17 de julio del 2026
Albany, Nueva York.— La Asociación Dental del Estado de Nueva York (New York State Dental Association, NYSDA) juramentó a la doctora Amarilis Jacobo, Doctora en Cirugía Dental (DDS), convirtiéndose en la primera mujer latina en ocupar la presidencia en la historia de la organización. La Dra. Jacobo asumirá como la 146.ª presidenta de la prestigiosa entidad profesional.
La Dra. Jacobo es odontóloga de práctica general y dirige consultorios privados en Harlem y el Bronx. Además de su ejercicio profesional, mantiene una activa participación en la Asociación Dental Americana (ADA), la Asociación Dental Hispana (HDA), el Capítulo de Nueva York de la Asociación Dental Hispana, la Sociedad Dental del Condado del Bronx y es fundadora de la Asociación Dental Dominicana. Durante la pandemia del COVID-19 fue designada por el estado para integrar el Consejo Asesor de Reapertura New York Forward.
“Me siento honrada de guiar a la NYSDA hacia una nueva etapa enfocada en ampliar el acceso a la salud bucal en todo el estado de Nueva York. Basándonos en una sólida historia y una fuerte base institucional, mi prioridad será fortalecer la labor de defensa de nuestra profesión, impulsar a la próxima generación de dentistas y consolidar el futuro de la odontología”, expresó la Dra. Jacobo.
Compromiso con la comunidad
En 2017, la Dra. Jacobo inauguró la Clínica Astin Jacobo, una clínica dental gratuita en la República Dominicana que lleva el nombre de su padre. Ubicada en la Escuela Intermedia Astin Jacobo, la clínica tiene como misión garantizar la salud bucal de todos los estudiantes del centro educativo.
Asimismo, en 2016 creó la Beca Dra. Amarilis Jacobo, dirigida a estudiantes de la Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice, con el propósito de apoyar el desarrollo académico de jóvenes con talento y vocación de servicio.
Formación profesional
La Dra. Jacobo cursó sus estudios de odontología en la Universidad Central del Este (UCE), en la República Dominicana. Posteriormente regresó a Estados Unidos, donde obtuvo el título de Doctora en Cirugía Dental en la prestigiosa Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de Nueva York (New York University College of Dentistry).
Directiva de la NYSDA para el período 2026-2027
Acompañando a la Dra. Jacobo en la directiva de la Asociación Dental del Estado de Nueva York para el período 2026-2027 figuran los siguientes profesionales:
Dra. Lynn Stacy – Presidenta Electa
Odontóloga de práctica general con una consulta privada en Lowville desde hace más de tres décadas. También prestó servicios durante 25 años en un centro de atención para adultos mayores del condado de Lewis. Ha ocupado múltiples cargos de liderazgo en organizaciones odontológicas regionales y actualmente representa al Quinto Distrito como fideicomisaria de la NYSDA.
Dr. Michael Shreck – Vicepresidente
Odontólogo general con consulta privada en New Hyde Park. Es profesor clínico asistente en el Long Island Jewish Medical Center y fundador del programa Give Kids A Smile del condado de Nassau, iniciativa que ha brindado atención dental y educación preventiva a cerca de 20,000 niños de escasos recursos.
Dr. Paul Leary – Secretario-Tesorero
Graduado de la Temple University School of Dentistry, sirvió en la Marina de los Estados Unidos alcanzando el rango de comandante. Actualmente ejerce la odontología privada en Smithtown y comparte la práctica con su hija, la Dra. Megan Leary-Ells. Ha desempeñado numerosos cargos de liderazgo tanto en la NYSDA como en la Asociación Dental Americana.
Dr. William Karp – Presidente de la Cámara de Delegados
Odontólogo general con práctica privada en Syracuse desde 1983. También se desempeña como odontólogo del St. Joseph’s Hospital and Health Center, donde participa en la formación de residentes. Ha ocupado diversos cargos dentro de la NYSDA y la ADA.
Dr. Maurice Edwards – Presidente Saliente
Especialista en cirugía oral y maxilofacial con consulta privada en Manhattan. Tras los atentados del 11 de septiembre de 2001, colaboró en las labores de identificación de víctimas en Ground Zero, participando en la identificación de aproximadamente el 60 % de los restos recuperados. Por esa labor recibió el Premio al Liderazgo para Nuevos Dentistas de la NYSDA.
Sobre la Asociación Dental del Estado de Nueva York
Fundada en 1868, la Asociación Dental del Estado de Nueva York (NYSDA) es una de las organizaciones estatales más grandes que integran la Asociación Dental Americana (ADA) y representa a más del 60 % de los odontólogos que ejercen en el estado de Nueva York.
Por su parte, la Asociación Dental Americana (ADA), fundada en 1859, es la organización nacional de odontología más antigua y grande del mundo y constituye la principal fuente de información sobre salud bucal para profesionales y pacientes.
Dr. Amarilis Jacobo Named President of the New York State Dental Association
Jun 25, 2026
NYSDA also welcomed new and returning NYSDA officers to serve in 2026-27.
Albany, N.Y. — The New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) has sworn in Amarilis Jacobo, Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), making her the first Latina president in NYSDAs history. Dr. Jacobo serves as the 146th president of the organization.
Dr. Jacobo is a general practice dentist with private practices in Harlem and the Bronx. She is active in the American Dental Association (ADA), Hispanic Dental Association (HDA), Hispanic Dental Association-New York Chapter, Bronx County Dental Society and is a founder of the Dominican Dental Association. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she received a state appointment to the New York Forward Re-Opening Advisory Board.
“I’m honored to guide NYSDA into its next chapter of improving access to oral health throughout New York,” said Dr. Jacobo. “Building on a strong history and foundation, my focus will be on advancing the organization’s advocacy, empowering the next generation of dentists and strengthening the future of our profession.”
In 2017, Dr. Jacobo opened la clinca Astin Jacobo, a free dental clinic in the Dominican Republic named after her father. Housed at the Astin Jacobo Middle School, the clinic is dedicated to ensuring the oral health of all on campus. She established the Dr. Amarilis Jacobo Scholarship Award in 2016 for students at the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice.
Dr. Jacobo attended La Universidad Central del Este School of Dentistry in the Dominican Republic. Following graduation, she returned to the United States and received her doctorate of dental surgery from New York University College of Dentistry.
Serving alongside Dr. Jacobo for the 2026-2027 term are the following officers, effective June 8, 2026:
Dr. Lynn Stacy, President-Elect
Lynn Stacy, DDS, is a general practice dentist with a private practice in Lowville that she opened more than three decades ago. Dr. Stacy also worked at the Lewis County Residential
Health Care facility, serving the elderly residents in a dental capacity for 25 years. She has held various leadership positions within the Jefferson-Lewis Dental Society and the Fifth District Dental Society, becoming president in 2012.
Dr. Stacy currently serves as the NYSDA Trustee for the Fifth District, where she has been involved in the NYSDA Strategic Planning Committee, the Lobby Review Committee and the NYSDAPAC Bylaws Committee. She also acts as the Trustee Liaison to Governmental Affairs. Previously, she served on the NYSDA Council on Membership and Communications and was a delegate for the NYSDA and the ADA, where she took part in the dental benefits study group.
Dr. Stacy is a graduate of University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, where she was a member of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Society. She has been inducted into the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the International College of Dentistry.
Dr. Michael Shreck, Vice President
Michael Shreck, DMD, is a general practice dentist with a private practice in New Hyde Park. Dr. Shreck is a fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Society, the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists while also serving as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Dental Medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Dr. Shreck is the founder and current co-chair of Nassau County’s Give Kids A Smile Program, which has helped treat and educate nearly 20,000 underserved children. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Dental Political Action Committee and is on the Board of Directors and an Executive member of the Nassau County Dental Society.
Dr. Shreck received his doctorate of dental medicine from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center and earned his Postdoctoral Certificate from Columbia University. Dr. Shreck was the second recipient of the American Dental Association Foundation’s prestigious Jeffrey Dalin, DDS Give Kids A Smile Volunteer Award for his outstanding achievements.
Dr. Paul Leary, Secretary-Treasurer
Paul Leary, DMD, is a graduate of Temple University School of Dentistry. He entered the United States Navy in his freshman year of dental school, completed three years of active-duty service upon graduation and remained in the Naval Reserve for 14 years, achieving a rank of commander. He left active service and entered private practice, where he continues to work more than three decades later. He shares ownership of his practice in Smithtown with Dr. Matthew Hanna and works alongside his daughter, Dr. Megan Leary-Ells, at the practice.
Dr. Leary has held many leadership positions in dental organizations in his home of Suffolk County as well as within NYSDA and the ADA. He has served as NYSDA Secretary-Treasurer for the past three years. Additionally, he has previously been a trustee representing the Second ADA District, NYSDA Trustee representing Suffolk County and a past member of NYSDAs Board of Governors. He remains dedicated to educating the next generation of dentists and has presented an ethics course to fourth-year dental students at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine for nearly 15 years.
Dr. William Karp, Speaker of the House of Delegates
William Karp, DDS, is a general practice dentist and has maintained his private practice in the Syracuse area since 1983. He is also an attending dentist at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Health Center where he educates dental residents.
Dr. Karp has held leadership capacities as a delegate to the ADA and as a member of the ADA Council on Communications. At NYSDA, he has served as governor, trustee and a delegate in the NYSDA House. He previously served as president of the Fifth District Dental Society and has been their parliamentarian since 2009.
Dr. Karp is a graduate of New York University College of Dentistry and completed his general practice residency at the University of Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Maurice Edwards, Immediate Past President
Maurice Edwards, DMD, runs his private practice in Manhattan and is active in the ADA, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), New York State Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (NYSSOMS) and the New York Society of Forensic Dentistry. Dr. Edwards holds faculty positions in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at New York University College of Dentistry and the Department of Otolaryngology at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai West Medical Center’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Sections.
The day after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Dr. Edwards spent considerable time alongside thousands of volunteers at Ground Zero searching for the remains of victims. In the months that followed, he worked with the dental identification unit at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, helping to identify about 60 percent of all remains recovered. He received NYSDA’s New Dentist Leadership Award for his efforts.
Dr. Edwards received his doctorate of dental medicine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. Upon graduating, he matched and completed a four-year residency program in oral and maxillofacial surgery at New York University and Bellevue Hospital.
About the New York State Dental Association: The New York State Dental Association, founded in 1868, is one of the largest state constituents of the American Dental Association and represents more than 60 percent of dentists practicing in New York State. Founded in 1859, the American Dental Association is the oldest and largest national dental society in the world and serves as the leading source of oral health-related information for dentists and their patients.
