Zufall Health Welcomes Jade Duncan, D.D.S., M.Ed., as New Dental Director
Jade P. Duncan, D.D.S., M.Ed., has been named Zufall Health’s new director of dental services. Duncan, who began her new role Monday, February 13, will lead a department that offers integrated oral health care to the nearly 45,000 patients served by our health center.
A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Duncan is an experienced community health center dental leader with a passion for educating and motivating teams. Her background blends clinical care, curriculum development, and people management. She most recently served as the director of dental residency for the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency program at Penobscot Community Health Care, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Bangor, Maine, where she generated a 15-fold increase in applications to the program. She concurrently served as the co-lead project manager of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at the health center.
“Zufall’s executive team was unanimously excited about Dr. Duncan’s qualifications in the selection process,” said Frances Palm, president and chief executive officer. “We feel fortunate to now have her leading our efforts to expand access to oral health care among underserved populations.”
Rina Ramirez, M.D., chief medical officer, said Duncan’s expertise will be especially helpful to the launch of Zufall’s forthcoming dental residency program.
“Dr. Duncan understands that reducing gaps in provider workforces is a key to access for low-income and clinically under resourced areas,” Ramirez said. “We know she will be a tremendous asset to our residency program and other oral health workforce initiatives—like our dental assistant training program, continuing dental education and Community Dental Health Coordinator program—all while strengthening the quality of our dental practice.”
Prior to Penobscot, Duncan was director of operating room services and dental attending for the Department of General Dentistry at Montefiore Medical Center. She also previously held a faculty appointment at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was an Adjunct Clinical Faculty at the University of New England’s College of Dental Medicine in their Community Based Education program.
“I am so honored to join the clinical leadership team at Zufall,” said Duncan. “I look forward to continuing the innovative oral health care programs already in place at Zufall while furthering our impact.”
Duncan earned her doctor of dental surgery degree from the Howard University College of Dentistry and completed a general practice residency at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, where she was chief resident. She also earned her master’s in education in curriculum development and a graduate certificate in medical education from the University of Cincinnati. Additionally, she graduated with a certificate in theology from the E.L.I. Bible Institute and Seminary. She is currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Cincinnati and is enrolled in a master of legal studies program in health care law from the University of Oklahoma.