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Leading Oral Health Research Institute Welcomes Pacific Dental CEO to Board of Directors

Cambridge, Mass. – As CEO of one of the largest dental support organizations in the country, Stephen Thorne brings an important new voice to Forsyth’s Board.

Cambridge, Mass. – The Forsyth Institute, a global leader in oral health research and clinical care, is pleased to announce that Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Dental Services (PDS) has been appointed to the Board of Directors. Mr. Thorne founded Pacific Dental Services in 1994. Today, the dental support organization (DSO) is one of the leading organizations in the country dedicated to providing administrative and business support to dental practices, serving more than 900 practices throughout the United States.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Stephen Thorne to our Board,” said Forsyth’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Wenyuan Shi. “He is a true visionary in the oral health field and his perspective will be crucial as we continue building a strong oral health innovation ecosystem to impact public health. I am grateful that he will take the time to share his experience and expertise with us.”

Forsyth and Pacific Dental have collaborated on several initiatives in the past couple of years. Most notably, Mr. Thorne served on the CEO panel at the inaugural Forsyth dentech meeting in 2021, Forsyth’s annual technology innovation conference.

This appointment adds an important new voice and perspective to Forsyth’s Board. “It has been a true pleasure getting to know Stephen over the past couple of years,” said Forsyth’s Board Chair, Elyse Cherry. “Under his leadership, PDS has pushed the needle forward in building awareness around the connection between oral health and overall health. He will be an invaluable addition to the Board as Forsyth continues to grow.”

PDS is a strong advocate for developing more holistic models of health care. Last August, it announced it had completed an integration with the largest electronic health records system, Epic, across all its dental practices, making dental/medical data integration possible for the first time. Mr. Thorne was also instrumental in forming the Association of Dental Support Organizations, which is the largest association of dental support organizations in America and served as the founding President for the first three years.

About The Forsyth Institute

The Forsyth Institute, founded in 1910, is the world’s leading independent research institution focused on oral health and its connection to overall wellness. Forsyth was founded as a pediatric dental hospital serving disadvantaged children in the Boston area. Today, the Institute is grounded in a 3-pillared strategic plan focused on biological research, clinical service and public health outreach, and technological innovation. Forsyth conducts its original mission through a mobile public health dental program called ForsythKids.

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