Recipients of the 2024 Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction announced
Editor's note: AOD awardees from left: Anne Rice, Alyssa Delgado, Kevin Lopez, Alyssa Aberle, Luminita Dica, Katrina Sanders-Stewart.
The Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction is presented to licensed dental hygienists who go above and beyond typical hygiene practice. These hygienists serve as role models and mentors to all of us and use their education and talents to make this world a better place.
This award celebrates excellence in dental hygiene across diverse categories, offering a comprehensive spectrum of recognition for accomplishments within the field. The Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction has become the annual celebration of dental hygienists. Let’s celebrate with the six newest recipients of the Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction!
Alyssa Aberle, MBA, RDH, CDIPC, FADHA
(Arvada, Colorado)
Category: Public health
Alyssa Aberle has dedicated her entire career to public health. Her first job out of dental hygiene school was working for the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, overseeing the school-based sealant program grantees. In this role, she helped support nonprofit organizations, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and independent dental hygienists who were providing care in school-based settings.
Through the connections made in this role, Alyssa has since worked for several nonprofit organizations and FQHCs, including Kids in Need of Dentistry, Colorado Orthodontic Foundation, Salud Family Health Centers, STRIDE Community Health Center, and Deserving Dental.
Alyssa also serves as the executive director for the Colorado Dental Hygienists’ Association. She leads legislative and advocacy efforts to increase access to care, expand the scope of dental hygiene, and provide more expansive preventive and restorative services in public health settings. Alyssa believes that her greatest impact on individuals in Colorado has been through her administrative and advocacy roles by helping to increase services that direct access dental hygienists can provide.
Legislative efforts supported by Alyssa include limited prescriptive authority for Colorado hygienists, utilization of silver diamine fluoride (SDF), placing interim therapeutic restorations, implementing teledentistry models, allowing dental therapy in Colorado, and increasing access to mental health and substance use support for dental hygienists. Alyssa is passionate about finding creative solutions and sharing these models with others so patients can receive the best care possible.
In 2014, Alyssa was hired by STRIDE Community Health Center to work on their new grant-funded, mobile dental van. At that time, only one dentist was working on the dental truck part-time, but the program was not sustainable. Very few families were accessing these dental services. Alyssa transitioned the program to a school-based dental sealant program in Colorado’s largest school district, serving more than 35 schools, providing dental screenings, fluoride varnish, sealants, SDF, and other preventive services.
The program was able to continue through the pandemic and is still operating today. Alyssa feels this is her greatest achievement because the program serves schools in communities that are often overlooked for dental services, and it is sustainable for many years to come.
Alyssa currently uses the expansive dental hygiene scope of practice in Colorado temporary housing shelters and addiction recovery settings. She works for a nonprofit organization, Deserving Dental, which is owned and operated by a dental hygienist and fellow Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction recipient, Jennifer Geiselhofer. Deserving Dental provides mobile preventive and restorative dental hygiene care to Colorado’s unhoused population. Alyssa strives to provide excellent patient care while maintaining patient dignity to help them create generational change for health.
In addition to working as a clinician, Alyssa has been an administrator, educator, entrepreneur, researcher, and in public health, enabling her to see the profession from many different aspects. As an administrator, she became the first executive director of the Colorado Dental Hygienists’ Association (CODHA). She brought in multiple grants to help support the work of CODHA, establishing them as a key stakeholder in policy and legislative work, and helping evolve their state annual conference to become one of the premier dental hygiene events in the country.
As an educator and entrepreneur, Alyssa provides continuing education to dental professionals on public health, SDF, and infection prevention. As a researcher and public health hygienist, Alyssa has helped expand the medical/dental integration model and virtual dental home.
Alyssa’s unwavering dedication to public health and exemplary leadership in clinical practice and corporate nonprofit administration has improved the lives of many while advancing the entire profession.
Alyssa Delgado, MSDH, RDH, RF
(Mankato, Minnesota)
Category: Academia
One of Alyssa Delgado’s favorite quotes is: “Good teachers teach. Great teachers inspire.” This quote reflects Alyssa’s passion for inspiring the next generation of dental hygienists. Her desire is not just to be good at her job and competent in delivering the curriculum, but also to impact students and new professionals to lead the profession into the future.
Alyssa says, “Each of my students has a special place in my heart, and I truly commit to helping them navigate not only dental hygiene school but also this transitional time in their young adult lives. Students look to me as a mentor, guide, instructor, motivator, and safe place.”
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a dental hygiene educator is seeing the transformation that students undergo as they gain confidence and step into leadership roles. Alyssa has encouraged nine undergraduate students to start original research projects, four students to serve in national roles within the ADHA, seven students to go on to receive higher education, and two students to start their own businesses.
Alyssa’s heart for community service and impacting her local, national, and global communities began in dental hygiene school where she took on leadership roles in community outreach events. This initial exposure to community outreach sparked a deep love for impacting individuals’ lives. In graduate school, she started a nonprofit organization aimed at connecting those experiencing homelessness with quality oral hygiene products. Alyssa’s passion for service inspires her students to give back in big and small ways throughout their education.
One example is the annual Senior Smiles event in the student dental clinic, delivering free care to the geriatric population, which often struggles with lack of dental insurance and financial strain. She states, “To see my students pull together to help create this event made me so proud to know that each of us can make a difference.”
Alyssa expanded community outreach through her leadership role in a study abroad opportunity for dental hygiene students to deliver restorative care in Belize while in their senior year. She says, “To give each dental hygiene student the opportunity to be exposed to global dental care and step outside of their immediate comfort zone has been incredibly life-changing.”
This student service learning event in Belize has led to the founding of another nonprofit organization that serves the people of Belize in a more impactful way by allowing dental volunteers to spend time restoring health and wellness in a community that is underserved.
As an educator, Alyssa saw a need in the hygiene program to incorporate a research component to inspire students to contribute to the overall body of knowledge in dental hygiene, so she integrated research-based methodology into the curriculum. Through this initiative, nine undergraduate students have completed original research projects, and three of those students have presented at national conferences.
When Alyssa was first hired as an assistant professor, she was the youngest person that the college had ever hired. She was often mistaken for a student and had to establish her professionalism and competence as an educator early on. She was committed to working hard and contributing to the university, college, and community while keeping her focus on her students’ needs.
This hard work and dedication paid off as she was tenured last year. Achieving tenure status and promotion within five years is one of Alyssa’s greatest achievements and a reflection of the culmination of excellence in teaching and dedication to educating the next generation of dental hygienists.
Luminita Dica, RDH
(Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)
Category: Full-time clinician
After working as an assistant for a few years, Luminita Dica returned to school and graduated with a dental hygiene degree in 2008. After four years of working in different dental practices, she opened her own practice in Ontario, Canada. Her business has grown to more than 2,500 patients. Lumi prides herself on helping clients achieve good oral health, going above and beyond in educating them and researching the best products and tools.
Offering a glamorous twist to dental hygiene, Lumi sets herself apart with her upscale vibe but down-to-earth approach. In the words of one happy client, “Once in a while, we come across a professional who was clearly born for their job. Lumi emanates warmth and kindness and is easily one of the most approachable people I know. She is tirelessly patient and hard-working. She assesses her clients’ comfort level regularly throughout appointments. She pours her heart and soul into delivering the best possible results for clients every day. After a relaxing and pain-free session, which feels more like a spa retreat than a dental appointment, patients leave looking and feeling their best.
"Like me, they all have nothing but praise for her. Lumi has made waves in the community where I live, earning a reputation as a top hygienist whom I can confidently recommend to all my friends and family. I’ve been coming to Lumi’s for many years, and it’s abundantly clear to me that, for her, dental hygiene is not work; it’s a passion. For most professionals, a high income is the best possible reward, and what they are most proud of. For Lumi, however, this is not the case. Our smiles are her success stories.”
In previous years, Lumi participated in Gift from the Heart, offering one day of free dental prophies to low-income people. Since the pandemic, she has instead provided free prophies to one or two patients each month. This way, Lumi offers free prophies to up to 24 patients per year instead of the eight to 10 patients she saw previously during the Gift from the Heart day.
In addition to offering one or two free monthly prophies, Lumi also holds an annual Kidney Foundation of Canada Charity Day and donates 100% of the daily proceeds to the foundation. In nine years, this event has donated $9,000 to the Kidney Foundation. On this day, people who do not have benefits are seen and treated at a lower fee. Lumi invites a staff person from the Kidney Foundation of Canada to participate by greeting clients and handing out vital information about the programs and services offered.
Lumi is proud of being a 2020 Diamond Award winner for dental clinics in Kitchener-Waterloo. She also received the Record Reader’s Choice Award for favorite dental clinic in 2015 and 2016. In 2021, Lumi was presented with accreditation by the Canadian Business Review Board for customer satisfaction, business leadership, outstanding service, and strong vision. In 2024, her clinic was voted number one in two categories—best dental clinic and best dental hygiene clinic—by community voters in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. But for Lumi, no award is more precious than the glowing praise from satisfied patients.
Kevin Lopez, MHA, BSDH, RDH
(Vallejo, California)
Category: New RDH
As a new graduate, Kevin Lopez has dedicated himself to revolutionizing oral health care. He has made an impact on individual patients’ lives through clinical implementation of guided biofilm therapy (GBT). Kevin’s passion for GBT, with its patient-centric focus, has allowed him to truly personalize his patients’ oral health care.
Kevin also teaches GBT to others through speaking engagements and by training clinicians across the country as well as in Japan. Sharing his expertise with hygienists in Japan fosters cross-cultural collaboration and the advancement of dental hygiene practices globally. This accomplishment has been personally fulfilling and a testament to the impact Kevin has made early on in his career.
Being acknowledged by professionals halfway across the world has been a catalyst for continued growth and innovation, motivating Kevin to further contribute to the dental community and promote best practice in oral health care, thereby solidifying his commitment to excellence on a national and global scale.
Kevin says, “My commitment to thorough patient education and tailored treatment plans has significantly improved my patients’ oral health outcomes. By integrating the latest technologies and evidence-based techniques, I’ve strived to ensure that every patient receives comprehensive and effective treatment. As a recent graduate, I’m confident and proud that my contributions to individual patients’ lives have made an impact, and I am continuously dedicated to continuing my journey of excellence in the dental space.”
Kevin endeavors to uphold ethical standards beyond the norm. He has written articles on the topic of ethics for RDH magazine. His approach goes beyond meeting the bare minimum of what dentistry considers the standard of care. In doing so, he fosters a trusting and compassionate environment that prioritizes the well-being of his patients.
Kevin’s most cherished accomplishment is being invited to join Sanders Board Preparatory as faculty within just two years of graduating from dental hygiene school. He states, “This achievement reflects my dedication and expertise in the academic setting and the field of dental hygiene overall. The opportunity to educate and mentor aspiring dental hygiene students is an honor and a privilege. It underscores my commitment to the growth and development of future professionals, offering them insights, guidance, and strategies for success. Being entrusted with this role has reinforced my passion for education and my aspiration to continue making a positive impact in the dental community. It is a testament to my commitment to excellence and my belief in the importance of giving back to the profession that I hold so dear to my heart.”
As an instructor for Sanders Board Preparatory, Kevin has empowered dental hygiene students to excel in completing their national boards and enter the profession with tips for finding a great first job, all while in the early stages of his own professional journey. He says, “By keeping in touch with them through social media, I’ve been able to share more knowledge and help them gain competence in the field. Although still considered a new grad myself, this has been a fulfilling endeavor.”
Kevin has made an impact on the dental hygiene community through his dedication to education, mentorship, and the promotion of advanced dental techniques. He says, “I am excited for what the future holds for me to give back to our community.”
Anne O. Rice, BS, RDH, CDP, FAAOSH
(Conroe, Texas)
Category: Research
Anne Rice’s dedication to Alzheimer’s research and the connection between oral and systemic health is driven by a passion for educating professionals on treatment modalities aimed at the prevention or mitigation of cognitive decline. However, this only happens through progressive collaboration with interprofessional teams across multiple disciplines. Her evidence-based presentations, articles, and courses provide functional information for the clinician to apply practically while enhancing interdisciplinary communication and care.
With these tools, clinicians across the country have been able to implement immediate changes in treatment protocols. This has created—and continues to create—positive, comprehensive changes in the lives of both patients and professionals. Anne recognizes that significant change occurs when you seek to educate yourself first. Her commitment to Alzheimer’s research is revolutionizing the way we approach oral care for those most at risk for—or currently afflicted by—cognitive decline, dementia, and cognitive impairment. Her research results, articles, and courses have already impacted countless lives.
Anne’s research has done more than raise awareness among dental professionals. Her articles and research have garnered the attention of neurologists worldwide. Approached by neurologists at the top of their field at Weill Cornell University, Anne has acted as an oral health consultant for their Alzheimer’s and Prevention Clinic, Florida Atlantic Center for Brain Health, and the Atria Institute. She was also part of an international consortium that included researchers, clinicians, and institutions that support the work of Alzheimer’s prevention.
Before publication of Anne’s 2021 article (“Alzheimer’s disease and oral-systemic health: bidirectional care integration improving outcomes”) in Frontiers in Medicine, few dental professionals were talking about Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and neurodegenerative disorders and the connection to oral and systemic health.
Her trail-blazing research in dentistry and Alzheimer’s prevention has ignited a flame in dental professionals, motivating them to move forward in their local dental practices and long-term care and assisted living facilities, and helping them implement advanced treatment to improve patients’ lives. Her positive impacts stretch far beyond her own community.
It would be difficult to identify only one aspect of Anne’s hygiene career of which she is most proud. However, the acknowledgment from health professionals in other medical disciplines (neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, etc.) authenticating dentistry as an integral and critical aspect of interdisciplinary health care definitely stands out as a highlight. The article she wrote for Frontiers in Medicine has opened many new conversations and opportunities for further research on this subject.
For patients to receive the most effective advanced care, we must be forward-thinking dental professionals, anticipating the theoretical and practical shifting landscape of knowledge. Our advancement as dental professionals is dependent upon our ability to problem-solve for our patients’ current issues, and also to anticipate unforeseen factors that might inhibit healing. To do that most comprehensively, we must be proactive in communicating with other disciplines on behalf of our patients and profession.
Upon publication of her article, Anne’s inbox was filled with opportunities to collaborate with neurologists, cardiologists, and other medical professionals from around the world—opportunities that were unheard of in the early days of her career. Anne is excited and humbled to know that she had a small part in helping mainstream medical professionals understand and recognize that dentistry is an important part of the overall health and well-being of patients.
Katrina Sanders, MEd, BSDH, RDH, RF, FDSI
(Phoenix, Arizona)
Category: Entrepreneur
As the founder and CEO of Sanders Board Preparatory, Katrina Sanders believes in the importance of not only educating but instilling passion for dental hygiene. Her mission is to elevate the dental hygiene profession by empowering oral health-care providers and improving patient outcomes.
Katrina lives her mission in multiple ways, including dental and medical educational speaking, dental hygiene student board preparation classes, clinical periodontal practice, and philanthropic endeavors. She mentors students, hygienists, and speakers, helping them achieve their goals. In following her mission, Katrina has established many deep connections with individuals in the industry.
One example of this is a hygienist who is now living his dream of educating the dental community. After taking the Sanders Board Preparatory course, he passed his boards and wanted to share his passion with the world. While others encouraged him to “escape the op,” Katrina showed him a path to continue supporting the wellness of his patients while also using his other gifts and talents as a professional speaker and faculty educator. Today, he’s thriving and paying back the mentorship by passing along his gifts to others.
Katrina currently is employed with AZPerio as the clinical liaison: hygiene excellence and innovation. But her influence extends well beyond the op. She uses her influence through social media, podcasting, and written articles to inform her colleagues on the latest research as well as empower them to achieve more by normalizing their struggles and providing protocols to improve their practice. She has a unique approach to delivering provocative ideas in a way that is easily consumed and integrated into practice. She stands up for the role of dental hygienists and is constantly advocating politically to expand our scope of practice.
Currently, Katrina is building a full-scope online module series on airway management for the dental hygienist as a dedication to her mother, who passed away from a poorly treated airway obstructive disorder. This module series is found on her online platform with the Hygiene Excellence and Leadership Academy, and a portion of the proceeds of the program will be donated to the State of Wisconsin’s Organ and Tissue Donation Foundation in loving memory of Linda Sanders.
Katrina is fulfilled most when she uses her influence to encourage philanthropic endeavors. She is currently planning her second trip to Rwanda to provide dental care to rural villagers. Several health-care practitioners will join her to fill the need.
Known as the Dental WINEgenist, Katrina started a wine company called The Wine Op, which provides 20% of the proceeds to His Hands on Africa to continue their mission of providing dental care to those in need. In addition, Katrina helped raise $10,000 to build a library in Africa where she once served, and the building is currently being erected in memory of Katrina’s late parents, Bob and Linda Sanders.
Katrina was recently awarded the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry’s Distinguished Dental and Dental Hygiene Alumni Award for her accomplishments as a clinician, educator, and entrepreneur. This is an honor given annually to an outstanding alumnus in recognition of exceptional achievement. She also recently received fellowship distinction from the Dental Speaker Institute.
Katrina is proud to continue to choose merit over mediocrity, healthy outcomes over production goals, and excellence over accepting complacency. In all that she does, she lives up to her motto: “I’m not here to make dentistry comfortable; I’m here to make it better.”
Congratulations to these six recipients of the Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction! Together with them, let’s celebrate our wonderful profession!
Editor's note: This article appeared in the October 2024 print edition of RDH magazine. Dental hygienists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.
