Courses Meetings & Presentations
Courses, Meetings, and Presentations attended by Dr. Thompson, Dr. Starbody, and Team
I maintain an ongoing commitment to professional learning development. Learning is tied directly to the improved quality of care we can deliver to our patients. I believe that when people are intensely engaged in becoming more proficient at their craft, their well being and happiness can blossom.
The list below is representative of this commitment to you and the community we love.
2022
February, 2022 – I took the entire dental team to a two day meeting of a mastermind group of forty dental offices in Tempe, Arizona to discuss topics related to team building and better patient communication.
2021
December, 2021 – The last course, Level 3, of the Misch/Resnick Continuum was held in Orlando, Florida and I attended that final course for two days.
October, 2021 – Attended the Level 2 Misch/Resnick two day course in Orlando, Florida continuing to review the most recent advances in implant techniques.
September, 2021 – Attended the Misch/Resnick Implant Course 1 in Orlando, FL. This was a review of the latest techniques on implant planning and placement.
June, 2020 – October 2021 – Multiple online continuing education webinars keeping abreast of dental techniques. There were a minimum number of in-person meeting during this time period due to the pandemic.
2020
March 2020 to October, 2020 – Weekly Zoom meetings of the American Dental Association Board of Trustees focused on navigating the pandemic and adapting to the new restrictions in place. Multiple continuing education webinars keeping abreast of dental techniques.
March 17, 2020 – COVID19 arrives full strength in the United States. At the recommendation of the American Dental Association in conjunction with advice from the State of Tennessee and the Center for Disease Control, I closed my dental office to all but urgent and/or emergency dental procedures. All travel to meetings and personal travel was discontinued indefinitely.
March, 2020 – Attended the American Academy of Dental Practice annual meeting held this year in Orlando.
February, 2020 – Recertified for Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Murfreesboro, TN.
February, 2020 – In Chicago, I took the pilot test of the Dental Licensure Objective Structured Clinical Examination on which I’ve been on the steering committee for the last three years.
February, 2020 – Attended the Chicago Dental Society’s MidWinter Meeting for two days.
February, 2020 – Met in Chicago with the ADA Board of Trustees for four days.
February, 2020 – Attended the Yankee Dental Congress meeting in Boston, MA for three days.
January, 2020 – Attended the Commission on Dental Accreditation meeting of the ADA in Chicago for two days.
January, 2020 – Attended the American Student Dental Association District 4 meeting in Greeneville, South Carolina.
January, 2020 – Spoke to the 3rd and 4th year dental students at Meharry College of Dentistry.
2019
December, 2019 – Met with the ADA Board of Trustees for two day strategic planning session in Puerto Rico.
November, 2019 – Met in Chicago for a General Dentistry Review course for the licensing examination oversight committee of the ADA.
November, 2019 – Attended a meeting of the Missouri Dental Association in Jefferson City, Missouri.
November, 2019 – Attended the Greater New York Dental meeting in New York City.
October, 2019 – Attended a workshop on practice improvement in Tempe, Arizona.
October, 2019 – Attended a meeting of the American Student Dental Association in Kansas City, Missouri.
September, 2019 – Attended the annual meeting of the American Dental Association in San Francisco.
September, 2019 – Attended a two day workshop on practice improvement by more efficient and patient friendly systems.
August, 2019 – met for four days with the ADA Board of Trustees to review all legislative proposals for the ADA House of Delegates (the governing body of our dental association).
August, 2019 – Attended the Kentucky Dental Association meeting in Lousiville, KY.
July, 2019 – In Chicago met with the licensure steering committee for one day and on the second day met with the ADA Board of Trustees for a review of the proposed 2020 ADA budget.
July, 2019 – Attended the West Virginia Dental Association meeting in Lewisburg, WV.
June, 2019 – Attended a meeting of the ADA Scientific Affairs Committee in Chicago.
June, 2019 – Attended the Tennessee Dental Association meeting in Nashville.
June, 2019 – Participated in a meeting of the ADA Foundation Board of Trustees in Chicago.
June, 2019 – Attended a four day meeting of the ADA Board of Trustees in Chicago.
May, 2019 – Attended a four day meeting of the Texas Dental Association.
April, 2019 – Participated in the American Dental Association Dentist and Student Lobby Day event in Washington, DC visiting multiple Congressional leaders on issues of interest to dentists.
March, 2019 – Attended and presented a course at the American Academy of Dental Practice in Tucson, Arizona.
March, 2019 – Met again for two days for the dental licensure steering committee of the ADA in Chicago.
February, 2019 – Met by Zoom and conference call for a two day meeting of the ADA Scientific Affairs Council which oversees scientific research and standards of equipment and supplies used in dentistry.
February, 2019 – Attended a four day meeting in Chicago of the Board of Trustees of the American Dental Association
January, 2019 – Met in Chicago as part of a Steering Committee designing a novel licensing examination for licensing dentists within the United States.
December, 2019 – Attended the American Dental Association Foundation Board meeting in Chicago.
2018
December, 2018 – Participated for two days in a strategic thinking session of the American Dental Association Board of Trustees in Helena, CA
November, 2018 – Attended the Missouri Dental Association meeting in Jefferson City, MO for two days.
October, 2018 – Attended the American Dental Association meeting “Amerca’s Dental Meeting” in Honolulu where the business of the Association is handled for the year and policies are set for the dental profession. Took classes on bone grafting techniques for implants and courses on prevention of dental decay.
September, 2018 – Attended a two day meeting of the National Give Kids A Smile Committee in St. Paul, Minnesota at the headquarters of the 3M Company.
September, 2018 – Spoke at a fundraiser for the Rutherford County Interfaith Dental Clinic in Murfreesboro
September, 2018 – Attended a four day meeting of the ADA Board of Trustees in Chicago
September, 2018 – Along with my two dental assistants attended a three day meeting of the International Congress of Oral Implantology in Las Vegas taking classed on the most current implant and bone grafting technology. The emphasis of this meeting was avoiding complications of implants.
August, 2018 – Attended a portion of and spoke at the MidState’s Dental Leaders Conference held this year in Nashville.
August, 2018 – Attended a four day meeting of the American Dental Association Board of Trustees in Chicago
August, 2018 – Attended the Kentucky Dental Association in French Lick, Indiana, and took classes on the current trends in reducing the incidence of dental decay and on the use of social media in dental practice.
July, 2018 – Attended a 2 day implant and restorative dentistry course in Winchester taught by Dr. Cory Glenn (TN) and Dr. Danny Domingue (LA).
July, 2018 – Visited colleagues of West Virginia while attending the annual meeting of the West Virginia Dental Association. While on this trip I was treated to a tour of the West Virginia University School of Dentistry and their Center for Technical Innovation by Dean Tom Borgia.
June, 2018 – Went to Israel with eighty members of my church on a pilgrimage. We visited Capernaum, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Jericho, Masada, the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea as well as many other historical and biblical sites. This was a personal sabbatical trip.
May, 2018 – Attended as Liaison the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Plans.
May, 2018 – Attended the annual meeting of the Tennessee Dental Association held in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a pleasure to attend a meeting close to home where I didn’t have to get on a plane to attend.
May, 2018 – Attended a meeting in Chicago of the American Dental Association/Commission on Dental Accreditation Workgroup to study issues that can help the two organizations work more synergistically.
April, 2018 – Took my entire dental office team to a two-day continuing education course in Phoenix, Arizona.
April, 2018 – Went to Washington DC for three days as a contingent of 1000 dentists and students to participate in the ADA Student and Dentist Lobbying Day. I visited several legislators that represent Tennessee in the federal government.
March, 2018 – Attended a multi-day meeting of the Academy of Dental Practice held in West Virginia.
March, 2018 – Participated in a small panel workshop in Chicago formulating test construction for the DLOSCE examination.
March, 2018 – Attended the American Dental Educators Association (ADEA) meeting in Orlando for two days.
March, 2018 – Took a continuing education course in Chicago on the Densha osseodensification protocol for implant placement.
February, 2018 – Attended the kickoff events for the Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) program which was held at the University of Ohio College of Dentistry.
February, April, August, 2018 – Attended four-day meetings of the Board of Trustees of the American Dental Association in Chicago.
February, 2018 – Attended a course in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to recertify for Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support (ACLS).
January, 2018 – Both of my dental assistants and I attended the winter meeting of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists in Orlando, Florida where we attended meetings for four days and where I received my Fellowship in the organization.
2017
December, 2017 – Attended a three day strategic planning meeting of the ADA Board of Trustees held in California.
November, 2017 – Attended the meeting of the Missouri Dental Association held in Jefferson City, Missouri.
November, 2017 – Attended the two day meeting in Chicago of the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs as liaison between that Council and the Board of Trustees.
October, 2017 – Attended the Annual Meeting of the American Dental Association for five days in Atlanta, Georgia.
October, 2017 – Participated in a symposium in Chicago hosted by the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health. The NIIOH addresses the role of oral health in overall health and how oral health can be better integrated into the educational process of all health care providers.
September, 2017 – Attended a two day meeting in Louisville, KY with fellow dentists from neighboring states studying the issues facing dentistry nationwide.
August, 2017 – Took a personal trip to rest and relax while hiking from the West Coast of England cross country to the East Coast along the Wainwright Trail. A couple of fellow colleagues were also on the trip. In our busy work schedules everyone needs some time for personal reflection.
August, 2017 – Attended and spoke at the MidState’s Dental Leadership Conference held in Cleveland, Ohio. Dental leaders from about eleven states throughout Middle America attend this conference. I got to attend a Major League Baseball game of the Cleveland Indians and managed to get a baseball during batting practice.
July, 2017 – Participated in a two day committee meeting of the Dental Objective Structured Clinical Examination (DLOSCE) Steering Committee in Chicago.
July, 2017 – Attended the West Virginia Dental Association annual meeting at the beautiful Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, WV.
July, 2017 – Attended and took continuing courses on oral surgery and restorative dentistry over three days at the Academy of General Dentistry Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.
May, 2017 – Attended a two day continuing education course with one of my dental assistants in Los Angeles focusing on comprehensive treatment planning taught by my Dr. Lincoln Harris of New Zealand.
April, 2017 – Visited several Tennessee Senators and Representatives while in Washington, DC while attending the ADA Dental Lobbying Day.
March and April, 2017 – Attended a total of 5 days on Aesthetic Excellence and Digital Photography at the Center for Exception Practices in Richfield, Ohio with one of my assistants and one of my hygienists where we participated in placing veneers on a patient while other dentists watched and learned the technique. My friend and mentor, Dr Rhys Spoor, taught this course.
March, June, September and December of 2017 – Participated in 2 day Board meetings of the Foundation of the American Dental Association.
February, May, August and September of 2017– Participated in 4 day meetings of the American Dental Association Board of Trustees in Chicago.
Feb, 2017 – Participated in a 2 day symposium in California sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives as part of my training and responsibility as a Trustee to the American Dental Association.