W. Joshua Cox, DO, FACOFP, is the Executive Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) and Vice Provost for Medical Affairs at Kansas City University (KCU). He began his career as a family physician for the U.S. Army and in 2006 joined the KCU faculty. During his tenure at the university, he has served in a number of capacities, including Professor of Family Medicine, Chair of Primary Care, Associate Dean of Clinical Education, COM Campus Dean for Kansas City, and interim Director of campus health and well-being. He has also organized and participated in numerous KCU global health outreach trips to Kenya, Dominican Republic, and India. Additionally, he has served as a supervising physician for the Score One for Health program. Dr. Cox earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from KCU-COM, and is residency trained, and board certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment. He is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP), and has been awarded the Osteopathic Family Medicine Educator of the Year Award. Dr. Cox is a national faculty member for both the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners and the American Academy of Family Physicians and has given numerous invited presentations nationally and internationally. He received the Army Commendation Medal for his services in Family Practice and has received other awards such as the Ingram’s magazine Heroes in Healthcare Award, the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons Medallion Award, and the KC Business Journal-20 Healthcare professionals to know. He has served on numerous professional boards and committees, a few examples include the AACOM Board of Deans, Board of Directors of DO Care International, Missouri Society of the ACOFP Board of Governors, the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP) Commission on Education, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) Congress of Delegates, and multiple National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners Standard Setting Committees.

Michelle Robinson, DMD, MA is the Senior Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is the first and only person on her campus to have served in leadership roles in both a health and a non-health school, having been interim dean for the School of Dentistry from 2018-2019 and interim dean for the School of Education from 2020-2022. This shaped her core belief that leadership skills are transferable across roles, disciplines and cultures, and that everyone can hone their abilities to be an effective leader. Dr. Robinson is a graduate of Rutgers School of Dental Medicine and the General Practice Residency program at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. She has a biomedical informatics degree from Columbia University and certifications that include Special Patient Care, Information Technology Project Management, and Online Education. She has held multiple leadership roles at the national level, including Chair of the Dental Informatics Working Group of AMIA and Chair of the Dental Informatics Section of ADEA. Dr. Robinson is the recipient of several awards in the areas of teaching, research, service, and mentorship. She has given lectures, continuing education courses, and served as a consultant for various universities, associations, and study clubs throughout the United States and Europe

Dr. Tucker-Lively is the Vice President for Professional Development at the Academy for Advancing Leadership (AAL) in Atlanta, Georgia. In this capacity, she develops, oversees, and facilitates sessions for various professional development programs, both for AAL and for specific client projects. Her areas of interest are professional and organizational development, strategic talent management, human resource management, and career path learning and development. She has experience in administration, operational management, and program coordination at Morehouse School of Medicine, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, and Brooklyn Hospital Center. She has assisted faculty, residents, and administrators in cultivating their growth and development in a variety of settings. Her background involves working with executive leadership teams to solve challenges, develop alternatives, and create efficiencies for improvement. In December 2019, Dr. Tucker-Lively was appointed one of 12 nationwide faculty and independent researchers to the ADEA Collaborative on Dental Education Climate Assessment, charged with exploring issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and wellness throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 2022, Dr. Tucker- Lively served as a co-facilitator for the Leading Through Crisis module conducted for the ADEA Women in Leadership Program. Dr. Tucker-Lively maintains a variety of memberships and positions of leadership in professional and community organizations; such as a Silver Life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Vice President of the William Tucker 1624 Society in Hampton, Virginia, and Elder and Chair of Pastoral Care Ministry Team at Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia. Dr. Tucker-Lively received a Bachelor of Science in human services from Cornell University College of Human Ecology and her Master of Public Health in sociomedical science from Columbia University School of Public Health, both in New York. She received her doctorate in educational leadership from Mercer University in Atlanta. Dr. Tucker-Lively also holds the designation of Success Insights DISC Certified, Prioritized Leader Master Certified, and Everything DISC Workplace Certified, and Leadership Practice Inventory® Coach.

Dr. Patty Xirau-Probert serves as the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Involvement at the College of Dentistry. Holding a PhD in Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, she specializes in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, emotion regulation, and community engagement initiatives. She has created programs at the University of Florida focused on well-being, resilience, effective communication, leadership development, and stress management. She contributes to curriculum development, strategic planning, community outreach, and other efforts aimed at student success and the institutional mission. Her teaching experience includes an inter-professional biopsychosocial education course for health professions, wellness practices, and crisis intervention/suicide prevention for UF health faculty, staff, and students. She is trained in Provider Attitudes and Crucial Conversations. Together with colleagues from other health science center colleges, she leads a course on the science of well-being among health professionals—one of her favorite projects to date!

Professor Pamela Zarkowski, JD, MPH, is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Detroit Mercy. An educator for more than 45 years, she has served in several administrative roles at the University of Detroit Mercy and continues to teach predoctoral, graduate, and dental hygiene students. She has held various leadership roles in national organizations, provided professional development workshops and seminars, and published articles and book chapters on dental public health, professional, legal, and ethical issues for dental and health professionals. She is a past president of the American Dental Education Association, Society for Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine, the American Society for Dental Ethics, and former Chairperson of the ADEAGies Foundation. Zarkowski is a Sigma Phi Alpha Dental Hygiene Honor Society member, an honorary member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, and an honorary fellow of the American College of Legal Medicine. She serves on the Board of Regents for the American College of Dentists. In 2011, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Dental Education Association. She was honored in 2017 by the ADEAGies Foundation as the recipient of the Gies Award for Achievement – Dental Educator. In 2019, she was named one of Crain’s Notable Women in Education Leadership.