ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: DR. KARI CUNNINGHAM
Dr. Kari Cunningham is the 2025 recipient of the Ohio Dental Association Achievement Award.
Dr. Kari Cunningham has been involved in organized dentistry throughout her career and is dedicated to mentoring younger dentists and improving access to care. In recognition of her efforts, she will receive the Ohio Dental Association Achievement Award on Friday, Sept. 26 at the Callahan Celebration of Excellence, held in conjunction with the 159th ODA Annual Session.
“What makes Kari exceptional is how she has made her achievement less about her own personal goals and more about how to lay a path to create and elevate the dreams and goals of others,” wrote Dr. Joseph Leon, immediate past president of the Greater Cleveland Dental Society, in his nomination letter. “The nomination of Kari Cunningham goes beyond her work on committees, as an instructor to students and residents, or her membership and leadership positions in multiple societies and councils. It is a recognition that her greatest achievement has been the selfless act of creating paths and supporting the skills and talents of OTHERS. … From the success of Panther Pediatrics, to her role as GCDS president and involvement with multiple committees through the Greater Cleveland Dental Society, and following a long history of student and resident education and advocacy, there are few people who have contributed as much to dentistry as Kari.”
Cunningham said she was pleasantly surprised to receive the award.
“I see these Awards of Excellence going to rising stars in the profession and my mentors. I never imagined my name would be considered for one of these awards and I am honored by the recognition and upcoming celebration.”
Cunningham said she knew she wanted to pursue dentistry as a career when she was in sixth grade.
“I learned that my father was an on-the-job trained dental assistant in the United States Air Force it the 1970s while stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He encouraged me to be the doctor and we went to the Euclid Public Library to learn what it took to become a dentist,” she said.
She initially wanted to be an orthodontist, but after participating in the Semester at Sea program and traveling the world, she changed her focus.
“After looking at the smiles around the world and the limited access to care the children had at a daytime orphanage in Tanzania, I made a commitment to community dentistry and service to underserved populations,” she said.
Cunningham said that during dental school, she saw many patients who were afraid of going to the dentist and did not come in until they were in severe pain.
“The Healthy Smiles Sealant Program at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine allowed for our first clinical experience to be with a child in the local school district. I loved it!” she said. “I envisioned that my purpose as a dentist could be to help create a cohort/generation of children who are able to obtain and maintain optimal oral health so they grow into teens and adults who visit the dentist regularly. That way, they secure a dental home and can have dental disease or issues addressed in a timely fashion and not when things have gone beyond the point of no return.”
Cunningham earned her DMD from Case Western Reserve University in 2010 and her Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from Case Western in 2012. She was selected to receive the National Health Service Corps scholarship for all four years of dental school because of her passion for serving at-risk populations.
After graduating, she practiced in private and corporate settings and started three pediatric dental clinics at community health center locations and served as dental director at Lorain County Health & Dentistry – Community Health Center. In 2018, she opened her own practice in Euclid, Panther Pediatric Dentistry.
Cunningham said her favorite part about being a pediatric dentist is being able to explain a child’s dental presentation to a parent/guardian in a way that makes sense to them.
“We discuss how we may have gotten into this situation, what I can do about it, and look futuristically as to their potential dental needs. Parents share with us a feeling of gratitude and appreciation for the information provided and the gameplan to bring about a remedy,” she said. “I truly feel like dentistry is my ministry and I am fulfilling my purpose in this profession every day.”
Cunningham has been involved with organized dentistry since she was a dental student and has served on several councils and committees with the Greater Cleveland Dental Society and the Ohio Dental Association. She is a past president of the Greater Cleveland Dental Society and current Chair of the ODA Council on Access to Care and Public Service.
“Serving on the Council on Access to Care and Public Service has been absolutely wonderful,” she said. “As a NHSC scholar, public health dentistry is close to my heart and I am blessed to be able to serve as a member. However, don’t miss a meeting, because you may be elected to serve as chair. This happened to me and it turned out to be a wonderful blessing that has allowed my servant leadership to shine. As a member of the Medicaid Workgroup, helping colleagues navigate the world of Medicaid and engaging in conversations with insurance companies to share our challenges as providers has been a reiteration of how serving the profession in this capacity can yield results one could only imagine.”
She recently created TEAM DDS, which stands for Together Everyone Achieves More Diversity in Dentistry Subcommittee, with the Greater Cleveland Dental Society. TEAM DDS will work to help those who have been marginalized or excluded on the basis of race, culture, sexual orientation, or practice demographic to have equal representation and the opportunity for advancement that traditional and stereotypical practitioners have had. She also serves on the ODA Subcouncil for Diversity and Inclusion.
Cunningham said organized dentistry is important because of the connections she’s made and the membership benefits that have helped her in her practice.
“Organized dentistry is key to this all – my mentors have all been members of organized dentistry,” she said. “The networking and brainstorming that takes place with colleagues is essential. The member benefits like access to regulatory compliance manuals for a new start up were so important at the start of my journey.”
Cunningham is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, fellow of the International College of Dentists, a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and will be inducted as a fellow of the American College of Dentists this autumn.
Cunningham has provided dental care to nearly 2,000 children in Kenya in East Africa, she holds Give Kids A Smile events in her office and she serves on the Ohio Dentist Loan Repayment Advisory Board. She is an adjunct faculty member at CWRU School of Dental Medicine and is a speaker and certified life coach with a focus on health careers and office culture.
Outside of dentistry, Cunningham enjoys traveling and became an independent travel advisor during COVID. She and her husband have traveled to all 50 states.
In addition to being inspired by her dad, Cunningham has several family members who have supported her throughout her career.
“My brother Gerald accompanied me in the recorded CE for 2024 Annual Session: ‘A Sickle Cell Smile: The Journey of a Sickle Cell Warrior.’ His determination and grit inspire me every day to make a difference and blend medicine and dentistry to help families realize how related they are. My sister Ada is a respiratory therapist and manager at Cleveland Clinic’s Euclid Hospital. Seeing her focus and commitment to her patients and teammates during COVID leaves me in awe at the sacrifices we make for the betterment of others. My niece Mia is the SMILE Ambassador of Panther Pediatric Dentistry and provides me with the youthful enthusiasm I need to carry on in the office and live my best life. My beloved husband is a medical massage therapist and works alongside me in the office. He is my sounding board for all of my ideas and visions. We strategize about how we can impact the lives of others, enjoy life, and maintain our pathway toward debt freedom after taking Financial Peace University at church. My wonderful mother passed on from this earthly life in March 2024 and I vow to continue to give of my time, talents and treasures with her life lessons and memory at the forefront of what I do.”
The Achievement Award is given to someone with a personal and professional commitment to the dental profession and the public’s oral health, and who is an ambassador for the dental profession with solid respect for the profession.
