Mary Lee Conicella is Aetna’s Chief Dental Officer and oversees dental clinical initiatives and policies, with a focus on driving member engagement and improving health outcomes.  She was instrumental in creating Aetna's Dental-Medical Integration program and several strategies to reduce dental opioid prescribing.  These initiatives received global recognition in the groundbreaking NIH report: “Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges.” 

Dr. Conicella received her DMD from Temple University and is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry.  She received the National Dental Association President’s Award for her contributions to their mission of improving oral health in underserved communities.  Dr. Conicella also serves as the Clinical Advisor to the National Association of Dental Plans’ Board of Directors and was recently honored with NADP’s Gabryl lifetime achievement award, recognizing her leadership and efforts to improve consumer access to affordable, quality dental care through advocacy, research, and the promotion of dental benefits. She is a member of the NYU College of Dentistry Dean’s Strategic Advisory Council and holds a life membership in the American Dental Association.

Katie Deffke, DDS, Eastern Dental Director, supports United Concordia Dental’s oral and overall health efforts with a focus on the development of clinical standards that ensure consistency, efficiency, and quality of clinical review, and the integration of dental technology in the claim experience.

Dr. Deffke joined United Concordia Dental in 2021, after previously serving as the Senior Dental Director of Clinical Quality Management for Guardian for 3 years and served as the Dental Clinical Trainer & Analyst for Dentaquest for 7 years, where she developed clinical review guidelines, developed training and auditing programs for reviewing dentists, and led the clinical implementation of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning into Guardian’s claims processing system. She has extensive experience in claims operations, data analytics of claim data, and state and federal regulations as they relate to dental benefit determination.

Prior to engaging in the dental benefits space, Dr. Deffke practiced as a general dentist, with a significant focus in pediatric dentistry, for 10 years.

Dr. Deffke holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a a Doctor of Dental Surgery Marquette University.  She is licensed to practice dentistry in Wisconsin, Texas, New Jersey, Missouri, and holds a limited license in New Jersey.  She is a member of the American Dental Association, the Wisconsin Dental Association, and The American Academy of Dental Consultants.  She has been part of the National Association of Dental Plans for 5 years and currently serves as a Co-Chair for the Codes Workgroup.

Cherag Sarkari, DDS, MDS, BDS, joined LIBERTY Dental Plan in 2020 as the Dental Director of California. In 2023, he was promoted to National Dental Director for Quality Improvement and Clinical Innovation, and he now serves as the Chief Dental Officer. In this role, he provides clinical oversight for all quality improvement initiatives and clinical innovations aimed at enhancing member outcomes and experiences. He also leads policy development and quality management efforts across the organization.

With 27 years of experience in the dental industry, Dr. Sarkari brings a comprehensive background as a provider, academic, administrator, and C-suite executive.

Notable Accomplishments:

• Nationally recognized thought leader in value-based care; has presented at major forums including the ADA, AADCCR, NOHC, DQA, and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Workshop on Advancing Oral Health Across the Lifespan (Nov. 2024, Washington, D.C.)

• Co-Chair of the Codes Maintenance Committee at NADP

• Former Associate Professor of Prosthodontics and instructor in California Law, Ethics, and the Dental Practice Act at University De LaSalle, Mexico

• Former Chief Clinical Officer of a multi-state DSO (65 locations, 2013–2019)

• Led a DSO-affiliated professional corporation overseeing 175+ providers

• Served on the Quality Management Committee as Dental Director of a Knox-Keene licensed dental plan

• Active member of the Quality Management Committee of the California Association of Dental Plans (CADP)

• Recipient of NADP’s STAR Award for contributions to SNOMED/ICD initiatives

• Chair of the Peer Review Committee, Sacramento District Dental Society (2019–2020)

• Member of the Oral Health Task Force, Sacramento District Dental Society

Dr. Sarkari holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and a Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) in Prosthodontics. He was conferred a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) by the Dental Board of California in 2003 and earned a Master’s degree in Oral Laser Applications from the University of Vienna.