Learning Objectives:

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Describe key research priorities related to the oral health workforce and dental public health education identified in the AAPHD 2025 Research Agenda.
2. Discuss current evidence gaps and emerging challenges affecting the oral health workforce and dental public health education.
3. Identify opportunities for research, collaboration, and innovation to strengthen the oral health workforce and advance dental public health education.

Speakers

Shillpa Naavaal, BDS, MS, MPH, PhD

Dr. Shillpa Naavaal is a board certified diplomate in Dental Public Health, and a health services researcher whose work shapes oral health policy and practice. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health and Policy at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry. Her research focuses on access to preventive and evidence based healthcare among vulnerable populations, oral health utilization, the impact of health policies, and the integration of dental and medical care to improve both oral and overall health outcomes.

Dr. Naavaal brings extensive expertise in public health research, advanced methodologies, and data analytics, utilizing national surveys, administrative claims, and other complex datasets. She has authored numerous publications and reports and secured funding from agencies including the NIH, CDC, and HRSA.
Her contributions have been recognized nationally and institutionally, including the National International Recognition Award (NIRA), honoring exceptional accomplishments and impactful scholarship, and the Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine (WISDM) Professional Achievement Award at VCU.
In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Naavaal is deeply engaged in policy and professional service. She serves as a board member and Treasurer of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD) and contributes to several national and state level organizations dedicated to improving public health, oral health equity, and evidence based policy.

Sepideh Banava, DDS, MSc, MBA, MPH, Diplomate ABDPH

Associate Professor, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Dr. Sepideh Banava, is an Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she serves as Deputy Director of the Dental Public Health Residency Program. Her expertise spans preventive and restorative dentistry and dental materials, dental public health, dental informatics, electronic health record (EHR) data analytics, oral health disparities, oral health literacy, and population oral health. Her current research leverages clinical and real-world data to advance evidence-based care, improve health outcomes, and address the needs of underserved and vulnerable populations.

Dr. Banava is the lead author of “Forward Outlook on Oral Health: The American Association of Public Health Dentistry’s 2025 Research Agenda for Dental Public Health,” a collaborative work published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry. Building on this work, she is leading the AAPHD Research Agenda Key Priorities Webinar Series, bringing together experts to examine key priorities identified in the Research Agenda, highlight emerging evidence and critical research gaps, and foster collaboration and future research in dental public health.