ADA names new executive director

The ADA has named Kathleen O'Loughlin, D.M.D., M.P.H., as its executive director and chief operating officer, effective June 1. Dr. O'Loughlin brings management experience and a background in theorizing about questions of access to care to the post.

The organization has run without an executive director since April 18, 2008, when James Bramson, D.D.S., left the post , along with Chief Operating Officer Mary Logan. ADA presidents -- first Mark Feldman, D.M.D., then John Findley, D.D.S. -- have doubled as executive directors in the interim.

Kathleen O'Loughlin, D.M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. O'Loughlin was selected because she brings "varied experience to the table," she told DrBicuspid.com. In addition to years of experience as a private dentist, Dr. O'Loughlin brings management experience and a background in theorizing about questions of access to care.

Dr. O'Loughlin's father was a dentist. She started and ran her own general practice in Medford, MA, and a nearby town for 20 years. "I know what it's like to deliver care on a one-to-one basis," she said.

Following her years in private practice, she spent 10 years in dental education, working as an administrator at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, where she still holds the position of assistant clinical professor.

At the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, she developed a master's in public health program, oversaw the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene accreditation, and planned the expansion of the dental hygiene program to the Worcester campus.

From 2002 to 2007, Dr. O'Loughlin served as president and CEO of Delta Dental of Massachusetts, during which time the company doubled its reserves, grew membership by 400%, made $53 million in donations to charity and academic institutions, and executed a dramatic five-year growth plan, according to an ADA statement.

She has served as the president of the Oral Health Foundation of Massachusetts. Starting in December 2008, she served as chief dental officer for United Healthcare.

Dr. O'Loughlin was the chief author of a 2005 article in the Journal of the American College of Dentists (Vol. 72:4, pp. 42-47), arguing that guidelines should be based solely on the efficacy of procedures because disparities in disease and access to care must be considered.

She was attracted to the executive director position at the ADA by "the opportunity to help the profession navigate its way through very challenging times," she told DrBicuspid.com. On the one hand, dentistry has developed more effective treatments, she said. On the other hand, too many people are not getting dental care.

"Most dentists practice alone," Dr. O'Loughlin said. "Dentists need strong representation in the larger world."

The post attracted 200 applicants, Dr. O'Loughlin said. She was impressed by the thoroughness of the vetting process that led to her selection and by the emphasis on values and integrity. "All the [ADA] trustees were deeply involved," she said. "They took their time. They were not going to be rushed. They kept confidentiality."

Dr. O'Loughlin earned her doctor of dental medicine, summa cum laude, from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine; a master's degree in public health, healthcare management from Harvard University; and a bachelor's degree, cum laude, in biology from Boston University.

She has been active in the ADA and the Massachusetts Dental Society, in which she held several volunteer leadership positions, including for the Yankee Dental Congress, held annually in Boston.

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