Continuing Education

Anne Antidormi, RDH, B.S., has been a dental hygienist for 40 years. Anne became an adjunct faculty member at Hudson Valley Community College in 2004 and has worked in both freshman and senior clinical lab courses, most recently with a concentration in freshman pre-clinical labs and radiology lab. She continues to enjoy her dental hygiene career in a private general dental practice. Anne was recently inducted into Sigma Phi Alpha, a National Dental Hygiene Society.

She received her A.S. degree from the University of Bridgeport Fones School of Dental Hygiene and a B.S. degree in Gerontology.

Tammy J. Conway, RDH, M.S., is a professor and chairperson of the Department of Dental Hygiene & Dental Assisting at Hudson Valley Community College. Her more than 30 years in dentistry includes clinical practice, dental hygiene education and dental practice management. Tammy’s approach to education encourages student-centered, interactive learning. She is a member of Sigma Phi Alpha, a National Dental Hygiene Honor Society, and serves on several college and professional committees. In 2019, she was honored with the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to Tammy’s teaching responsibilities, she continues to develop and participate in professional education courses pertaining to dental education.

Tammy earned her M.S. in Educational Administration and Policy Studies at the University of Albany, her B.S. in Community Health from William Patterson College, and her A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene at Hudson Valley Community College.

Karen DuJack, RDH, M.S., is an assistant professor and education specialist in the Dental Hygiene Department at Hudson Valley Community College. She has been a practicing RDH for 26 years and a clinical dental hygiene instructor for over 20 years. Karen serves as the department’s infection control coordinator and has completed a rigorous program through the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) and Dental Advancement through Learning and Education Foundation where she earned a certificate in the foundation of Dental Infection Prevention and Control Certificate Program.

Karen is a current member of OSAP the only dental membership association for oral health care professionals that focuses exclusively on dental infection prevention and patient and provider safety. She has taught course work on Infection Control and Barrier Precautions approved by the New York State Department of Health and the State Education Department over the past five years on and off campus.

Gabriele Hamm, RDA, CDA, CDPMA, is a full-time faculty member teaching Dental Assisting at Hudson Valley Community College.

She is currently completing her fellowship with the American Dental Assistants Association, in Annapolis, Maryland, and sits as a member of the New York State Board for Dentistry, chairperson for the Laws, Rules & Regulations, a member of the Commission on Dental Competency Assessment and the Western Regional Examining Board, American Dental Education Association. She is a member of the American Dental Assistants Association.

She received her associate in science with honors from Hudson Valley Community College and her certificate of completion in dental assisting from Westchester school. She also received the Teaching and Learning Certificate, Leadership Development Certificate and Academic Advising Certificate from Hudson Valley Community College’s Center for Effective Teaching.

Andrea Heroux, RDH, M.A., is a full-time instructor in the Dental Hygiene Department at Hudson Valley Community College, teaching Tooth Morphology & Occlusion, Preventive Dentistry II and Clinical Dental Hygiene for freshman and senior students. She serves as a Freshmen Clinic co-coordinator, freshmen retention specialist and is currently the school liaison for New York State Dental Hygiene Educator’s Association. She is a member of Sigma Phi Alpha, a National Dental Hygiene Honor Society.

Andrea earned her M.A. in Adult Learning from SUNY Empire State College, her B.S. in Dental Hygiene from Mount Ida College and her A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene from Hudson Valley Community College.

Jena Iversen, RDH, is a full-time instructor in the Dental Hygiene Department at Hudson Valley Community College. In addition to serving as Senior Clinic coordinator, she teaches Preventive Dentistry and Head and Neck Anatomy courses and has a strong focus on remediation and student-support efforts. The focus of her current educational research is on innovation and technology to engage and motivate students. As a clinician, she remains dedicated to children’s dental health education and serves as a dental health advocate and educator to her local school district. Jena also works in clinical practice in upstate New York.

Jena earned her M.A. in Adult Education from Empire State College, her B.S. in Health and Human Services from the University at Buffalo and her A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene at Hudson Valley Community College.

Jeffery McMinn RDH, M.A., is an assistant professor in the Dental Hygiene Department at Hudson Valley Community College. A faculty member since 2004, Jeffery is lectures for both Advanced Community Dental Services as well as Periodontology and also is involved in Clinical Radiology and clinical patient treatment. A member of the American Dental Hygienists' Association and Sigma Phi Alpha Honor Society, Jeffery also serves on the ADHA Review Committee for continuing education courses. A published author, Jeffery wrote, Paralleling Mid-Level Healthcare Providers: Can the ADHP Overcome Traditional Roadblocks to Achieve Success, in an effort to help ameliorate the access to care issues facing so many dental patients in America today.

A recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Jeffery earned his M.A. in Social Policy and Healthcare Policy from SUNY Empire State College, his B.S. in Biology from SUNY at Cortland, and his A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene from Hudson Valley Community College.

Emily C. Murphy, RDH, B.Tech, is a full-time instructor in the Dental Hygiene Department at Hudson Valley Community College. Emily’s 14 years in dentistry include clinical practice in a multitude of settings and dental hygiene education. She is a new examiner for the CDCA/WREB clinical dental hygiene licensure examination, as well as a member of the American Dental Hygienists' Association, New York State Dental Hygiene Association and American Dental Education Association.

Emily earned her A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene at Hudson Valley Community College, her Bachelor of Technology degree in Dental Hygiene at SUNY Canton and is currently pursuing a master’s degree through University of Bridgeport, Fones School of Dental Hygiene.

Denise Pickering, Ph.D., NCC, is a fulltime faculty member at HVCC. She has been teaching her clients and students about mindfulness for over 20 years. She is familiar with the ever-evolving body of research on the benefits of mindfulness in the helping professions and has an ever-evolving mindfulness practice of her own.

She was a practicing RDH in Ohio for over 14 years before changing careers.

Denise received her doctoral degree in Counselor Education from Ohio University, her M.S.E. in Community Counseling from The University of Dayton, her B.A. in Health Services Management from Capital University and her A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene from Rhodes State College.

Betsy Riccio, D.D.S., was appointed chairperson of the Dental Hygiene Department at Hudson Valley Community College in 1986 and continued on as a faculty member for the next 25 years, teaching courses in Pathology, Pharmacology and Head and Neck Anatomy. In June 2020, she retired from the college as professor emeritus.

Betsy has presented numerous continuing education courses for both local and state dental hygiene and dental associations. During her time at college, she volunteered for numerous GKAS activities, the NYSDA Mission of Mercy and oral cancer screening events. In 2015, she was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Betsy is a member of the OKU Honorary Dental Society, ADA, NYSDA and Third District Dental Society.

She graduated from St. Lawrence University with a B.S. in Biology and received her D.D.S. from SUNY Buffalo School of Dental Medicine with a minor in Oral Pathology.

Kelly Smith RDH, MSDH, is a full-time instructor in the Department of Dental Hygiene at Hudson Valley Community College. Kelly has been working as a dental hygiene educator for the past seven years and has been practicing as a clinician for the past 11 years. Her focus has been on developing and implementing various methodologies for teaching dental hygiene instrumentation through the use of advanced technologies to engage all types of learners. Kelly teaches in the clinical and didactic settings and also serves as a Freshmen Clinic coordinator and co-curriculum coordinator.

Kelly earned her master’s degree in Dental Hygiene at the University of Bridgeport, her bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene at SUNY Canton, and her A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene at Hudson Valley Community College.

Laura Tubbs, RDH, M.A., is a full-time faculty member and radiology coordinator for the Dental Hygiene Department at Hudson Valley Community College. She has been with the department since 2011. She has clinical practice experience in general dentistry, pediatrics and orthodontics and has completed radiology coursework at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry and Tufts School of Dental Medicine.

Laura holds an A.A.S. degree in Dental Hygiene from Hudson Valley Community College, a B.A. degree in Biology from The College of Saint Rose, and a M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration from Stony Brook University.