Dear Members:

Please make sure you and your staff take advantage of Educational Weekend, taking place in Orlando, FL, April 11-12. The courses focus on safeguarding your practice against the unexpected (Practice Priorities), optimizing insurance reimbursements while avoiding coding pitfalls (OMS Coding Essentials), and managing medical emergencies in the office (APME).

All of you should have received emails from AAOMS on Wednesday, with more information about each course. For your convenience, I’ve provided links to those emails here:

• Practice Priorities
• OMS Coding Essentials
• Advanced Protocols for Medical Emergencies (APME)

Note the Coding Essentials course is an upgraded version of the previous Beyond the Basics Coding, now featuring a new speaker and more practical content, while the Practice Priorities course features new topics each year, all of which are critical to practice safety and success.

To register, visit AAOMS Educational Weekend – Registration – AAOMS | AAOMS. If you have any questions, please reach out to me or contact AAOMS at pmgaffairs@aaoms.org.

Thanks,

Hank Holderfield
Executive Director

Dr. J. W. Barts, Charlotte, NC, who served as SSOMS President in 1989, passed away on March 9 following an extended illness.
 
A memorial service will be held Monday, March 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM at Myers Park Presbyterian Church. The service will be livestreamed for those unable to attend.

Following is a link to the obituary: https://kennethpoeservices.com/obituaries/2382-john-william-j-w-barts-jrhttps://kennethpoeservices.com/obituaries/2382-john-william-j-w-barts-jr

Dear Fellow Society Members,

In recent years, we have seen unexpected natural disasters and costly cyberattacks affect our friends and colleagues, if not ourselves. Nobody expects a disaster or thinks it will happen to them….but it will happen to someone and it may well be you. We cannot prevent these things from happening but we can prepare in order to minimize their devastating effects that some of our fellow AAOMS members have experienced in the last few years alone.

I am reaching out on behalf of the Committee on Practice Management and Professional Staff Development at AAOMS. As a volunteer member, I encourage you and/or your staff to attend the highly impactful Practice Priorities course being offered at the AAOMS Educational Weekend in Orlando on April 11-12, 2026.

This year’s Practice Priorities theme is “Safeguarding Your Practice.” Designed for OMSs and practice administrators, this 1½-day course will provide focused presentations on preparing OMS practices for the unexpected. From staffing disruptions and needlestick injuries to cyberattacks, natural disasters and more, attendees will gain actionable strategies to address common and modern-day obstacles when they arise and keep practice goals and operations on track.

This course is intended to help you and your teams be proactive and not reactive to these common challenges in OMS practices. If you are interested in more information, I am happy to connect you with our AAOMS team members for timely follow-up. Please don’t hesitate to share my message with anyone who may like to learn more. Registration is available here.

On behalf of our AAOMS committee, thank you for your time and consideration of attending.

Sincerely,

Tom McDonald, DMD, MD

Dear SSOMS Member,
 
We regret to inform you that our friend and an icon in the specialty, Dr. Jeff Schultz, died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack on February 22, 2026.  We are still trying to process this loss to all of us and particularly to the specialty.
 
Jeff never refused to serve when asked. A past president of GSOMS, long time chair of our Legislative Committee, longtime Legislative Chair for SSOMS who rarely missed a meeting, a member of the GA Board of Dentistry, loyal servant to the GA Dental Association, AAOMS Delegate for over 20 years, Chair of the AAOMS Committee on Professional Conduct and member of the Committee on Anesthesia and many more positions I cannot recall right now. The pain is palpable.
 
Jeff and Sharon are blessed with four daughters (Anna, Emily, Mary Ellen, and Lydia) and two sons (John and Jordan).
 
Below are the funeral arrangements. The obituary will follow as soon as it’s available.
 
Hank Holderfield
Executive Director

Obituary information for Jeffrey Daniel Schultz
 

SSOMS Member Dr. Bob Clark Elected President

Robert S. Clark, DMD, was introduced as the 2025-26 President of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) during its Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in September. 

With AAOMS’s other officers and Board of Trustees, Dr. Clark assumes leadership of the professional organization representing more than 9,000 oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Dr. Clark, of Lexington, Ky., served as President-Elect and Vice President, each for a year, as well as AAOMS Treasurer for four years and District III Trustee for four years. An ABOMS Diplomate, he served on the board’s Oral Examination Committee for seven years and is a past President of the Kentucky Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He is a partner at the Kentucky Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Lexington and a founding partner and board member of OMS360, based in Cumming, Ga. 

Dr. Clark received his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry – graduating with high distinction. He received the Alpha Omega Award and was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honor Society. He completed his oral and maxillofacial surgery residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Parkland Memorial Hospital.  

“I am honored to present my theme for this year as your AAOMS President: Together We Thrive – Celebrating Family and Our AAOMS Community,” Dr. Clark said in his Inaugural Address to the AAOMS House of Delegates. “Together, we have the power to thrive and shape the future of our specialty. Let’s move forward as one united community, embracing the diversity within our ranks and celebrating the strength that comes from our shared commitment to excellence.”

Dr. Clark succeeds J. David Morrison, DMD, of Loveland, Ohio, who will serve as Immediate Past President. Other 2025-26 officers elected by the House of Delegates are President-Elect Charles A. Crago, DMD, MD, FACS; Vice President Debra M. Sacco, DMD, MD; Treasurer Jeffrey H. Wallen, DDS; and Speaker of the House Steven R. Nelson, DDS, MS. 
 
In addition, Pushkar Mehra, DMD, BDS, FACS, and Daniel J. Gesek Jr., DMD, join the Board as Trustees in District I and District III, respectively. They replace Edward J. Miller, DMD, and Dr. Sacco, whose two-year terms expired. W. Frederick Stephens, DDS, District VI, was re-elected to his second two-year term.
 
Dr. Crago, of Deep River, Conn., served six years as District V Trustee and in the AAOMS House of Delegates for over 25 years. In addition, he was District V Caucus Chair and has served on a variety of AAOMS committees. He retired in 2024 after 40 years of private practice as the managing partner of a seven-doctor, five-office oral and maxillofacial surgery practice that served most of North Dakota. He also served as President of the state societies of New Mexico and North Dakota, was President of the Southwest Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and has been an ABOMS Diplomate since 1988.
 
Dr. Sacco, of Chapel Hill, N.C., served six years as Trustee for District III. Before her time as Trustee, she served as a Delegate for North Carolina, was a member and Chair of numerous AAOMS committees and was a member of the first ROAAOMS executive committee. In addition to her service with AAOMS, Dr. Sacco was an examiner for ABOMS, a member of the claims committee for OMSNIC and a mentor with the Osteo Science Foundation.

Dr. Nelson, of Denver, Colo., was elected to his 24th term as Speaker of the House and received AAOMS’s Presidential Achievement Award in 2022. He is a member of the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children’s Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Center team and in private practice at Nelson & Wells Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Denver. He served on the board of the Colorado Dental Association and for many years was President for the Colorado Dental Lifeline Network where he remains an active volunteer. 

Dr. Wallen, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., was first elected treasurer in 2023 and has served the profession in numerous capacities, including past President of the Southeastern Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the South Carolina Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Alternate Delegate and Secretary of the District III Caucus and a member of the Committee on Public and Professional Communications. In addition, he is past Chair of OMSPAC and has served on the Committee on Governmental Affairs. Dr. Wallen started a private practice in Myrtle Beach, and has practiced there for the past 30 years.
 
Dr. Mehra, of Boston, Mass., is Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Boston Medical Center and Professor and Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. He has represented Massachusetts as an AAOMS Delegate since 2009 and serves as a Consultant to the Commission on Dental Accreditation. A past president of both the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Massachusetts Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Dr. Mehra has authored three textbooks, published extensively in medical and dental literature and is a frequent invited speaker at international professional meetings. 

Dr. Gesek, of Jacksonville, Fla., has served in the AAOMS House of Delegates for over 20 years, including as caucus chair for District 3. He spent eight years on the AAOMS Committee on Anesthesia, chairing it in 2011–12, and contributed to the Simulation Committee from 2012–15. He currently serves on the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, the Committee on Governmental Affairs and the ADA Liaison Committee. In 2019, he was President of the Florida Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. His leadership roles also include Chair of the Florida Board of Dentistry (2012–13), service on the ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure, and membership on the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Exam Committee. He is President-Elect of the Florida Dental Association and sits on the Board of Directors for the Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Foundation.

Other Trustees are Martin E. Eichner, DDS, District II, of Monroeville, Pa.; Gregory M. Ness, DDS, FACS, District IV, of Worthington, Ohio; and Julia R. Plevnia, DDS, FACS, District V, of Parker, Colo. The Board also includes Secretary/Executive Director Karin Wittich, CAE.

*SSOMS members appear in bold text.

George “Buzzy” Matthews, one of the most iconic and loyal SSOMS members, passed away peacefully on August 29. Buzzy was a true character who probably attended more SSOMS meetings than any other member, serving as President in 1981. His infectious smile and never-ending fund of colorful stories will be sorely missed. Our love and condolences go out to his devoted wife of 70 years, Jeanie.

Following is the link to the obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/homewood-al/george-matthews-12505742