our distinguisHed

2025 Speakers

 
 

BRETT KESSLER DDS

President of American Dental Association

RICK GUIDOTTI

Founder and Director, Positive Exposure

Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins

Educator, motivational speaker and co-author of the children’s book “All the Way to the Top”

LEX FRIEDEN MA, LLD (hon)

Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

rick rader, md

President of the American Association on Health and Disability

seth keller, md

Co-Chair of the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia

 
 
 

Anthony Dekker DO, FACOFP, FAOAAM, DFASAM

Chief Medical Officer, Division of Developmental Disabilities, State of Arizona

Ashley Newman MD

Resident, University of New Mexico School of Medicine 

barbie vartanian

Director of Advocacy and Policy Initiatives, NYU

Justin Steinberg, MA

AADMD Board Member

CHRISTINE LINEHAN BA, MA, MPH, DipStat, PhD, CPsycholPsSI, FRSPH, FPsSI, FIASSIDD

Director of the UCD Centre for Disability Studies

DAVID FRAY DDS

Past President of AADMD, Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Dentistry at Houston

 

Ellen Sugrue Hyman, jd

Law Office of Ellen Sugrue Hyman PLLC and Consultant, Michigan Elder Justice Initiative

Pharon Morgan

Senior Epidemiologist, Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council

JEFFREY BUCHHALTER MD, PhD

Physician, Buchhalter Consulting, Health Outcomes Oriented Strategies

Kathleen Friel PhD

Lab Director, Clinical Laboratory for Early Brain Injury Recovery, Burke Neurological Institute

Laura Guilhoto MD, PhD

International League Against Epilepsy

Vicki Copeland MD

Medical Management Medical Director, Division of Developmental Disabilities

 

Steve Perlman DDS, MScD, DHL (hon)

President, People Advocating for Optimal Health (PAOH), Past President, AADMD

Vanessa Rastović

Disability and Health Policy Director, Achieva

Shaker Dukkipati MD, PhD

Resident, Child Neurology at Columbia University - NY Presbyterian

M. Shelly Marek MBA, MA, LPCC

Program Therapist at University of New Mexico

Toña Rivera

Founder and Executive Director of Every Ability Plays Project

jim warne

Member of Oglala Lakota, Filmmaker, Community Engagement Director at USD Center for Disabilities, Affiliate Sonoral Circle for Indigenous Empowerment

 

Dani Bowman

Cast of Love on the Spectrum

 

David A. ErviN

Chief Executive Officer, Makom

AMGED SOLIMAN, Esq.

Senior Attorney Advisor, National Council on Disability

Ava Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt

Writer for PBSKids "Carl the Collector"

Toni Benton, MD

Professor, UNM HSC School of Medicine, Dept. of Family Community Medicine

Josh Munoz

First Place - Phoenix

 

Jamie Heckerman

CEO, Special Olympics Arizona

Rohit Shankar MBE, FRCPsych

Professor in Neuropsychiatry, Peninsula School of Medicine, University of Plymouth

Luana Adriano, PhD

Human Rights Lawyer. Lecturer at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

Annelise Goorts

ID Physician, Kempenhaeghe

kIM HING

Self-Advocate, Emcee

MEELIN DIAN CHIN-KIT WELLS, DDS

President, AADMD

 
 

June Sadowsky, DDS

UT Health Houston

BEN WARNER, MD, DDS

President-Elect, AADMD

Graciema Bertoletti, MBA

Diretora Novos Negocios, M&A e Parcerias - Odontoprev