2025 Outstanding alumnA Award Winner
Dr. Waletha Wasson is a tenured and full-ranked professor in the Department of General Dentistry and Program Director of A 21st Century Initiative − Oral-Systemic and Population-Based Health for All (A 21st COSP) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Dentistry (CoD) in Memphis, Tennessee.
Dr. Waletha Wasson has had the honor of attending several academic centers. Appropriately, she wants to acknowledge all faculty who taught her with a sincere and heartfelt “Thank You;” however, several individuals will be personally mentioned in this writing! She is an alumna of Tennessee Technological University (1976) with a B.S. in Biology and was mentored by Dr. Sublett (deceased), Dr. Jolly (deceased), and Dr. Joe Greer. During Dr. Wasson’s four (4) years at the UTHSC CoD, graduating in June 1979 with a D.D.S. degree, she was mentored by Drs. Joe Bell (deceased), Eddie Burton, Bobby Collins (deceased), Wisdom Coleman (deceased), Terry Hilger, Cheryl Jones (fellow student, 1st African American (Black) female graduate of CoD in June of 1978), and Harold Taylor (deceased). She graduated from the University of Memphis in 1988 with an M.P.A. She was mentored by Dr. David Cox. As an Associate Faculty member in the Department of Operative Dentistry, Dr. Wasson desired to increase her dental knowledge base. She applied and was accepted at The University of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, School of Dentistry. She graduated in 2001 as a Rackham Merit Scholarship recipient with a M.S. in Restorative (Operative) Dentistry. She was mentored by Drs. Joseph Dennison, Marita Inglehart, Kenneth May, Michael Razzoog, George Taylor, Marilyn Woolfolk, and Peter Yaman.
Dr. Wasson has 45 years of health care experience, with nine years as a staff dentist at Memphis Health Center, Inc. [(MHC, 1979-1988). She was mentored by Dr. Howard Glenn and Dr. William “Skip” Watson. Dr. Wasson’s remaining 36 years are at the UTHSC CoD. At UTHSC and CoD, Dr. Wasson was mentored by Drs. Wisdom F. Coleman (deceased), Judith Ross (deceased), Fred Shaw (deceased), Marjorie Woods (retired), and Kennard Brown, JD, PhD.; and eight (8) Deans: Drs. Wells (deceased), W. Slagle, R. Gilpatrick, M. Patters, K. Hottel, J. S. Covington, J. Ragain, and K. Tilashalski. Dr. Wasson’s continued desire to seek excellence was rewarded by becoming a mentee of Dr. Ellen Beck, MD, Founding Director, Executive Director (Retired) of the UC San Diego Student-Run Free Clinic Project; Dr. Christine Arensen, MD, Director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (NEXUS); Dr. Marie Chisolm-Burns, PharmD, PhD, Executive Vice President and Provost School of Medicine; and Dr. Janet Southerland, DDS, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at LSU Health New Orleans, School of Dentistry. The supporting dentist of her career choice was Dr. Robert Clark (UTHSC CoD March 1974 alum), who inspired and encouraged her that this academic journey was an achievable career accomplishment.
Dr. Wasson’s experiences at MHC inspired her to teach faculty, staff, and students about diversity, disparities, and healthcare activism under the Service Pillar Responsibilities of Professional, Public, and University. The Public Pillar Responsibility at UTHSC CoD began when she presented to Dr. William F. Slagle the need for accountability regarding the Student National Dental Association (SNDA) community engagement activities. Dr. Slagle’s superbly active listening skills waited patiently as she, with ease but hidden anxious excitement, announced without preparing a title, spoke: Tennessee Smiles: U.T. Grassroot Oral Health Outreach Initiative (TN Smiles, 2003). Within 8 (eight) months of its name confirmation, Sharon Wolf, a student attending the Memphis College of Arts, provided TN Smiles’ team with its emblem: beautiful smiling purple lips spanning Tennessee’s West-to-East proximal borders and extending toward its Southern boundary. Dr. Wasson and Dr. Marjorie Woods were co-leaders in organizing TN Smiles activities with a devoted cadre of faculty, dental healthcare professional staff and students, and community volunteers from 2000 (without a name) till 2018. The TN Smiles’ team screened greater than 11,000 individuals’ stomatognathic systems. The TN Smiles’ members provided everyone with donated age-appropriate oral health products from organizations (e.g., Delta Dental of Tennessee). They also disseminated age-appropriate oral health literature from organizations [e.g., NIDCR (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)].
Student Dr. Mary Austin Mays Smith, now a pediatric dentist, was passionate about giving back to the community. She informed Dr. Wasson about the Church Health Center’s course “Serving the Underserved: A Course in Poverty Medicine” in January 2013. The course’s outline consisted of six (6) meetings with the purpose “to create a space for productive dialogue among medical and dental students on the components of medicine among the underserved populations and the way in which poverty shapes the health[y] lives of people.” This course was Dr. Wasson’s first medical-dental experience to discuss social determinants of health. Dr. Wasson’s community engagement activism extended beyond the locale of the MidSouth Region to the State of California. She was selected to be among the 2016 Class of Fellows in the “Making a Difference in the Community. Addressing the Oral Health Needs of the Underserved. An Innovative Faculty Development Program for General, Pediatric, and Public Health Dentists.” The fellowship was sponsored by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Ellen Beck. The participatory time requirements consisted of three (3) weeks, with each week strategically scheduled throughout the year. The Fellows were observants and participants while touring/visiting the communities in San Diego and La Jolla. In 2017, Dr. Wasson attended the Advanced Workshop for “Making a Difference in the Community. Addressing the Oral Health Needs of the Underserved” in La Jolla, CA, which Dr. E. Beck also directed.
Dr. Wasson’s zeal to understand the proximity and distance disparities in the MidSouth Region was the driving prerequisite to learning about the Mississippi Delta’s topography and geography of poverty. She discovered that the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) sponsored the Delta Leadership Institute (DLI) Executive Academy Fellowship. Dr. Wasson’s application was selected to be among the 2023 DLI’s Class of 37 Fellows from eight (8) states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The DLI Fellows toured and participated in six (6) in-person sessions in six states spaced throughout the year. The sessions consisted of each local, regional, and/or national community navigator(s) and expert(s) that covered pressing geospatial and social determinants of health(G/SDOH) issues in an ‘up close and personal’ approach. Remarkedly, each session’s agenda allowed intermingling among the community representatives in their locales. The Fellows learned how these communities were able to thrive and develop resilience with economic prowess. This life-changing fellowship allowed Dr. Wasson to enhance her decision-making skills, understand the foundation of policy development know-how, and strengthen her leadership capacity.
Dr. Wasson’s Professional Pillar consists of numerous activities. She is a member of the following organizations: the Board of Directors for the Academy of General Dentistry Foundation (AGDF), the Community Advisory Council for the Assisi Foundation of Memphis, Inc., and the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH) Advisory Council. She reviews several national and international journals, such as MedEdPORTAL, Journal of Dental Education, and the Indian Journal of Dental Research. She holds active memberships in several dental organizations: Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Psi Chapter; National Dental Association (NDA); Academy of General Dentistry [(AGD) MAGD (Master Academy of General Dentistry awardee) and AGD Emeritus]; American Dental Education Association (ADEA); and American Interprofessional Health Collaborative (AIHC).
Dr. Wasson’s University Pillar consists of advising student doctor organizations and a member of several committees. She was co-advisor with Dr. M. Woods to the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD). She is an ex-officio advisor to the Student National Dental Association (SNDA). The SNDA has been recognized nationally for its community engagement activities. She has served as a member and an advisory member on the CoD’s Admissions Committee. The inaugural student organization, IAOSH (Interprofessional Association for Oral-Systemic Health) came into fruition in 2024 with Student Dr. and President Mark Massey. Its lead advisor is Dr. Mark Cannon [(2023 Past President of the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH)]. Drs. Karen Howell and Waletha Wasson are his co-advisors on campus. Dr. Wasson’s current committee assignments consist of the Curriculum Committee, UTHSC Interprofessional Education (IPE) Council, CoD IPE Committee (Chair), and a member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Dr. Wasson’s Teaching Pillar consists of presentations in didactic undergraduate courses for student dentists, dental hygiene students, and AEGD (Advanced Education in General Dentistry) residents. She has been an Operative Dentistry course director and a faculty attendant for several preclinical and clinical courses. She was honored to be a faculty member in an online course in Pharmacy in 2002 under the course director – Dr. V. Betts.
Dr. Wasson’s Scholarly Pillar consisted of obtaining tenure in 1994 with hierarchical ascension through the ranks to Professor in 2019. She has presented lectures at local, regional, and national events. She was on the research team of Dr. Bettina Beech, principal investigator, and faculty at the University of Memphis (2003), for a R21 NIH grant that was funded. She has published articles in several journals. In August of 2018, Drs. Ragain and Wasson met to start the journey of CoD’s initiative of “returning the mouth to the body,” emphasizing the oral-systemic link. Under the leadership of Dr. James ‘Jay’ Ragain, Jr., she became the Program Director of A 21st Century Initiative – Oral-Systemic and Population-Based Health for All (A 21st COSP). A 21st COSP has the emblem of three (3) orbiting globes (tooth image with an infinity occlusal surface design, a human head silhouette, and the earth all outlined in orange color) in constant revolving linkages. Representatives of the UTHSC Communication and Marketing Office took our ideas with patience in creating this design.
During Dr. Wasson’s investigation to understand her recently assigned responsibility, she discovered the chronological paradigm shifts with associated decade trends – 1970-2000, 2000-2020, and 2020-2050. The trends included changing healthcare business models, technological advancements, physician-dentist collaboration, and increasing care team size. Of great healthcare importance during these paradigm shifts, she discovered the maturing concepts of interprofessional collaborative clinical practice [2010, CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation)], preventive scientific advancement in technological precision innovations (e.g., salivary diagnostics, microbiome ecosystem, and omics), AI (Artificial Intelligence), and EHRs (electronic health records) interoperability platforms for sharing patients’ health data. The ensuing focus is on person-centered and precision-centered care with an emphasis on the orifice of the stomatognathic component of the gastrointestinal system with linkages to 10 other bodily systems. Quintessentially, “integrating oral health and primary care,” known as dental-medical and/or medical-dental integration (MDI), will become a norm to improve patients’ total health outcomes. A 21st COSP emphasizes fostering the paradigm with support of the UTHSC’s vision statement, “Healthy Tennesseans. Thriving Communities.”
Dr. Wasson has received numerous awards and honors in service, education, and scholarly activities. Dr. Wasson has been honored as the recipient of the 2008 and 2015 UTHSC National Alumni Public Service Awards. The National Dental Association Foundation (NDAF) honored Dr. Wasson as its NDAF/Colgate Palmolive Minority 2009 Faculty Recognition Award in the Teaching Category and the NDAF/Colgate Palmolive Minority 2017 Category of Administration/Services Ward. In 2020, she received the AGD Emeritus status for 35 years of consecutive membership. She was honored by receiving the following CoD awards: the 2022 College of Dentistry Pat and Samuel Hardison Distinguished Faculty Award and The 2024 Dean’s Appreciation Award. The Distinguished Reviewer Certificate from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and MedEdPORTAL was awarded to Dr. Wasson for earning three (3) Outstanding Reviewer Awards. The 2025 Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Board of Trustees of The UTHSC College of Dentistry is its superb hierarchical and pyramidal zenith in an alumna’s academic life course journey.
The biography will not be complete until the spoken words “Thank You” are given to the following individuals: 1979 UTHSC CoD’s Classmates; numerous colleagues, students, administrative healthcare professionals, and staff; and friends for their continuing support.
Dr. Waletha Wasson’s journey has its genesis in Chattanooga, TN, with her loving family’s constant support and an emphasis on the family’s matriarch, Mrs. Minnie L. Wasson. The teachers and classmates of her beloved Riverside High School Marching Trojans were in continual support. Their support throughout the years was the strength to continue this quest. She is blessed with 2 (two) daughters, two grandchildren, and two sons (in-law) at this point in her life course. Her significant partner’s loving support has given her a deeper understanding of life. To have a dream in 1972 to become a dentist was, at first glance, an insurmountable achievement… She notes to the reader of this biography, “Be brave enough to DREAM BIG. Conceive BIG. Believe BIG. Vision BIG. Plan BIG. Achieve BIG!“
The next phase begins with “to be the change we [you or I] wish to see in the world.“
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