Heather Tuthill, M.P.H., B.S.D.H., R.D.H, will be installed as the 2022-2023 president of the Virginia Dental Hygienists’ Association (VDHA) later this month. Tuthill is the senior dental hygiene clinical coordinator for the Dental Hygiene program at VCU School of Dentistry.

“I am very honored to be able to start this journey with the Virginia Dental Hygienists’ Association,” said Tuthill. “I’m excited to engage members and develop future leaders for the dental hygiene profession.”

The VDHA is a chartered affiliate of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA), the largest professional organization for dental hygienists. The organization’s mission is to improve the public’s total health and advance the science and practice of dental hygiene.

Tuthill graduated from VCU in 2011 with a Bachelors of Science in Dental Hygiene. She then earned a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) from VCU in 2015.

Tuthill’s advocacy with the VDHA first started when she was a dental hygiene student at VCU in 2009. Since then, she has held several roles including trustee for the Greater Richmond Component, Regulation and Practice Committee chair, Head Start liaison, and a National Delegate for the ADHA. 

Most recently, Tuthill was selected as president-elect of the VDHA in October of 2021. She will next serve one year as president, then another year as immediate past president. 

With a passion for advocacy and community building, Tuthill says her goals during her presidency are student outreach and membership, communication and transparency, and the development and mentorship of future leaders.

“I really want to focus on engaging members,” said Tuthill. “I feel like there needs to be an investment in future leaders. You have to be able to raise up others if you want to see yourself raise up as well. That’s something I thrive off of and one of the reasons why I’m an educator. Any little progress that our students make, I get so excited for them because I can start seeing that they are working towards the goal of being a part of our profession. I want to see that development with our leaders on an association level.”

Tuthill is slated to be installed as president of the VDHA on the weekend of October 29.