CareQuest

Kaz is the inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, the leading national nonprofit creating a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system.

In his role, Kaz leads the organization’s philanthropy strategy and is responsible for the largest private oral health grantmaking portfolio in the US. Through his leadership, grantmaking at CareQuest Institute is guided by an intentional focus on equity, sustainability, and community empowerment.

Kaz also leads the organization’s health transformation activities and the programmatic initiatives advancing value-based care, medical-dental integration, and health information technology interoperability.  

Previously, Kaz served as the State Dental Director for Oregon, where he successfully led the effort to expand Medicaid adult dental benefits for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and collaborated with partner state agencies on dental therapy scope of practice, expansion of Oregon Health Plan dental benefits for veterans, as well as the inclusion of oral health education in school curriculum.

Kaz leverages his background as a dentist in private and group practice settings, a non-profit leader, and an academic to build collaborative and diverse alliances working towards a health care system that represents and works for all.

Kaz is an alumnus of The Ohio State College of Dentistry, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and The University of Illinois College of Business.