Dr. Rhonda Stephens is a board certified dental public health specialist and professor of the practice in the Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Prior to joining UNC in 2023, she worked for 7 years in a variety of roles with the NC Division of Public Health, Oral Health Section, gaining extensive experience in the management of a state oral health program. She has a record of securing and administering federal grant funding, most often supporting oral health workforce development initiatives in collaboration with partners across the state. Prior to her tenure in governmental public health, she served 10 years as an FQHC dental director in Indiana.

In her current role at Gillings, Dr. Stephens is launching a new initiative around dental public health teaching, practice and research. She seeks to translate her clinical and administrative experience into teaching and other support to ensure current and future multidisciplinary workforces recognize and promote oral health as a matter of overall health and public health. She also directs the Division of Public Health’s accredited dental public health residency program to train future dental public health specialists.

Dr. Stephens is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, National Dental Association, American Dental Association and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry. Outside of dental public health, she loves all types of food, outdoor festivals, action sci-fi movies, and her Westie, Sasha.

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