Richard W. Valachovic, DMD, MPH

Dr. Richard Valachovic is President Emeritus of the American Dental Education Association and is Director of the Center for Oral Health Policy and Management at the New York University College of Dentistry. 

He joined ADEA after more than twenty years in research, practice and teaching of pediatric dentistry, oral medicine and oral and maxillofacial radiology.  Dr. Valachovic served on the faculty of the University of Connecticut and Harvard Schools of Dental Medicine. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and is certified in pediatric dentistry and dental public health. 

He has served in multiple capacities in national organizations and institutions, including serving as President and Board Chair of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), a founding member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Global Forum on Innovations in Health Professional Education, a member of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, and the Founding President of the ADEA Gies Foundation.

Dr. Valachovic earned his BS from St. Lawrence University; his DMD from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine; and he holds the Master of Public Health degree and the Master of Science degree in health policy and management from the Harvard School of Public Health.  He completed a residency in pediatric dentistry at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston.  He is an author of more than 120 articles, book chapters and monographs.

He was granted an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Connecticut in 2012 and was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2019.