FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHICAGO, April 13, 2022 — The American Dental Association (ADA) today announces Dr. Brené Brown, researcher and author of six #1 New York Times best-sellers, will kick off SmileCon™ 2022 in Houston, Texas on October 13.
A research professor at the University of Houston, Brown serves as the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work and is also a visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business.
She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy, and some of her best-sellers include Atlas of the Heart and Dare to Lead. Brown is the host of the weekly Spotify original podcasts “Unlocking Us” and “Dare to Lead.” Her TED talk on the “Power of Vulnerability” is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with over 50 million views. She is also the first researcher to have a filmed lecture on Netflix, titled “Call to Courage,” which debuted in 2019.
“We’re truly honored to announce Dr. Brown will join us at SmileCon,” said ADA President Dr. Cesar R. Sabates. “Dr. Brown’s work around authentic self and vulnerability, as well as leadership, is in complete alignment with where we need to go as an organization. With her contribution to our Opening Session, and in her hometown of Houston no less, we’re looking forward to a powerful event that reflects a new day for dentistry,” continued Dr. Sabates.
SmileCon 2022, the ADA’s joint meeting with the 2022 Texas Dental Association Meeting and the 2023 Greater Houston Dental Society’s Star of the South Dental Meeting, will take place Oct. 13-15 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Registration for the meeting opens June 1.
For more information on Dr. Brené Brown and the SmileCon Opening Session, visit the SmileCon page on ADA.org.
About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 159,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), published monthly, is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website MouthHealthy.org.