The CDA Foundation’s Board of Directors guide ongoing efforts to support dental professionals, reduce barriers to care and improve Californians’ oral health. Here’s an opportunity to get to know two of those board members, Richard Graham, DDS and Dr. Priyadarshini Agrawal DMD.
The 2022 Chair of CDAF’s Board of Directors, Richard Graham, DDS first volunteered at a Solano County CDA Cares event in 2014 and has continued to attend every Cares event since. A leader in the dental community, his service includes membership on the CDA Board of Trustees and CDA Practice Support Workgroup. He has actively served in various capacities on the Foundation’s board since 2018.
“It is very rewarding to touch people’s lives in such a significant way through our charitable programs,” Graham says, when asked about his involvement with the Foundation. “It is also a wonderful experience to work shoulder to shoulder with like-minded, altruistic colleagues and CDA staff.”
Helping his peers in dentistry become more aware of opportunities to give back to the community is something Graham is passionate about. “My Foundation experience began by answering a call from a colleague to help at a Cares event,” he explains. “It was a simple enough request but one that exposed me to so many new opportunities to help people with the giving of my time and skills as a dentist. There is a profound need to reach out to those individuals that do not have the same level of access to care as our patients in private practice or academic clinics.”
Graham is a general dentist practicing in Rohnert Park, California.
Priyadarshini Agrawal, DMD gained her appreciation for CDAF’s mission as a Webb Family Grant recipient. After serving as a CDA leadership development participant, she became a Foundation Board Member Director.
While her position on the Board is Agrawal’s first leadership role in organized dentistry, it is not the first time she has had the opportunity to promote equitable and accessible care. In her position as a general dentist at HealthRight 360 in San Francisco, California, she led the development of a pediatric program for vulnerable pediatric populations.
When asked what it is about CDAF that encourages her involvement, Agrawal notes, “The Foundation is all about health access and health equity. I am passionate about assuring quality care to vulnerable people, and I believe the Foundation has and will continue to be committed to that.”
One memory stands out in Agrawal’s mind when she considers the Foundation’s mission. “I remember a discussion at the Foundation board last year during which Dr. Ron Mead, then chair of the board, expressed his frustration about our not being able to conduct large Cares event. ‘I like to get things done’, he said. As someone who also like to get things done, that resonated with me,” Agrawal states.
To her peers who also like “to get things done,” Agrawal encourages participation in CDAF events. “Access to care is critical to good health and wellbeing,” she explains. “The Foundation is one way to get involved with assuring that access.”