A Letter from our New President, Dr. Abate

The last two years have brought about a myriad of changes that no one had expected. We have all made sacrifices, compromises, and had to dig deep to be flexible and adaptable.  NAVAPD has also seen changes occur that we had not expected, most notably the retirement of our President, Dr. Samuel Spagnolo, and the installation of myself as the new President of NAVAPD.  This is the first time in NAVAPD’s history that a dentist has been named President.

I am a “boots on the ground”, clinically practicing VA Dentist; and I am also a veteran.

I completed a GPR residency at the Philadelphia VA Medical center. After my residency, I was in private practice prior to joining the VA full time.  I have been with the VA for 16 years, starting my VA career as a staff dentist in Salem, Virginia (VISN 6), and then 6 years ago, I joined the Miami VA Healthcare System as Supervisory Dentist at the Broward Outpatient Clinic (VISN 8). As a full-time practicing clinician, I am very familiar with the issues and struggles experienced by NAVAPD members, including pay disparities, lack of appropriate staffing, lack of appropriate resources, the quagmire of the HR hiring process and the inability to recruit and retain qualified clinicians who will make VA their career.

My goal, as NAVAPD’s President, is to bring the issues that directly affect our members to those who can correct them.  As you know, NAVAPD previously and successfully advocated to change the pay bill, and I think that it is time again for us to revisit it and bring it back before the eyes of the Congress. One of my goals would be to have regular contact with Congressional and VA leaders, so that they have firsthand knowledge of what those of us in the field deal with daily; whether it is the impact of the MISSION Act, the impact of COVID, or the fact that many physicians and dentists are working with less-than-optimal ratio of supporting staff while the number of veterans choosing VA is increasing. I would like to make our Congressional Leaders aware that they must change the process for recruiting/hiring/onboarding/retaining qualified staff and give them new ideas on how to accomplish that goal. 

NAVAPD is your voice. If you feel you have issues that we may be able to help resolve, please contact us. Please let your colleagues know that we are their voice as well and we are here to help them too. With your support, we can advocate on behalf of VA physicians and dentists. Please talk to your colleagues and have them consider joining NAVAPD if they are not already a member. I look forward to serving you and advocating on your behalf.

As a veteran, I thank you for all you do in the care of our nation’s veterans, and I wish you all a very healthy and Happy New Year.