Dr. Lauren Yap joins host Dr. Joel Berg to chat about the upcoming AAPD Pediatric Oral Health Advocacy Conference (POHAC) in Washington, DC. Each year, hundreds of early career pediatric dentists visit the nation’s capital to advocate for the issues impacting the profession and optimal oral health of all children with congressional staff. Dr. Yap shares her experiences as a previous POHAC attendee, as well as how she encourages her peers to seize any opportunity to be a strong voice for themselves and their patients, whether it be in the operatory to the state or national level. 

Guest Bio: 

Lauren C. Yap, DMD, MPH, is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Pediatric Dentistry and serves as the Assistant Program Director for the Postdoctoral Pediatric Dental Residency Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She earned her dual degree in Dentistry (DMD) and Public Health (MPH) from the Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry and College of Public Health in 2019 and subsequently completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry Certificate in Hawaii, followed by a Pediatric Dentistry Certificate at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA. 

Board-certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Yap is an active leader in the field, currently serving as the Pennsylvania Public Policy Advocate for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and as a member of the Committee on Scientific Affairs. She is also a recent graduate of the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership (2024) and proudly serves as the Third District Representative for the American Dental Political Action Committee (ADPAC). 

Before pursuing her dental education, Dr. Yap worked as an elementary school math teacher and served as a research assistant at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the Center for Asian Health.

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