George R. Shepley, DDS, of Baltimore, MD, is the newly installed 159th President of The American Dental Association (ADA). He served as President-Elect and Fourth District Trustee of the ADA prior to being elected as President.
A life member of the ADA, Dr. Shepley also served as an alternate or delegate from 2006 to 2017, as well as chair of the ADA Council on Communications, Budget and Finance Committee and Committee on Annual Meetings. Additionally, Dr. Shepley worked two terms on the State Public Affairs Oversight Committee and has been a Board liaison to the Council on Members Insurance, the American Student Dental Association (ASDA), the Council on Government Affairs and the American Dental Political Action Committee (ADPAC).
Dr. Shepley is an active member of the Maryland State Dental Association (MSDA) and served as a Past President. He was also past president of the Baltimore City Dental Society and the Maryland Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Shepley recently completed a six-year tenure as a trustee for the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), where he also previously served as chair of the Dental Education Council and division coordinator of the Dental Education Division.
During his presidency, Dr. Shepley intends to move forward with both a business and cultural shift to help build a brighter future for the profession and the ADA. Giving back to the dental profession and improving the oral health of others, including overall health and well-being, and ensuring young dentists can enjoy a fulfilling career, are just several of his priorities. The promotion of dentistry as being essential in overall health will also be key, as is an increase in ADA market share in the next couple of years where ADA can be considered a home for all dentists across different practice modalities.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time as the ADA is working hard to embrace the future of our association and profession,” stated Dr. Shepley. “We are ushering dentistry into the twenty-first century. As the art, science, technology of dentistry move forward, and with the strength of our dynamic community, anything is possible. It is a new day for dentistry and a new day for ADA! I look forward to serving in the coming year and giving back to the profession that has given me so much.”
Dr. Shepley graduated from the West Virginia University School of Dentistry and received fellowship in the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Dr. Shepley received the Maryland State Senatorial Proclamation and Governor’s Citation and was also a faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry as a lecturer in dental ethics from 2009 to 2012.
Among other recognitions, Dr. Shepley has achieved fellowship and mastership within the Academy of General Dentistry, as well as the Lifelong Learning and Service Recognition. He also has participated in Maryland Missions of Mercy and has been an active participant in the Donated Dental Service Program since 1990.
Dr. Shepley has practiced dentistry in Baltimore, Md., since 1978.
