Tri-College Day 2026 brought dentists, students, and AI experts to Seattle to explore artificial intelligence in dentistry with honesty, ethics, and a unified purpose.
by Genni Burkhart, Editor
ACD Leadership-Drs. Bianca Zero (ACD Regent Intern), Terri Dolan (ACD Past President), Robin Henderson (ACD Regent, Regency 8), LaJaun Hall (ACD Regent, Regency 7)
For the second consecutive year since its revival, the 2026 Tri-College Day drew the professional dental community together in Seattle, WA, for a full day centered on a topic every dental practice is already dealing with—artificial intelligence (AI) and dentistry’s ethical responsibility in using it.
Presented jointly by the American College of Dentists (ACD), the International College of Dentists (ICD), and the Pierre Fauchard Academy (PFA), Tri-College Day exists to elevate the profession, inspire ethical leadership, and create opportunities for the next generation to lead with purpose.
The ACD Washington Section organized and managed the event, including securing corporate sponsorships to help offset costs so that as many tuition dollars as possible could flow directly to dental student scholarships. The speakers also donated their time to the event.
While COVID-19 forced the cancellation of past Tri-College Days, all three organizations involved continued to award scholarships throughout that time period.
AI in Dentistry
The theme for the 2026 Tri-College was "AI in Dentistry: Innovation, Application and Ethical Responsibility." A fitting and relevant topic that's exploding across all industries, including healthcare.
AI is already part of day-to-day dental practice, present in diagnostics, treatment planning, and patient communications. Organizers of this event anchored the program in a quote by Albert Einstein, setting the tone: "Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think."
Two interactive panel discussions and a full slate of keynote presentations were structured around that idea, all aimed at helping dental professionals think critically, ask better questions, and leave with a practical framework for integrating AI responsibly and equitably into their practices.
Thought Leadership
Ryan Currie opened as the keynote speaker. As Director of Product in Cloud and AI at Microsoft, Currie leads teams building secure, trustworthy systems that help organizations build, deploy, and scale AI responsibly in the cloud, with a focus on AI-powered guidance, developer platforms, and systems serving companies and individuals globally. He is also completing a PhD in Leadership Studies, graduating with honors this May, with research focused on human-machine collaboration and AI.
His message to the room centered on thinking critically about innovation and the responsibility professionals carry toward the patients and communities they serve.
The day drew a deliberately broad range of speakers, including:
- Andrew Howison, a Gonzaga University student, shared a dental student's perspective, discussing what AI looks like from inside dental education right now.
- Dr. Teresa Dolan, representing Overjet AI, provided insights on clinical uses of AI technology, while Dr. Shervin Molayem, co-founder of Trust AI, offered an industry perspective on AI's role in dentistry.
- Dr. Roisin Lally and Dr. Tracey Hayes, both from Gonzaga University, examined the ethical and philosophical dimensions of AI in dental care.
- Dave Schoolcraft, JD, addressed legal considerations surrounding the implementation of AI in dental practice.
- Dr. Miles Lodmell and Grace Martin offered special presentations; Martin shared her personal experience regarding the impact of ICD scholarship support on her dental education journey.
Each speaker presented in a concise, TED Talk-style format, the kind of thought leadership that sparks curiosity and encourages continued exploration of the issue.
Investing in the Next Generation
At the center of Tri-College Day, the mission has always been to provide scholarship support. The ACD, ICD, and PFA each contributed, reflecting a shared and sustained commitment to the future of the dental profession.
- The ACD continued its longstanding support of the Student Professionalism and Ethics Association (SPEA) at the University of Washington School of Dentistry, recognizing students with demonstrated commitment to professionalism and ethics.
- The ICD-Washington University Dental Alumni Association (WUDAA) Scholarship Program awarded a record $45,000 across 18 dental students in 2025, with each recipient receiving $2,500 to support academic excellence, leadership, and service. Grace Martin, a prior recipient, returned to Tri-College Day to speak about her dental education journey and what that support enabled her to achieve. This scholarship program was launched in 2019 with just three scholarships. It has since grown through support from the Global Visionary Fund, the Dr. Herbert K. Yee Foundation, the Washington University Dental Alumni Association, and the ICD USA Section Foundation, which funded 14 of the 2025 scholarships, including one in honor of the late USA Fellow Dr. I. Leon Aronson. Since its inception, 24% of scholarships have gone to international students enrolled full-time in U.S. dental schools.
- The PFA introduced a new first-year student leadership award at Pacific Northwest University, Washington's newest dental school. Developed in collaboration with founding dean Dr. Foti Panagakos, the award recognizes leadership potential from the very start of a student's dental education.
A Personal Connection to DOCS Education
Dr. Robin Henderson, DDS, and UW Dental Student Scholarship recipient Grace Martin
The thread connecting Tri-College Day to DOCS Education runs through Dr. Robin Henderson, DDS, FACD, FICD, FPFA, Fellow of the College of Dentistry International. A DOCS Education member, Dr. Henderson, also holds a fellowship in all three organizations that comprise the Tri-College: The ACD, ICD, and PFA. She was also the 2015 DOCS Education Safe Sedation Dentist of the Year.
As Regent of Regency 8 of the ACD and a two-time ACD Editor of the Year for the Washington Section, her dedication to advancing ethics, professionalism, and service within dentistry was foundational to the event's success. Her husband, Scott Henderson, organized and managed the event on behalf of the ACD Washington Section and delivered the opening remarks.
In addition, it was Dr. Henderson who nominated DOCS Education CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Michael Silverman for a fellowship in both the ACD and the ICD. ICD fellowship is extended by invitation only, and a fellow in good standing must also sponsor the candidate through a peer-review process. Acceptance signifies that the recipient has brought honor to the dental profession through devoted service and high ethical behavior. Fellows are recognized among the top 1% of dentists worldwide. The ACD is built around excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership.
Dr. Silverman now holds fellowships with both organizations, earned through years of dedicated service to the dental profession and his continued commitment to advancing the safe and effective use of sedation dentistry.
A Day Worth Celebrating
Dr. Henderson's investment in Tri-College Day goes beyond her fellowships and her role behind the scenes. She helped shape the day, and her perspective on it speaks to why events like this matter to the profession.
"Tri-College Day was designed to expose attendees to the multifaceted and truly transformative nature of artificial intelligence, while also encouraging thoughtful consideration of its ethical use. We intentionally invited speakers who are experts in their fields, not to take a deep dive into the technical details, but to share their insights in a concise, TED Talk-style format that sparks curiosity and encourages continued exploration. What made the day especially meaningful was the audience itself. We welcomed dentists and dental students, and it was truly inspiring to see the interaction between the future of our profession and the remarkable leaders in the room, engaged together in meaningful dialogue and shared learning." -Dr. Robin Henderson
Tri-College Day 2026 unified people, scholarship support, and essential conversations for the dental profession as AI becomes integral in clinical practice. For DOCS Education and its members, that mission is a familiar one, and days like this are a reminder of what organized dentistry looks like when it is working at its best.
Author: With over 16 years as a published, award-winning journalist, editor, and writer, Genni Burkhart's career has spanned politics, healthcare, law, business finance, technology, and news. She resides in Northern Colorado, where she works as the editor-in-chief of the Incisor at DOCS Education.
