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Hello, and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare podcast.

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I'm Haley Reitker, and we are live at

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the Becker's Healthcare fall 2024

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future of dentistry roundtable.

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I am thrilled today to be joined by

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doctor Carolina Perdomo Ruiz, who who is a

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dentist with the Global and Population Health Department

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at Boston University, Henry m Goldman School of

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Dental Medicine. Carolina, thank you so much for

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being here. Before we begin, can I have

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you introduce yourself a little further and tell

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us a little bit about your background?

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Good morning. Thank you for having me. So,

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yes, my name is doctor Carolina Hordom Ruiz.

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I'm a dentist with the, as you say

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it, as the global population health department at

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BU,

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the School of Dental Medicine,

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and currently

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work, in in the school based program as

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a dentist.

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And what we do there is focus on

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delivering compassionate care to diverse communities

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and with focus on underserved populations.

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My journey in dentistry has always been rooted

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in a passion for making oral healthcare

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accessible for empowering communities through education

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and preventing care.

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Well, thank you so much for that introduction.

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I'm gonna go ahead and jump right into

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my first question.

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So what key experiences have shaped your leadership

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journey in the dental slash DSO industry thus

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far?

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Well, several

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experience

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has influenced my leadership

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approach in this field.

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Working with the,

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dental institution,

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I have

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the opportunity to lead initiative

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and aim

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on reducing health disparities in Latino and other

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minority communities.

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Additional to that, I volunteer to organizations

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such as Massachusetts

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Hispanic Dental Association

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and the Remote Area Medical like RAM USA,

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has reinforced my dedication to serving those in

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need.

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These roles has taught me that the importance

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of empathy,

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teamwork,

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and the persistence when navigating challenges with the

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dental health care.

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Well, thank you so much for providing such

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a valuable perspective.

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Now looking ahead, what strategic initiatives are you

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focusing on to drive both growth and enhance

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patient care?

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So that's very,

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important,

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question. So my focus in in on expanded

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access to the preventive services and education,

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which are the fundamental to improving

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oral outcomes,

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We are also exploring partnerships that will allow

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us to offer more comprehensive,

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culturally

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competent care to communities.

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For the growth

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of our team is

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prioritizing

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sustainable patient centered approaches

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that include enhanced

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communication and engagement with patients

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so they feel empowered and informed in their

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care journey.

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Well, thank you so much for sharing. And

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on that note, I imagine there are a

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lot of unique challenges that also come up

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in the dental and DSO landscape.

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Are there any particular issues that you and

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your team are currently navigating, and how are

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you addressing them?

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One of the biggest challenges in the DSO

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industry

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is the shortage of affordable and accessible

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dental care options,

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especially for the marginated populations.

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Another is the insurance

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consistency

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in high quality care across different clinics.

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In response of our focus has been on

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enhancing collaboration

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with the local and national

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organizations

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to provide additional

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resources and support to underserved

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areas.

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We also emphasize

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the outgoing training and development for our team

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to maintain

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a high standard of care.

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Alright. And before we wrap up here, what

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essential qualities or skills should emerging leaders in

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the industry cultivate?

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Those emergency leaders should prioritize

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empathy,

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adaptability,

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and commitment to lifelong learning.

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In our industry,

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understanding patients'

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unique needs and challenges can lead to more

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personalized,

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effective care.

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In addition to this, that the adaptability

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is crucial

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as they feel involved with the modern technologies

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and approaches.

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Cultivating

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a grow mindset will allow future leaders to

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stay

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innovative and compassionate,

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fostering a more inclusive and responsive dental care

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system.

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Well, thank you so much for joining us

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today on the Becker's Healthcare Podcast.

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Once again, we are live at the Becker's

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Healthcare fall 2024 future of dentistry roundtable.

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Carolina, it's been wonderful having you with us

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today, and I hope you enjoy the rest

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of the event. Thank you so much.