Dr. Casamassimo is the chief policy officer of the Pediatric Oral Health Research and Policy Center. He received his dental degree from Georgetown University in 1974 and a Master of Science and Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Iowa in 1976. He is the former editor-in-chief of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and its journal, Pediatric Dentistry, and also past president of AAPD.  His research interests include the oral health of children with special health care needs, health services research, and oral health disparity. He is board-certified in pediatric dentistry and practices at Nationwide Children's Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio, where he is a past president of the medical staff.

Chelsea Fosse, DMD, MPH is the Director of the Research and Policy Center at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). She is a diplomate in dental public health and previously worked in hospital and health care settings providing clinical care predominantly to adults with disabilities. Now working in oral health policy and health services research, she’s responsible for developing and implementing a research agenda to inform sound policymaking in pediatric oral health. She leads a team that analyzes the pediatric dental workforce, Medicaid policy and program implementation, evidence-based dental care delivery, access to high quality and safe dental care, and other contemporary issues in oral health, public health, and health policy. She’s a proud “alum” of Jacobi Medical Center, Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, The University of Texas, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI). 

Clare Conte, MPH, is helping to keep safety culture on the agenda at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She is a project manager in the AAPD Research and Policy Center, home of the Safety Committee, where AAPD practice safety has grown from a small group of pediatric dentists taking a look at what we know - and don't know - about safety to a robust passionate group that are activating movement on the course of safety in dentistry. Clare considers herself primarily a listener and is very lucky to have found herself seated at a table of the most interesting, pioneering discussions in dentistry and healthcare. She earned her master’s degree in public health (MPH) from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor’s degree in community health services from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Joining AAPD in 2019, Conte brings with her experience coordinating care for children across the state of Minnesota through a hub and spoke school-based care and portable care program. She is motivated by addressing health equity issues in public health, particularly pediatric oral health disparities.

Rachel Wedeward, MS, is a Research Project Manager for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) in Chicago. A professional librarian, Wedeward previously worked at the American Hospital Association (AHA) as a research information specialist and at the American Library Association (ALA) as a research coordinator. In her current and previous roles, her primary responsibilities have been to conduct research, manage research projects, and teach end-users about using healthcare technology resources and database searching. She received her BA in anthropology, politics, and government from Ripon College in 2014 and an MS in library and information science from Dominican University in 2016.