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. She has represented the Division of Oral Health on various committees and workgroups related to health disparities, periodontitis, diabetes, and maternal and child health. Dr. Thornton-Evans currently, serves as the lead on Healthy People 2020/2030 activities and as the Oral Health Topic Area agency lead and oversees efforts related to highlighting the Leading Health Indicator for Oral Health. Her responsibilities include 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 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 the effort to improve the oral health of the US population. In addition, Dr. Thornton-Evans oversees the management of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) oral health component and focuses on the strategies to improve and enhance surveillance measures for oral health. Finally, she serves as the Director of CDC’s Dental Public Health (DPH) Residency Program.