Our Board of Directors

Dr. Pani has been involved in both clinical dental care and research on the oral health status of individuals with special healthcare needs in several countries including India, Saudi Arabia and Canada.

Sharat is a member of the executive committee of the International Association of Disability and Oral Health and has authored several papers on the oral health of individuals with special health care needs. He is also the chair of the disability and oral health working group of the Network for Collaborative Oral Health Research (NCOHR) .

He feels that retirement might take hold now, and wonders why he has less free time than when he was fully employed.

Paul continues to be an Adjunct Clinical Professor at Western’s Schulich Dental School and has been a very active member in professional organizations throughout his career.  For the ODA, he served two 6-year terms as a Councillor, was a member of the Articles and By-Laws Sub Committee, and is currently Chair of the Honours and Awards Committee.  For the London District Dental Society, he became President in 2005 and is a past Chair of the Honours and Awards Committee.  He also served as Secretary for, and is a past Chair of, the American College of Dentists, Ontario Section.

For his community, Paul has been active as a hockey and soccer coach, as well as teaching Sunday School and as a leader in Scouts Canada. He served as President of the Board of Directors for the Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre, in London and now serves on the Merrymount Foundation Board.

He is happily married to his lovely wife, Karen, for close to 50 years. Together they have three successful adult children and 6 grandchildren, and together they spoil their grandchildren without mercy.

Joan received the 2020 Merit Award from the Canadian Association for Public Health Dentistry, and in 2023 became an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Dentists in recognition of her advocacy for equitable access to oral health care for Canadians with disabilities.  Joan is a member of the Citizens Advisory Board to the CIHR Research Network for Canadian Oral Health Research and a member of their Disability and Oral Health Working Group.  Joan was previously VP Law, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for a Canadian life insurer that provided health and dental benefits, and she subsequently advised health and dental organizations.  Joan completed her Master of Laws at UBC, focusing on Health Law and Ethics. She is a former Adjunct Professor of law at UBC and received an adjunct appointment from the UBC Faculty of Dentistry to co-supervise a dental graduate student.  Joan was appointed a visiting scholar at UBC Law and received grants from the BC Law Foundation and the Vancouver Foundation to complete research on access to oral health care for persons with disabilities. She was a Director of CLBC, a Crown Corporation that supports adults with developmental disabilities, served as VP of the BC Developmental Disabilities Association, and she was a Director of the BC Cancer Agency Research Ethics Board. 

Carol is a creative collaborator in the promotion of oral health wellness for vulnerable populations, and has pursued countless opportunities to do so both professionally and through volunteer experiences throughout her career.

Carol’s many accomplishments include positions in dental hygiene clinical practice, management, consulting, and educational roles at universities, colleges, regulatory authorities, and with associations in both British Columbia and Manitoba. She retired from her role from the First Nations Health Authority in 2019 where she served as the Manager, Oral Health for the First Nations Peoples of British Columbia. Her substantive leadership experience includes appointments as a board member, chairperson and president of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA), governor of the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board (NDHCB), and as an active member of several national and regional steering committees. Along with her colleagues, Carol contributed her energy and enthusiasm to help pass The Dental Hygienists Act in Manitoba. Carol served as one of the founding oral health promotion specialists at the launching of the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Community Oral Health (CCOH) in 2000. As CCOH Health Promotion Unit’s manager, she contributed to ground-breaking caregiver training programs, resources, and research focused on adults dependent on others for their daily oral care. Over the arc of her oral health career, Carol has received numerous grants and awards. Most recently, she was Canada’s first-ever winner of the Golisano Health Leadership Award (’16), recognizing her dedicated volunteer work with Special Olympics on behalf of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Carol is a proud member of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association, the British Columbia Dental Hygienists Association, and the Canadian Association of Public Dentistry. Her publications and numerous presentations targeting the most vulnerable reflect her passion for achieving wellness by addressing access to care barriers and the important link between oral and overall health. Carol enjoys her on-going contributions as a Regional Clinical Advisor and as a Clinical Director of the Special Olympics’ Special Smiles Healthy Athletes program.

In early 2022 Carol was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in the American College of Dentists for her lifetime of contribution and dedication to her profession.

Relatedly, Shauna’s research interests include the integration of oral health professionals in primary healthcare and the integration of oral health into the education and practice of health professionals. As well, Shauna is passionate about oral health policy to improve the oral health of priority populations who are at an increased risk for oral disease and experience barriers to care. Shauna has completed a Diploma in Dental Hygiene (2004) and a Bachelor of Dental Hygiene (2012) at Dalhousie University. She obtained a Master of Health Studies degree from Athabasca University in 2017. As well, Shauna has completed the McGill Faculty of Dentistry Summer Institute in Mixed Methods in Health Research and the TUTOR-PHC (Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research in Primary Health Care) program at Western University. Shauna lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with her husband Jordan. When not working, she likes to spend time with family and friends at their cottage, traveling and tackling home projects.

He practiced full time paediatric dentistry from 1984 until 2014 when he had to take early retirement. He taught at the Schulich School of Dentistry for 41 years and finished off as an adjunct clinical professor in the Division of Paediatric dentistry, retiring from the school in 2018. From 1992 until April 2023 he was the Dental Director of the Cleft Lip and Palate and Craniofacial Anomaly Team at Thames Valley Children’s Centre in London, Ontario. Olaf served on the Executive of the London and District Dental Society from 1993-1998. He has authored or coauthored several scientific articles. He participated in Operation Walk Canada since 2016 as the paediatric dentist on its mission to Antigua, Guatemala. He sits on the Board of Directors of Merrymount Family support and Crisis Centre. He has been recognized by both the London and District Dental Society and the Ontario Dental Association for his contribution to the Specialty of Paediatric Dentistry and in 2018 was honoured with the Alumni of Distinction Award from the Schulich Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. He is a founding member of CSDH . Olaf is passionate about paediatric dentistry and feels honoured to have been chosen in 2020 as the first president of The Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health, a position he held for 3 1/2 years. He moved into the Past President's role in April of 2023.

Lindsay’s interest and passion for working with people living with developmental and intellectual disabilities began during her volunteer work with Special Olympics. She remains involved with the Special Smiles program and is an advocate for its role in creating opportunity for clinicians to gain education and experience working with people living with intellectual disabilities.

In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys playing hockey, spending time with her family and friends, travelling and skiing.

Dr. Lipinski has a history of service and leadership through organized dentistry. He served as President of the Halton-Peel Dental Association (HPDA) in 1996. He has served as Chair of the HPDA Long-term Care Committee, where he was instrumental in helping this region introduce the Seniors’ Dental Plan. At the provincial level, he has been active at the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) while serving on the Economics of Practice Core Committee from 2000 to 2006. He chaired the Task Force for revisions to the Uniform System of Codes and List of Services in 2002. He has been a Political Contact Dentist in his area since 1992 and, in this regard, assisted his MPP in proposing a resolution that would mandate community water fluoridation in Ontario. From 1997 to 2019, he represented HPDA as a Councillor at the ODA General Council.

He is now a board member for the Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health (CSDH). Dr. Lipinski believes in working collaboratively through advocacy, research, and education so all Canadians living with disabilities receive the highest quality healthcare. In his community, Dr. Lipinski has been treating individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) under general anesthesia for about 30 years at the Credit Valley Hospital.

His empathy, sense of duty, and compassion were recognized when he received the Trillium Health Partners Long Term Service Recognition Award in 2020. He received the ODA Award of Merit (2010), the ODA Community Service Award (2013), the ODA Service Award (2024) and has been honoured as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.

Steve has two children and three grandchildren. He enjoys his grandchildren immensely and finds being called “Pappi” most life affirming. He enjoys back country canoeing, blue water sailing and dabbling with projects around the house.

Lara also serves on ODHA’s Long-Term Care Advisory Committee and is passionate about increasing access to oral healthcare for equity-deserving populations.Description text goes here

In addition to her clinical expertise, she has developed a unique perspective and strong skills in policy development and governance through extensive board service for organizations such as Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Hygienists’ Association, NL College of Dental Hygienists, NL Council of Health Professionals, the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FDHRC), and the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board (NDHCB). Her professional goal is to emphasize the critical role of preventative care in overall health and advocate for systemic changes that ensure equitable access to oral health care for all.

Dr. Teekasingh is also a past member of the Cleft Lip and Palate team at Royal University Hospital as well as a member of the Bleeding Disorders and Head and Neck Oncology Clinics and remains active with the administration of Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) in decisions pertaining to the organization and delivery of dental care in the SHA. While the bulk of his practice is located at University Hospital, he often attends all three hospitals in Saskatoon. The remainder of his time involves teaching undergraduate and postgraduate dental students who rotate through the department.  

She has worked in the Long-Term Care sector for over 30 years, leading teams of nursing professionals to develop and implement daily oral care programs and expand their knowledge and abilities to manage the oral health needs of individuals that need assistance.  She has taught college, university students, nurse educators, and interdisciplinary care staff and has lectured extensively on health issues related to the oral health needs of geriatric populations.