Jill Rethman has over 40 years’ experience in the dental hygiene profession. A graduate of The Ohio State University, she was named the OSU Outstanding Dental Hygiene Alumnus for 2004. In 2025, she was awarded the OSU Dental Alumni Society Distinguished Alumni Award, the only dental hygienist to receive this honor.  Jill has presented programs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan, and her articles have been featured in numerous dental and dental hygiene publications. For the past 12 years, she has been the Editor in Chief of Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, a national professional journal in the United States that is read by 75,000 subscribers.

Jill participated in the American Academy of Periodontology’s Committee on Dental Hygiene Education and has co-authored a chapter for three textbooks: Comprehensive Periodontics for the Dental Hygienist; Periodontics: Medicine, Surgery and Implants; and Dental Hygiene Concepts, Cases and Competencies. Jill has served as a visiting Clinical Instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Dental Medicine, Department of Dental Hygiene, and is an Adjunct Professor at The Ohio State University School of Dental Hygiene.

In 2005, she received a Special Citation from the American Academy of Periodontology for her efforts in organizing the AAP’s Annual Dental Hygiene Symposium. She is a 2014 recipient of the Johnson & Johnson/ADHA Award for Excellence. Jill is honored to have served on the Board of Directors of the Sunstar Foundation for Oral Health Promotion and is a Past President of the Hawaii Dental Hygienists’ Association and the American Dental Hygienists Association.  She is the 2024-2026 President of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists.

Victoria Patrounova RDH, MHA is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas in Houston, School of Dentistry in the Department of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene. Dr. Patrounova earned her dental degree in 1991 in Moscow, Russia; her Certificate in Dental Hygiene from UT Dental Branch in 1999, and her Master in Healthcare Administration from Texas Woman’s University in 2007.  Victoria published articles in dental and dental hygiene journals and authored a chapter in a textbook. She presented over 50 in-person CE courses at ADHA, RDH UOR, Texas Dental, and Dental Hygienists Association conferences, Star of the South dental meetings, ODU & UMKC alumni, local dental study clubs, and dental hygiene meetings. She also presented webinars for ADEA, the American Dental Assistants Association, Colgate Oral Health Network and local dental professional organizations. Victoria is a recipient of the 2016 GHDHA Ester Wilkins Award, the 2017 and 2018 Dean’s Excellence Award, and the 2018 Procter & Gamble Teaching Excellence Award. She was also selected to participate in the 2019 ADEA Emerging Academic Leaders program.

Ms. Patrounova served as a President of the Greater Houston Dental Hygienists’ Association, GAC committee member, Resolution committee chair for the Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association, and Chair of the ADEA Section on Addictions Education.

In her spare time, Victoria loves to read, attend theater and ballet performances, and travel with her family.

Trisha O’Hehir, MS, RDH is co-founder and President of O’Hehir University. She earned degrees in Dental Hygiene and Higher Education from the University of Minnesota. Her career spans more than five decades and includes private clinical practice in the United States and Zurich, Switzerland, as well as faculty positions at the Universities of Minnesota, Washington, Arizona, and Louisville.

In Arizona, Trisha pioneered the role of the Periodontal Therapist and spent several years teaching local anesthesia while also providing anesthesia in an oral surgery practice. She has completed advanced training in Myofunctional Therapy and Buteyko Breathing. In addition to extensive clinical and teaching experience, she designed the O’Hehir New Millennium (spoon) Curettes manufactured by PDT.

Trisha served on the founding editorial board of RDH Magazine in 1980 and authored its Periodontics Column for 14 years. She later became the first Editorial Director of Hygienetown Magazine. She wrote Perio Reports, a research summary publication, for more than 26 years and has authored hundreds of articles translating emerging research into practical clinical applications. Her publications include the textbook Compendium of Current Research, the cartoon book The Toothpaste Secret, the Minibuk LipZip, and a contribution to the textbook Comprehensive Dental Hygiene Care by Irene Woodall. Her work has appeared in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene, Journal of Dental Hygiene, Journal of Dental Research, Journal of the American Dental Association, RDH Magazine, Hygienetown Magazine, and Access.

In 2012, Trisha and two dental hygiene colleagues founded O’Hehir University, an international online educational center where licensed dental hygienists can complete a six-month Bachelor of Science in Oral Health Promotion. The university recently launched a Master of Arts program structured on the European modular model with three six-month modules. O’Hehir University now has more than 400 graduates worldwide.

Her honors include the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota School of Dental Hygiene (1991) and the Warner-Lambert/ADHA Excellence in Dental Hygiene Award (1992). Trisha lives and works in Phoenix, Arizona, and is a Past President of the Arizona State Dental Hygienists’ Association.

A future-focused thinker and dynamic educator, Trisha presents thought-provoking programs that combine current research, practical clinical applications, and innovative perspectives on the future of oral health care.

Melissa K. Turner doesn’t follow industry trends—she creates them. Operating at the intersection of brand strategy, clinical credibility, executive decision-making, and emerging technology, she is shaping how ideas, products, and leaders earn trust and adoption at scale. With a background stemming from her work as a clinical licensed dental hygienist, Turner is known for translating clinical reality into adoption strategy, influencing how innovation gains professional credibility across hygienists, dentists, and leadership teams. Her current work spans brand strategy, go-to-market positioning, influence architecture, executive presence, and technology integration, including artificial intelligence in dentistry. Turner has served in senior executive and advisory roles across the industry, including as the profession’s first Chief Hygiene Officer, as a Chief Marketing Officer, and as a fractional executive embedded with leadership teams during periods of growth, repositioning, and innovation. Her accolades include features across dental media, being honored in the 2024 Marquis Who’s Who in America, Top Teledentistry Leaders to Know and the dental hygiene industry’s highest honor, the Sunstar RDH Award of Distinction. Turner is the Co-Founder of the Denobi Awards and the National Mobile & Teledentistry Conference, Founding Board Member of the American Mobile & Teledentistry Alliance, Co-Chair of the Oral Health Prevention Summit, and Creator of the HALO System™ (Human + AI Leadership Optimization)—a strategic operating system designed to help organizations and leaders earn trust, command relevance, and scale influence without relying on noise. She is known for building movements quietly—long before the industry realizes they’ve started. Turner can be reached at www.melissakturner.com.