The Oregon Health Authority recently selected Kaz Rafia, DDS, as its new director of its dental program.
Dr. Rafia will replace the organization's first director, Bruce Austin, who left the position in 2020 after five years to work as a clinical director for Capitol Dental Care. His duties include guiding the authority's efforts to improve access to quality oral healthcare, providing expertise on Oregon's dental programs and overseeing improvements to the state's oral healthcare metrics, including the number of kids who receive preventive oral health treatments.
Dr. Rafia received his dental degree from the Ohio State University and a master's in business administration from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He completed a residency at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. He is equipped with both international and local experience in the dental industry, including serving as the director of operations for the Partnership for International Medical Access-Northwest nonprofit and a clinical director for Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente.
In addition to his responsibilities as the OHA's dental director, Dr. Rafia is currently pursuing a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.