ADA News

Washington—It’s a tale of two freshmen, both incidentally from Florida and merely seated next to each other when they met at the Washington Leadership Conference, each at a different stage in their chosen profession, both testing leadership waters in different ways but here to learn.

New to WLC: Veena Vaidyanathan, second year student at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and Dr. F. Reese Harrison, Lynn Haven, Fla., attended their first Washington Leadership Conference May 9-11. Photo by Bill Geiger

The May 9-11 WLC had 566 registrants, including 395 dentists, state dental leaders, students and guests. An estimated 50 attendees self-identified as first-timers at this annual springtime professional lobby when dentists go to Capitol Hill to carry dentistry’s messages to their representatives and senators. Do the math and you’ll come up with roughly one in 10 registrants defining themselves as leaders in the rough and ready to rise to leadership.

ADA President-elect Bill Calnon called out one of our two WLC freshmen from the speaker’s podium, inviting Veena Vaidyanathan, second year student at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, to stand with two other attendees representing the American Student Dental Association. “Thank you for being with us,” Dr. Calnon said as the audience of predominantly veteran WLCers applauded.

Ms. Vaidyanathan of Arcadia, Fla., told us that she chairs ASDA’s legislative grassroots network and looks forward to joining the ADA Council on Government Affairs in October as student liaison. “I run our student lobbying day and I hope to learn something here so that I can plan next year’s lobby day in Washington.” This year as a participant she joined dental students in lobbying Congress for National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research appropriations and dental responder legislation. Both measures have the strong support of the American Dental Association.

Dr. F. Reese Harrison is 12 years into his Lynn Haven, Fla., solo practice. Freshman to freshman, Dr. Harrison is here to support and inform Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.) whom he helped elect to the 112th Congress. “I did a fund raiser for him, one of many,” he says modestly. “The main reason I’m here is to understand the process of dealing with legislators and communicating with them, so I can understand communications with Steve better and also with national leaders. He comes to me and wants my opinion and guidance.”

Our tale of two WLC freshmen is rich with promise. Both say they will return for a 2012 WLC.

Welcome, freshman class.