Sukalski wins award at National Oral Health Conference

Jennifer Sukalski, a Graduate Research Assistant in the PPC's Health Policy Research Program, was awarded the Leverett Graduate Student Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dental Public Health for Master and Doctoral Degree Students in Dental Public Health and Dental Public Health Residents at last week's (April 16-18) National Oral Health Conference (NOHC).

Her poster, "Periodontal Treatment Needs in a Medicaid Expansion Population," which she presented at the conference, took the second place Leverett award. Sukalski is pursuing a PhD in Oral Sciences with an emphasis on dental public health and health policy, and is expected to graduate in 2021. Her research is focused on the effects of health care reform on overall health, dental health, and access to care, as well as dental workforce trends in Iowa.

Also presenting at the conference from the PPC was Dr. Julie Reynolds with her poster, "Comparison of Iowa Dentist Participation in a Medicaid State Plan Versus a Private Carve-out Plan for the Medicaid Expansion Population." Dr. Susan McKernan gave an oral presentation entitiled, "Environmental Scan of Medical-Dental Integration in Public Health Settings: Targeting Cardiovascular Disease." Graduate Research Assistant Aparna Shivanand Ingleshwar attended the conference, as well.