The Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation Board of Directors ratified the selection of three new members to their board of directors: Dr. Shaharyar Ashraf, Dr. Laila Hishaw and Julia Wacloff. The new members, each serving a three-year term, join current directors Dr. Bruce Spigner, Dr. Melanie Hull and Delta Dental of Arizona president and CEO Michael Jones.

Dr. Ashraf earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine in 2012 and has been practicing in Tucson ever since. He is a Tucson native and completed dual undergraduate degrees with honors from the University of Arizona. Since 2014, Dr. Ashraf has been the owner dentist of Tangerine Dental Group, a multi-provider dental office supported by Pacific Dental Services. Dr. Ashraf is a teaching faculty member and a subject matter expert in CAD/CAM dentistry. He has been affiliated with multiple national and local dental organizations, including the American Dental Association, Arizona Dental Association, Southern Arizona Dental Association, Southern Arizona New Dentists, Pima Dental Study Club, We Serve Foundation, Free Dentistry Day and Arizona Dental Mission of Mercy.

Dr. Hishaw, also based in Tucson, is a change agent for children’s oral health and diversity in dentistry. She is a board-certified pediatric dentist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and International College of Dentists. Dr. Hishaw is a private-practice owner and author of the Amazon bestseller, Cavity Free Kids. She’s been featured on Discovery Health Channel for her role in diagnosing a rare disorder in her patient, and in multiple podcasts and publications. She currently serves on the ADA Presidential Task Force to Eliminate Barriers for Underrepresented Minorities into the Dental Profession and as a Delegate for the Southern Arizona Dental Society. She is an alumnus of the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership. In 2018, Dr. Hishaw founded Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships Inc. a nonprofit committed to strengthening the diversity pathway from middle school to dental school through mentoring, educational and hands-on programming, and scholarships to youth and pre-dental students from African American/Black, Latinx, and Native American backgrounds. The organization has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, Black Enterprise, and ADA News.

Wacloff, based in Phoenix, works with Arizona Department of Health Services leadership and management on a variety of public health functions as related to oral health and has been in her current position for ten years. She was responsible for developing the first comprehensive state oral health plan for Arizona. Prior to joining the Department, she served as an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Oral Health. There she participated as the lead epidemiologist for the Surveillance, Investigations and Research Team providing technical assistance and support to States with surveillance and research related to preventing oral diseases. Wacloff has over 20 years of experience in various public health settings providing needs assessment, policy development and quality assurance at local, state and national levels. Wacloff has held various faculty positions in dental and dental hygiene institutions. She earned her master’s degree in Dental Public Health from Boston University; a Bachelor’s in Dental Hygiene Education from the University of Minnesota and holds certificates in epidemiology and dental hygiene.

“I am excited to have three people with the background, skill set and compassion like these community champions join the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation Board,” said Jones, who is also chair of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation. “Our Foundation board will look to make an even greater impact on oral health by improving access to care and providing oral health education for underserved and uninsured Arizonans.”

In 2022, the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation selected 29 non-profit organizations across the state as recipients of grants and dental supplies to improve the oral health of Arizonans. These funds, totaling $752,423, were awarded to support projects and services promoting good oral health practices and increasing access to dental care among underserved children, pregnant women and seniors.

About Delta Dental of Arizona
Delta Dental of Arizona is the leading dental benefits provider in Arizona, serving more than 1.2 million enrollees and more than 3,500 contracted dentists across the state. Passionate about oral health and its importance to generations of families, Delta Dental of Arizona has worked for 50 years to improve oral health by emphasizing preventive care and making dental coverage accessible to a wide variety of employers, groups, and individuals. Since 2010, Delta Dental of Arizona, through its Foundation, gave $15 million to support oral health education and disease prevention programs for underserved and uninsured communities across the state. For more information about Delta Dental of Arizona, visit http://www.deltadentalaz.com.