AAFDO Leadership
DR. JOHN ROBERSON, D.M.D, F.A.C.D.
Chairman & Co-Founder
Dr. John B. Roberson graduated from Hattiesburg High School, received his B.S. from the University of Southern Mississippi, his dental doctorate from the University of Mississippi and his Oral & Maxillofacial surgery training from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. While in dental school, he was elected President of the American Student Dental Association (13,000 members) during his third year. Then in residency, he helped co-found the Resident Organization of the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons (ROAAMOS).
Dr. Roberson writes and lectures extensively on the subject of Medical/Sedation Emergencies and Emergency Drugs in the Dental Office. He has been selected as a CE Leader for Dentistry Today for over 10 years consecutively. He currently is CEO and Co-Founder of AAFDO (Accreditation Association For Dental Offices) which has numerous inspection and emergency preparedness programs dedicated only to Dentistry. He was the Co-founder and CEO of the Institute of Medical Emergency Preparedness which was an online medical emergency program for dentists and their staff. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of Oral Cancer Screening Forms and Timeout Checklists. Current President of the MS/LA component of ADSA
Roberson is currently Board certified by the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology. He was Board certified with ABOMS (1999-2019). He has Fellowships in American College of Dentists, International Congress of Oral Implantologists, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, and International College of Dentists.
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He is a member of the American Dental Association, Mississippi Dental Association, American College of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, International Congress of Oral Implantologists, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, American Academy of Oral Medicine, and South Mississippi Dental Society.
His community service includes being active in his church serving on committees such as Board of Trustees, Administration Council Chairman, Sunday School Teacher, Finance Committee, Lay Leadership Committee, and Youth Ministries Team. He has coached football and baseball for approximately 10 years; served on the Advisory Board for The First; served on the board for Pearl River Community College Dental Assisting; Served on the UMC School of Dentistry Alumni Board. He is the Dental Externship Director for the University of Southern Mississippi and also serves on the USM Sports Medicine Team.
He has authored a book on Medical Emergencies, has written almost 100 articles on the subject, has 20 Online CE courses, co-developed the Emergency Response System for dental offices.
Some of his publications include articles in the Journal of American Dental Association; Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery; Dental Economics Journal; DentalTown Journal; Dental Interactive, Journal of Pediatric Emergency Medicine; British Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery; Journal of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma; Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Journal; Dental Products Report; Texas Dental Journal;
CAPT. STEPHEN W. HARDEN
Managing Partner & Co-Founder
Stephen is the Chairman and CEO of LifeWings Partners LLC – a team of physicians, astronauts, nurses and pilots that have helped over 225 healthcare organizations and dental practices in the U.S. and abroad implement the best safety practices from aviation and other high-reliability industries. He is the author or contributing author, of three books on patient safety. Results of his patient safety work have appeared in over 35 publications and news outlets.
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Mr. Harden has been involved in safety training for over 32 years, producing over 40 separate training programs for commercial aviation, military flight squadrons, heavy construction, military contractors, healthcare, and dental practices. He is a certified TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer and has personally trained over 20,000 physicians, nurses, staff, and administrators in the last 13 years.
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Stephen is a dynamic presenter. His interactive presentations have been enjoyed by audiences at annual conferences conducted by AORN, The Joint Commission, American College of Surgeons, American Hospital Association, Society for Thoracic Surgeons, AmSECT, and many state hospital associations and QIOs.
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A professional pilot with 42 years of experience, Stephen recently retired as a captain for a major international airline. His expertise in the field of aviation safety training has garnered him eight awards for superior performance and Quality Achievement.
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Harden is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He accumulated over 300 aircraft carrier landings during service with the U.S. Navy and was selected to be an instructor pilot at the Navy’s elite Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). He holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating and Type ratings in B-727, B-737, and MD-11 aircraft and has served as an FAA certified flight examiner.
Dick is an experienced attorney and trade association/professional organization executive. Prior to joining AAFDO, Dick served as the Executive Director of the American Association of Dental Boards (AADB). While there, he grew membership by 11% and restarted the AADB Foundation. Prior to his service with AADB, he was the CEO and General Counsel for ALFA International, a 140-member network of law firms. Under his leadership, ALFA increased their international membership 300%, recruited 200 new clients for ALFA member firms, and redesigned the CLE certification process. Dick has served in a variety of executive and legal positions with Ameritech/AT&T, Kraft Foods, and Household Manufacturing