Gina Thornton-Evans, D.D.S., M.P.H.

Dr. Gina Thornton-Evans received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Michigan, School of Dentistry and a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan, School of Public Health. For over 28 years she has spent the majority of career in federal government. She has represented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Oral Health on various committees and workgroups related to periodontitis, diabetes, and maternal and child health. Dr. Thornton-Evans served as the lead on Healthy People 2020/2030 activities and as the Oral Health Topic Area agency lead and oversaw efforts related to highlighting the Leading Health Indicator for Oral Health. Her responsibilities included facilitating and coordinating the efforts of the Healthy People 2020/2030 oral health workgroup, including meeting with and obtaining input from three co-lead agencies, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), and Indian Health Service (IHS) along with National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) consultants and liaisons.  In addition, Dr. Thornton-Evans oversaw the management of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) oral health component and focused on the strategies to improve and enhance surveillance measures for oral health. In 2019, she received the US Public Health Service Herschel S. Horowitz Oral Health Research and Policy Award for leadership in advancing the surveillance of national measures specifically for periodontal disease and in monitoring the performance of national oral health objectives over several decades and leading efforts to improve the oral health of the US population. In 2024, she received the Surgeon General David Satcher Keynote Lecture Award at the USPHS Symposium for recognition of her years of advancing oral health at the national level. During her tenure at CDC, she served in various roles including the Surveillance, Investigations, and Research Team Lead, Program Director for the CDC Dental Public Health Residency Program and finally Division Director for the CDC Division of Oral Health in the National Center of Chronic Disease Promotion and Health Prevention.