Now available in Staten Island this program, which started in 2016, rewards deserving SDDS members in the first five years of their practice with awards of up to $10,000. Since its inception, the program has awarded an amount just shy of $1 million. He currently serves as the chair of the SDDS Awards Committee, which administers and guides this valuable program. Dr. Ratner’s service continued on the state level. His career included terms on the NYSDA Councils on Annual Sessions, Dental Education and Licensure, Chemical Dependency and Dental Practice as well as NYSDA’s MLMIC Underwriting Committee, Audit Committee, and Special Committee on rewriting the NYSDA Constitution and Bylaws. Starting in 2005, Dr. Ratner represented the SDDS as one of three governors to the NYSDA board of governors, NYSDA’s legislative body at the time. In 2008, he was selected as one of two at-large governors to serve on the NYSDA executive committee, the precursor to today’s NYSDA board. When the NYSDA governance did change, it was a distinct honor when he was selected by SDDS to serve as its first trustee on this inaugural NYSDA board. This distinct honor continued on a higher level when NYSDA elected Dr. Ratner to ascend the ladder of the association. This culminated in him serving as president of NYSDA in 2020. As NYSDA president, Dr. Ratner credits his most distinctive challenge and success was role in leading the association, as its president, out of the COVID19 pandemic. Working tirelessly, he met countless times with legislators and regulators during the infamous shutdown leading to an earlier opening than was predicted. After the opening, Dr. Ratner further led NYSDA’s recovery through resource sharing, continued advocacy and constant communication. Dr. Ratner appeared several times on local television, newspaper and radio, and in national periodicals such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Crain’s New York Business representing, to the public, dentistry’s continued commitment to safety and recovery. According to Dr. Ratner, one of his most gratifying moments in dentistry was the day that he joined with fellow SDDS and NYSDA members to distribute free personal protective equipment to our members at SDDS headquarters. Working through channels, Dr. Ratner was instrumental in securing these desperately needed protective materials and facilitating their distribution at no cost to our members. As with his local service, there are certain important achievements that should be noted in his service to the state association. Dr. Ratner was one of the founding members and subsequent chair of the NYSDA Information Technology Committee (ITC). This committee was formed in 2011 in response to a new mandate of e-prescribing in New York. Dr. Ratner was the main author and presenter of the e-prescribing course that educated thousands of New York dentists, facilitating their compliance. The ITC also aided New York’s dentists in their education and compliance with the federal HIPAA security mandate. Dr. Ratner was the main author and presenter of NYSDA’s HIPAA Security and Cybersecurity compliance course. This course was given throughout the state and nationally. Dr. Ratner served his profession on the national level as well. He was elected as a delegate to the American Dental Association (ADA) house of delegates in 2008 where he has served until the present. It was his distinct honor to lead NYSDA’s caucus in the ADA House, serving as the caucus chair in 2019 and 2020. In 2014, he was appointed to the ADA’s Council on Dental Practice, where he later served as chair in 2018. He also served in the ADA’s Standards Committee on Dental Informatics from 2014 to 2019. As with his local and state service, Dr. Ratner points to certain distinct initiatives that were significant in his tenure on the national level. During his term on the ADA’s Council on Dental Practice (CDP), the issue of a dental benefit in Medicare was being considered. As CDP’s chair, Dr. Ratner successfully carried the council’s banner of rejecting this benefit to the ADA board and house of delegates. He also cites his authorship of the ADA’s policy on sleep related breathing disorders as one of his most important contributions to the profession. This policy has led to increased awareness and acceptance of dental sleep medicine by our profession and that of our medical colleagues. Ultimately, Dr. Ratner credits his ability to serve our profession at such a high level to the care and understanding of his wonderful family, charitable mentors, practice team members, devoted association staff, and the hundreds of friends and colleagues he has been fortunate to have collaborated with throughout his career. His lovely wife of 32 years and high school sweetheart, Amy, as well as his amazing children Ben and Lindsay, have encouraged and supported him at every turn. He credits his desire to initially serve to his father, who demonstrated everyday what selflessness and honor truly meant. Continued from Page 3 » 4 SDDS BULLETIN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 — VOLUME 40 ◊ NUMBER 1
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