releases: https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/tribute-dr-heber-simmons-jr
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/tribute-dr-heber-simmons-jr | TRIBUTE TO DR. HEBER SIMMONS, JR. | 2021-06-07 | 2021 | 2021-06 | Republican | Senate | MS | Cindy Hyde-Smith | H001079 | www.hydesmith.senate.gov | hydesmith | https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom | scraper | Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 98 (Senate - June 7, 2021) PDF Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Madam President, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, AAPD, last month named Dr. Heber Simmons, Jr., of Jackson, MS, as its 2021 Pediatric Dentist of the Year. I commend him for his decades of service and for the significant contributions he has made to the dental profession. His lifetime commitment to the specialty of pediatric dentistry has helped advance children's health in Mississippi and around the country. Dr. Simmons' many years of clinical practice, his dedication to improving academic dentistry, and his passion for public policy make him a deserving recipient of the Pediatric Dentist of the Year honor. Dr. Simmons received his dental degree from the University of Tennessee and completed his pediatric dentistry training there after serving our Nation for 3 years in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. Following his training and military service, Dr. Simmons practiced for 57 years in Jackson before retiring recently from active practice. His passion and dedication have made him a national leader in dentistry, proven by his past presidencies of the AAPD, the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, the Pierre Fauchard Academy, and the Mississippi Dental Association. Furthermore, he received the AAPD Distinguished Service Award in 1994 and the Ann Page Griffin Humanitarian Award in 2011. For many years, he served on the Board of Trustees of the American Dental Association, ADA, serving as a spokesperson for the ADA from 1981 to 2019. In this role, he was featured on nationally televised programs such as "60 Minutes" and "Good Morning, America." Dr. Simmons currently serves as a special consultant to the AAPD Board of Trustees after serving as the academy's congressional liaison since 1997. As AAPD Congressional Liaison, he helped educate Members of Congress and their staffs concerning oral health issues for children, testified before Congress, and served in a key leadership role in AAPD advocacy efforts. This includes helping to allocate more than $158 million for pediatric dentistry to the title VII program at the Health Resources and Services Administration. For this work, Heber was awarded an AAPD Presidential Citation in 2001, and more recently, his alma mater, the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, recreated an endowed professorship in his name. Last year, at the AAPD Pediatric Oral Health Advocacy Conference, Dr. Simmons was the keynote speaker and received another Presidential citation in recognition of and appreciation for his tireless and dedicated national advocacy for his profession and the oral health of America's children. | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-06T19:57:00Z |