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elect, after which he will assume his two-year mandate (2018–2019) as gen- eral chairman. After that, through 2020, he will work as advisor to the new general chairman. The official Sept. 13 election announcement marked a before-and- after in American dentistry. After many years of hard work, Medrano- Saldaña broke a major ethnic barrier in the dental field, and his appoint- ment will have a profound impact. His election was widely praised in the United States, Latin America and even Europe. “This is the culmination of a great effort and very hard work,” Medrano- Saldaña said to Dental Tribune Latin America. “I think I’m breaking barri- ers and opening doors for other His- panic dental practitioners who aspire to leadership positions.” Asked about his plans for the largest dental meeting in the United States, Medrano-Saldaña said he has three main goals. “My No. 1 goal is to reach 60,000 attendees at the meeting. The second is to strengthen our partnerships with international dental organiza- tions, and the third goal is to produce the first Spanish-language Live Den- tistry Arena,” he said, referring to one of the meeting’s main features. The Live Dentistry Arena is a 450- seat high-tech demonstration area on livepatientsthatoffersrevolutionary concepts in treatment. International participation is of such importance to GNYDM that Medrano-Saldañawillretainhisposi- tion as global outreach director. “At this moment, 51 percent of registered dentists for the 2016 meet- ing are foreign professionals, mainly from Latin America,” he said. Background and praise BornandraisedinRíoPiedras,Puerto Rico, Medrano-Saldaña moved to New York in 1991 and has been in private practice since 1995 in Brook- lyn, where he runs Sunset Pediatric Dentristry. In 1997, he worked as faculty pro- fessor at the Metropolitan Hospital and in 1998 was appointed attending doctor of pediatric dentistry at NYU Lutheran Medical Center. A past president of the Second Dis- trict(Brooklyn) ofthe NY StateDental Association (NYSDA), he is a delegate of NYSDA as well as of the American Dental Association, where he is a member of the Council on Goverment Affairs. At the Greater New York Dental Meeting, Medrano-Saldaña has been a decisive force in reaching to inter- national attendees, especially from Latin American countries. As a result of his efforts, the meet- ing now offers a five-day program in Spanish, in addition to several days of lectures in Portuguese, French, Russian and Chinese, among other languages. Dr. Steven Gournades, speaker of the house at NYSDA, who has known Medrano for more than 20 years, said: “There is nobody more capable than him to take on the inmense responsi- bilitiesofthemeeting.Heisrespected all over the country and all over the world.Heiseffective,sincereandgets things done. I have no doubt that he’s going to take the meeting to the high- est levels. He’s an example for anyone to emulate. We will benefit from his experience and expertise.” Dr. Chad Gehani, ADA trustee and past NYSDA president, said he has known Medrano-Saldaña since he was a dental student in New York in the early ’90s. “He has always shown the poten- tial to be the leader of the commu- nity,” he said. “He also has a desire in him to do something to make a differ- ence in society. I’m not surprised by his election. He will do a wonderful job as chairman, and reach to many communities, not only in New York but globally. He wants to expand the scope of dentistry globally. He is the right man, in the right place and will do the right job.” Dr. Anthony Di Mango, senior vice president, chief of dentistry, and co-director of oral and maxilo- facial surgery at NYU Lutheran, said that Medrano-Saldaña “is a wonder- ful person, smart, meticulous, and knows what he is doing. He will be a great chairman of GNYDM.” “Herepresentstheepitomeofatrue caring professional, who relentlessly gives much of his time to provide pro bono work to the needy, volunteers to improve his own association at all levels and always pursues serving the public through access of care. It’s a privilege to have such a friend,” said Dr. Anthony E. Chillura, director of dental risk management at Allied Protector Plans. Dr. James Sconzo, general prac- tice residency director and trustee, NYSDA, said Medrano-Saldaña has done a fantastic job over the years. “He’s an asset to GNYDM and to New York dentistry. He does it out of his heart, and I want to thank him for what he does for dentistry. He has already changed the diversity makeupatADAandGNYDM,whichis why we now have programs in differ- ent languages” at the meeting. Latin America celebrates Medrano-Saldaña’s election as GNYDM chairman was praised throughout Latin America as well, where he has become a leader known for helping dental colleges and asso- ciations improve ties with American dentistry. “There is nobody better than Lauro for the position of chairman,” said Dr. Víctor Guerrero Reynoso, president of the congress of the Mexican Dental Association. “Heisabornleader.Hehasnational and international experience, a posi- tive mind and the ability to solve problems.” The former president of the Dental College of Peru, Dr. Juan Enrique Bazán, said the election is a recogni- tion that “the great investments made by Dr. Medrano-Saldaña to help Latin America dental associations have paid off in increased attendance to GNYDM.” Dr. Enrique Jadad, an international speaker and researcher based in Colombia, said that “Lauro is a leader who has worked tirelessly for world dentistry for many years,” and that “his appointment will reinforce the resolve of Latin American dentists to be a part of the Greater New York Dental Meeting.” The well-known Argentinean researcher and professor, Dr. Edu- ardo Ceccotti, said from Buenos Aires that the election represents a per- sonal and professional triumph for Medrano-Saldaña, whose long his- tory of accomplishments bodes well for dentistry. The president of the Argentina- based educational association ROCA, Dr. Melania González y Rivas, added that “the high professional standards of Dr. Medrano-Saldaña ensures a successful tenure as chairman.” From Spain, founder and direc- tor of the Barcelona-based Advanced School in Implant Dentistry (ESI Bar- celona), Dr. Sergio Cacciacane, who frequently works with AAID, NYU and Loma Linda University, said he has been “a witness to Dr. Medrano- Saldaña’s hard work, and he has the supportofallESISchoolsinSpainand Latin America.” gnydm news 4 Greater New York Dental Meeting — Nov. 27, 2016 HISTORY 7 from page 1 5 President-elect Dr. Lauro Medrano-Saldaña has a proven track record of increasing international participation at the Greater New York Dental Meeting. (Photo/Provided by Dental Tribune Latin America) ‘Medrano-Saldaña also has a desire in him to do something to make a difference in society. I’m not surprised by his election. He will do a wonderful job as chairman, and reach to many communities, not only in New York but globally. He wants to expand the scope of dentistry globally. He is the right man, in the right place and will do the right job.' — Dr. Chad Gehani, ADA trustee and past NY State Dental Association president