Oral HPV Task Force

The Oral HPV Task Force works together to prevent HPV through oral health education, outreach, and research. The group was founded by our Scientific Advisor, Alessandro Villa, to improve the Coalition's focus on Oral HPV prevention. Today, our members meet quarterly to collaborate on projects and provide expert insight on Coalition activities. This includes our Dental Toolkit and Oral Health Provider trainings. If you are interested in learning more, email Devan, our task force coordinator, at devan_carr@dfci.harvard.edu.

Dr. Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH

Dr. Villa is the Chief of the Oral Medicine Services at University of California San Francisco where he also serves as the Program Director of the Oral Medicine Residency. Dr. Villa earned his Certificate in Oral Medicine from Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital and served as the Program Director for the Oral Medicine Program there prior to joining UCSF. Dr. Villa's research interests are focused primarily on oral, potentially malignant, disorders and oral HPV prevention. He is a founding member and scientific advisor of the Massachusetts Oral HPV Task Force.

Dr. Rosie Wagner

Dr. Wagner founded a family dental practice in Somerville, MA that focuses on reducing dental avoidance and shame, improving patient-provider communication, and providing a safe space for patients of all backgrounds. Through hosting annual immunization clinics, Dr. Wagner wishes to include the dental office as part of a patient's comprehensive medical home. Her main role with the Oral HPV Taskforce is to guide dental providers on having meaningful and accessible conversations with patients about HPV-related pathology and prevention through vaccination. She is also a subject matter expert for the Oral Health Equity Project, and a board member of both the Massachusetts Dental Society Foundation and the Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition.

Kelly Welch

Kelly is the Executive Director of Team Maureen, a nonprofit organization based on Cape Cod, that is dedicated to ending cervical cancer by educating about the HPV-Cancer connection and the importance of prevention and early detection. Following a degree from Cornell, Kelly has worked in various education-focused nonprofits for nearly 20 years. She is part of the American Cancer Society (ACS) National HPV Roundtable, a member of the ASCCP’s Communication Work Group, on the planning committee for the Coalition’s HPV-related Cancer Summit, and a founding member of the Coalition.

Cynthia McReynolds, MBA

Since 2011, Cynthia has been the Program Manager of the Immunization Initiative at the Massachusetts Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (MCAAP). The Immunization Initiative is dedicated to fully immunizing Massachusetts children and adolescents against vaccine preventable diseases through advocacy, coalition-building, communication, and education. As a founding member of the Coalition, the Immunization Initiative has had the opportunity to further its mission by working with Coalition partners to reduce the burden of HPV-related cancer through HPV vaccination. Cynthia holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Devan Carr, MPH

Devan is a Senior Community Outreach Specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she manages the HPV and Related Cancers Outreach Program. Devan received her MPH from the Yale School School of Public Health, where she worked on various HPV education programs, including HPV communication campaigns and provider training interventions. Devan partners with Kelly Welch to coordinate the Coalition work groups, organize events, and provide community health education.

Ted Clark, MS

Ted is the Outreach Coordinator for the Immunization Division at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). He also spent 10 years in MDPH’s Bureau of Community Health and Prevention, working to reduce the burden of chronic disease in the Commonwealth. His experience includes communication roles at the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Public Relations and Communication Manager), and the Animal Rescue League of Boston (Director of Public Relations). Ted holds an MS in Public Relations from the Boston University College of Communication.

Pamela Worthington M.Ed.

Pam is the Immunization Outreach Specialist with Massachusetts Department of Public Health and focuses her outreach efforts in the area of increasing vaccination rates throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to joining DPH, Pam received her Master's degree in Health Education from Boston University and spent over 20 years developing continuing medical education for regional primary care practitioners at Beth Israel Lahey Health.