GSDM’s Dr. Paula Friedman to Lead Massachusetts Dental Society
Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Dr. Paula Friedman was recently elected to the role of Vice President of the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS). She will serve as VP, then advance to President-Elect, followed by President. Each is a one year appointment.
Dr. Friedman has been involved with MDS on some level since 1978, but it was not until 2005 that she began pursuing leadership roles within the organization. In 2005, she was appointed to the Women’s Leadership Task Force. This Task Force recommended creating the MDS Leadership Institute in order to make leadership of MDS more transparent to all members. Dr. Friedman then took part in the Institute and later served as a guest member on the MDS Board.
“I have so much respect and admiration for the Massachusetts Dental Society,” said Dr. Friedman. “I am truly honored to have been elected to this position.”
Dr. Friedman was nominated for this role by the Metropolitan District Dental Society, one of 13 districts within MDS. Her nomination and subsequent election is especially noteworthy because MDS is mainly comprised of practicing dental professionals and Dr. Friedman is a full-time academician. She feels that her election is partly an acknowledgement of the importance of dental education as part of the profession and desire on the part of MDS to attract both dental students and new graduates to the Society.
In this new role she looks forward to conveying the philosophy of MDS and to building bridges both inside and outside of the dental profession.
“The Massachusetts Dental Society is a big tent organization that is representative of the entire profession,” said Dr. Friedman. “We welcome both new and experienced practitioners, men and women of all ethnicities, and generalists as well as specialists. In this role I hope to involve, include, and engage as many dentists as possible for the purpose of improving oral health for the residents of Massachusetts.”
Dr. Friedman continued, “The more voices we have, the louder our message will be heard. In addition, I would like to reach out to other health professionals to invite broader engagement across the professions in the pursuit of better oral health.”
“Congratulations to Dr. Paula Friedman,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “She is truly deserving of this new role and I am confident that the Massachusetts Dental Society will be in good hands under her stellar leadership.”