Ann Battrell Obituary News: Passing of ADHA CEO After a Long Illness
The American Dental Hygienists’ Association announces the passing of Ann Battrell, M.S.D.H., ADHA CEO, on June 7, 2023, with great regret. She had just informed the ADHA leadership that she was extending her leave of absence in order to concentrate on her health.
Assuming the role of CEO of the organization, Ms. Battrell became the first former president of the ADHA and a qualified dental hygienist. She presided at ADHA from 1996 to 1997. In 2000, Battrell started working for the ADHA as a manager of education. Four years later, she was promoted to director of education. She was chosen by the board of directors to occupy the position of executive director in 2009, and in 2016 she was appointed CEO. In her leadership position, she put in countless hours to increase access to care, evolve the scope of practice for dental hygienists, and advance the field of dental hygiene.
ADHA 2022-2023 Battrell was a thinker, inventor, and collaborator who believed in the collective power of the profession and was driven to ensure dental hygiene was represented and heard, according to organization president Dawn Ann Dean, R.D.H., M.S.D.H.
According to President Dean, “Ann was a champion for the association and dental hygiene, always pushing to raise the crucial issues, highlighting our successes, and bringing our profession’s voice to the table.” “Ann is an exceptional leader, motivating mentor, and dear friend who has improved our lives and the dental hygiene community. She was passionate about serving the public and did it with dedication. She will be sorely missed.
During Battrell’s tenure, ADHA made a number of noteworthy advancements, including the launch of a new online education platform, increased recognition of the links between oral and systemic health, worked to expand the dental hygiene curriculum to better serve the oral health needs of various populations and increase access to care, and supported initiatives to expand the scope of practice so that dental hygienists could practice to the fullest extent of their education. Battrell also developed into a dependable spokesperson for the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Dean recalled that throughout the epidemic, “Ann and the entire ADHA staff worked tirelessly to make sure that the dental hygiene community had the relevant information, accessible resources, and practical guidance to find ways to deliver essential care across the country.” In order to ensure that as many people as possible could access the study and advice relevant to oral hygiene, Ann appeared wherever she could, including on webcasts, podcasts, interviews, and social media.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research/NIH most recently honored Battrell for her exceptional contributions to their 2021 publication “Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges.”
The daily management of ADHA was delegated to senior staff members who now directly answer to the ADHA President during Ms. Battrell’s departure. The 2023–2024 Board of Directors will oversee the leadership continuity plans under outgoing President Becky Smith, C.R.D.H., Ed.D., while ADHA Senior Director of Strategic Operations Jennifer Hill and Governance Manager Kathy Pujol will continue in these interim roles.
Ann Battrell’s life, leadership, and legacy in the dental hygiene profession and ADHA will be honored on July 7, 2023, at the Opening General Session of the ADHA 2023 Annual Conference at McCormick Place in Chicago.