Center for Oral Health is pleased to announce the addition of Theresa Anselmo, BSDH, RDH, MPH to its management team. She will oversee Center for Oral Health’s assessments statewide and the Oral Health Access Council (OHAC), California’s oral health coalition.
Theresa was born and raised near Denver, Colorado, where in 1991 she graduated from the University of Colorado School of Dentistry with a Bachelor’s of Science in Dental Hygiene. She spent 11 years in clinical practice, working in general dentistry and periodontal specialty practices.
Theresa turned her attention to public health in 2002 when she joined the Colorado Department of Public Health as the Oral Health Program Manager. She was promoted to State Dental Director in 2008, a position that enhanced her experience in program design, implementation, and evaluation. During the next three years she completed her Master’s Degree in Public Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
Theresa came to California in 2011 where she worked for the County of San Luis Obispo as the Oral Health Program Manager. This position allowed her to return to direct preventive practice, while at the same time expanding her work in community-based public health. She has focused on policy and systems change, and has coordinated two oral health conferences.
Theresa has had national appointments to the American Dental Hygienists Association Council on Public Health, the American Dental Association’s Review of Topical Fluorides committee, the Dental Quality Alliance Pediatric Measures, and the Robert Wood Johnson Systematic Screening and Assessment of Oral Health Innovations workgroups. She has authored a number of papers, and given presentations at local, state, and national conferences.
In addition to her passion for public health Theresa enjoys reading, listening to music, biking, renovating her 100 year-old bungalow, and her two cats. She has recently been involved with the formation of the non-profit Atascadero Blades on Ice, where she is the Director of the ice skating school. Theresa has figure skated since childhood, and is thrilled to have it back in her life.
“We are proud of this new addition to our team, we are confident that Theresa will make significant contributions to COH. Her knowledge, expertise and public health experience will help advance a progressive oral health agenda everywhere COH is doing work, in and outside California.” said Dr. Barzaga, Executive Director of the Center for Oral Health.
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