alton McWhorter 
Dallas, TX

Maritza Morell 
Andover, MA

Man Wai Ng 
Boston, MA

Robert Nieders 
Lexington, SC

Scott Nieman 
Westerville, OH

Nadgie Ortiz 
Brambleton, VA

Elizabeth Palmer 
Lake Oswego, OR

Kimberly Patterson 
Stony Brook, NY

Harold Pincus 
Potomac, MD

Nancy Rajchel 
Mechanicsburg, PA

Tricia Ray 
Salem, OR

Jeff Rhodes 
Rogers, AR

Priyanshi Ritwik 
Katy, TX

Michael Roseff 
Wellington, FL

Fouad Salama 
Chandler, AZ

Sarita Shah John 
Plano, TX

J C Shirley 
Atlanta, GA

Daniela Silva 
Los Angeles, CA

MaLu Simon 
Evanston, IL

Shera Sims 
Harrisonville, MO

James Singleton 
Eagle River, AK

Bryan Skar 
Elkhorn, NE

Toddrick Smith 
Germantown, TN

Jennifer Soncini 
Braintree, MA

Lisa Stanley 
Murfreesboro, TN

Thomas Stark 
San Antonio, TX

Eileen Studders 
De Pere, WI

Michael Suchar 
West Palm Beach, FL

Margaretta Tarver 
Marietta, GA

Anupama Tate 
Washington, DC

Nora Tleel 
San Diego, CA

Joseph Tylka 
Mundelein, IL

Viviene Valdez 
Albany, CA

Rajesh Vij 
Fairlawn, OH

William Waggoner 
Las Vegas, NV

Mitzi Wasden 
Ephraim, UT

Michael Webb 
Greenville, NC

Whitney Wignall 
Portland, ME

Cheryl Willett 
Santa Rosa, CA

Bryan Williams 
Lake Forest Park, WA

Zheng Xu 
Seattle, WA

Yu-Ju Yang 
Brighton, MI

Karen Yee-Lo 
Lakewood, WA

Farhad Yeroshalmi 
Great Neck, NY

Young Yi 
Boston, MA

Jeffrey Young 
Westminster, CO
 


Click here to see the article as it originally appeared in Pediatric Dentistry Today