NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SmileDirectClub, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDC) today announced the appointment of seven experts in dentistry and orthodontia to its Clinical Advisory Board. Senator Bill Frist, who has a medical background with over 35 years in virtual care and sits on the board of TelaDoc (NYSE:TDOC), will also join SmileDirectClub’s clinical board as Honorary Chair. The specialized board provides strategic counsel to SmileDirectClub and its affiliated network of doctors, as well as advice as to SmileDirectClub’s continued mission of quality and clinical outcomes. The vast and diverse dental experience of the board will be an important resource for SmileDirectClub to continue enhancing brighter, straighter smiles through its leading clear aligner therapy platform and line of premium oral care products.
Members of SmileDirectClub’s Clinical Advisory Board sit at the forefront of the industry with a focus on digital dentistry and leveraging technology to improve the quality of oral care. These experts work with the Company to help guide the standards for teledentistry from recommended clinical protocols to overall orthodontic quality of care. The Board will also provide strategic direction for additional clinical research studies on the efficacy and safety of teledentistry as a teeth straightening method.
“Affordable and quality access to care has always been our mission as a Company, and these additions to our Clinical Advisory Board allow us access to these experts’ thought leadership to further that cause. We are incredibly proud that these renowned doctors have agreed to serve on our Board to guide our oral care strategy, and to serve as champions for quality treatment through teledentistry,” said David Katzman, Chief Executive Officer, SmileDirectClub. “As we continue to scale and expand access to oral care, the collective insight of these dental professionals, whose participation further validates the credibility of our offerings, will be invaluable. We look forward to working with our Clinical Advisory Board members and what we will accomplish together.”
Newly appointed members of the Clinical Advisory Board include:
Chair, Hisham Badawi, DDS, MSc, PhD
Dr. Badawi began his career in orthodontics driven by a deep interest in precision mechanical systems interacting with the human body. He was an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta in Edmonton Canada. He is currently in private practice in Calgary, Alberta.
Richard D. Fewell, DDS MS
Dr. Fewell owns a successful rural dental practice in Tullahoma, Tenn., which has been in operation since 1977 with five satellite offices in surrounding small towns. He also provides free dentistry through a local program called Tullahoma Cares.
Charles D. Fuszner, DMD
Dr. Fuszner has maintained a hospital-based, comprehensive care dental practice since 1981. He is currently an Associate Professor at Missouri School of Dentistry and is the primary author of the book Parameters of Care for the Medical Treatment of Dental Patients, which is currently used at five dental schools across the country.
Gary Kaye
Dr. Kaye is the founder of Kaye Dentistry PLLC, a reconstructive, cosmetic and implant dental practice located in New York City. He is the founder and director of the New York Center for Digital Dentistry. Dr. Kaye lectures on ceramics, occlusion, and digital dentistry, and performs live patient demonstrations for dentist audiences. He is a graduate of the prestigious Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Training, and in 2006, he received the Fellowship award from the Academy of General Dentistry.
Liliya MacKenzie, DMD
Dr. MacKenzie owns an orthodontic practice with three locations in Southern New Brunswick, Canada. Dr. MacKenzie is a member of the Cleft Lip and Palate Team at the Saint John Regional Hospital. She is also a content expert in Orthodontics at the National Dental Examining Board of Canada. She is the author of over 20 scientific papers.
Nathan McKeta, MMD
Dr. McKeta has operated a practice in Mt. Pleasant, SC since 2010. He is currently a member of the American Dental Association, the American Association of Orthodontists, and the Southern Association of Orthodontists. As a proponent of technology, Dr. McKeta worked closely with Carestream Dental on development and testing of its OrthoTrac Cloud platform. Dr. McKeta is also a published author in the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry.
Peter S. Vig, DDS, PhD, JD
Dr. Vig has served as head of orthodontics at The London Hospital, Professor of Orthodontics at the University of North Carolina and previously served as Chairman of Orthodontics at the University of Michigan. At the University of Pittsburgh, he served as Associate Dean for Research, and later at Ohio State University he established and chaired the Health Services Research Section.
Honorary Chair, William Frist, MD
Senator Frist currently serves as Chairman of the COVID-19 Response Fund of Greater Nashville. Senator Frist is a nationally-acclaimed heart and lung transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, and chairman of the Executive Board of the health service private equity firm Cressey & Company. As the founder and director of the Vanderbilt Multi-Organ Transplant Center, he performed over 150 heart and lung transplants, authored over 100 peer-reviewed medical articles, and published seven books on topics such as bioterrorism, transplantation and leadership. He is board certified in both general and heart surgery.
The expansion of SmileDirectClub’s Clinical Advisory Board is one of several initiatives that further establishes the Company as a market leader in the industry.
For more information on the board and its members, smiledirectclub.com/clinical-advisory-board.
About SmileDirectClub
SmileDirectClub, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDC) (“SmileDirectClub”) is an oral care company and creator of the first direct-to-consumer medtech platform for teeth straightening, now also offered directly via dentist and orthodontists’ offices. Through our cutting-edge teledentistry technology and vertically integrated model, we are revolutionizing the oral care industry, from clear aligner therapy to our affordable, premium oral care product line. SmileDirectClub’s mission is to democratize access to affordable and convenient care, unleashing the power of a person’s smile to positively impact their place in the world. SmileDirectClub is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee and operates in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit SmileDirectClub.com.
Contact: SmileDirectClub Media Relations: Press@SmileDirectClub.com
