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women in dso leadership award

Women in DSO®, in partnership with Overjet, is proud to present the Women in DSO Leadership Award to recognize excellence in clinical and administrative DSO leadership and awarded at the Women in DSO® event this March in Las Vegas.

The 2022 Leadership Award Finalists

Dr. Carolyn Ghazal, Owner Doctor, Chair of Associate Development, Pacific Dental Services
Dr. Ellen Polsky, Founder and CEO, Visio
Dr. Jahnavi Rao, Vice President Orthodontic Support, The Aspen Group
  • Dr. Jahnavi Rao, Vice President Orthodontic Support, The Aspen Group
  • Dr. Carolyn Ghazal, Owner Doctor, Chair of Associate Development, Pacific Dental Services
  • Dr. Ellen Polsky, Founder and CEO, Visio
  • Dr. Jahnavi Rao, Vice President Orthodontic Support, The Aspen Group
  • Dr. Carolyn Ghazal, Owner Doctor, Chair of Associate Development, Pacific Dental Services

Congratulations to Women in DSO Leadership Award Finalists!

Leadership Award Winner to be announced at Empower and Grow March 9-11, 2022

Women in DSO Leadership Award, Clinical Leadership


  • Christine Diehl,  RDH, DSO Hygiene Advocate,  Decision One Dental Partner
  • Dr. Carolyn Ghazal, Owner Doctor, Chair of Associate Development, Pacific Dental Services
  • Dr. Ellen Polsky, Founder and CEO, Visio
  • Dr. Jahnavi Rao, Vice President Orthodontic Support, The Aspen Group
  • Dr. Cindy Roark, Senior VP and Chief Clinical Officer, Sage Dental


Women in DSO Leadership Award, Business Leadership


  • Dee Fischer, Founder and CEO, Fischer Professional Group
  • Heather Foster, Chief Operating Officer, Prime Dental Partners
  • Linda Ryan, Director of Talent Acquisition, Elite Dental Partners
  • Erika Todd, Vice President Operations, StoneCreek Dental Care
  • Teresa Williams, Chief Operations Officer, Dental Express

2022 Women in DSO Leadership Award Sponsor

Empower and grow with women in dso®

Overjet in partnership with Women in DSO® to award:

  • (2) $10,000 awards given to support personal and professional development (clinical and administrative categories)
  • Flight and hotel accommodations for winners to attend Empower and Grow 2022, the Women in DSO® inaugural event (up to $1,500 per winner)
  • Complimentary registration to Empower and Grow 2022, the Women in DSO® inaugural event
  • Winners to be announced and celebrated at  Empower and Grow 2022, the Women in DSO® inaugural event

AWARD PURPOSE: TO RECOGNIZE EXCELLENCE IN DSO LEADERSHIP

Nominate a woman leader in DSO today.

The winners of the 2022 Women in DSO Leadership Award will be announced and celebrated at Empower and Grow 2022 to be held this March 9-11 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. 


Nominations will close on January 15, 2022.


The Women in DSO Leadership Award recognizes professional women in DSO who have emerged as leaders in their field. As leaders, these powerful women have made a marked difference across our industry, creating new pathways for others to follow.  Women in DSO® in partnership with Overjet would like to recognize this excellence in DSO leadership with the 2022 award.


All nominees are people nominated by their peers, organizations, or themselves.  Nominations will be reviewed by a formal selection committee comprised of Women in DSO® leadership and an Overjet representative.  Finalists will be invited to participate in an interview.  Committee members will weigh impact in at least 2 of the designated 5 areas highlighted in the application. Specific examples and accomplishments are encouraged in the application.


Who should apply?

Women leaders who work in group practices, at a DSO or an affiliated DSO clinic or support DSOs as a clinician, consultant, business partner, etc..  Both business and clinical leaders are welcome. We’re excited to consider leaders at all stages of their careers from emerging leaders all the way to seasoned executives. Winners are required to attend the WinDSO Conference March 9-11th to receive the award.  Nominate a leader in DSO here.


Should I cover (5) areas of potential leadership in nomination?

The committee is looking for deep excellence and leadership in at least 2 focus areas. While you may write about more, given space constraints, we encourage you to focus on the two most compelling areas and provide depth.

EMPOWER AND GROW: RECOGNIZE A WOMaN LEADER IN DSO TODAY

Nominations closed on January 15, 2022.

  • Organizations and peers may nominate candidates
  • Candidates may self nominate


  • Online Nominations will be accepted between October 26, 2021 - January 15th, 2022
  • Notification to winners by January 31


Access nomination form here.


  • Outstanding woman leader in a DSO
    • Demonstrated impact on at least two of the following:
      • Patient care outcomes
      • Business outcomes
      • Professional development of colleagues
      • Industry influence
      • Operating excellence
      • Industry innovation and technology
      • Partner collaboration (e.g. insurance, medical-dental, etc.)
  • Must attend Empower and Grow 2022 (March 9-11) to receive award in person


A selection committee comprised of Women in DSO® leadership and (1) Overjet representative scheduled to review nominations for finalist selection.  Winners to be notified January 31, 2022.


about our award sponsor

Overjet, A Harvard And MIT Dental Tech Startup

Overjet CEO Dr. Wardah Inam, who has a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), was a former product manager at Q Bio. She also founded uLink, a company that transferred autonomous grid technology to utility partners. The startup's CTO, Ramaswamy, who also holds a Ph.D. from MIT, has over seventeen years of expertise in computational science. The COO, Puthussery, a graduate of Boston College, formerly worked at DentaQuest as their Chief Analytics Officer. 


Overjet (www.Overjet.ai) is the global leader in dental artificial intelligence, helping both payers and providers improve patient care. The company’s technology encodes dentist-level understanding into scalable software products. For practices and DSOs, Overjet’s dental AI software helps to identify necessary patient care, improve patient treatment acceptance, and standardize diagnostic and treatment protocols.

Overjet was the first dental AI company to receive FDA clearance with its Dental Assist product in May of 2021. The firm was also named to the CB Insights’ 2021 AI 100 list, the first-ever dental company included in the annual list recognizing AI companies that are redefining categories globally. Overjet was co-founded by Dr. Wardah Inam, who has her PhD from MIT in computer science and electrical engineering and a deep background in machine learning and computer vision.

Network with the brightest minds in DSO and make plans to join Women In DSO® for the inaugural event taking place March 9-11, 2022 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Access priority registration fees for a limited time.


Empower and Grow 2022

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Women in DSO® is the official nonprofit organization supporting the empowerment and growth of women leaders in DSOs.  Empower and grow with #WinDSO

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August 6, 2025 • Denver

Women in DSO® invites you to mark your calendars for ASCEND, the fifth annual presentation & networking event and the Lead Magazine Official Summer Release scheduled to take place August 6th, 4pm-6pm at the 12th Annual Dykema Definitive Conference for DSOs. 


All leaders are welcome.

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