Dentist of the Year Award Recipients
Each year 232-HELP honors one of the dentists in our Donated Dental Program who has exceeded what is asked of our volunteers, and has shown exceptional compassion for our clients who are the most vulnerable. The Dentist of the Year award is given by 232-HELP to a dentist who goes above and beyond what is asked of its volunteer dentists.
Dr. Clay Chandler
2017
Doctor Clay Steven Chandler was born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University for undergraduate degree in microbiology. He then went on to study dentistry in New Orleans at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. After obtaining a Doctorate Degree in Dentistry he attended Louisiana State University School of Medicine graduating with a Doctorate Degree in Medicine. While in New Orleans, he trained for 6 years after dental school in a residency for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
He moved to Baton Rouge, LA after residency and joined a private practice firm of Oral Surgeons practicing there for two years. He also served as associate clinical staff with LSU Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department teaching residents at Earl K Long Memorial Hospital and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Doctor Chandler is married to a native of Acadiana and after their third child they decided to move closer to home. He joined Lafayette Oral Surgery in 2011. He is currently on staff at Our Lady of Lourdes and The Surgery Center Outpatient Surgical Facility in Lafayette.
Dr. Ken S. Leblanc
2016
Dr. LeBlanc has been a volunteer dentist in the Donated Dental Program since 1999 and has treated over 150 clients. He took over his father’s practice in 198. Since that time, he has continued to pursue a path of excellence and dedication. He has completed hundreds of hours in advanced continuing education courses in all areas of dentistry. A clinical instructor at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry, Dr. LeBlanc teaches Clinical Operative Dentistry to Second Year Dental Students.
Dr. John T. Mahoney
2016
Dr. John T. Mahoney has volunteered for the program since 2001 and has treated 56 clients. Dr. Mahoney completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and graduated from LSU School of Dentistry in 1985. He began a private dental practice in the summer of 1985 in New Iberia. According to Dr. Mahoney, the key to his success is being gentle, “We are all about gentle care, compassion and making dental treatment as painless as it can be. Our practice philosophy is based on the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated.” The personal mission statement guiding Dr. Mahoney is to love God, love people and love life.
Dr. David Chambers
2015
Dr. David Chambers received his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from the University of Texas Dental Branch in 1982. He moved to Louisiana after practicing in Houston, TX, for 12 years and has worked at Dr. Curtis H. Roy & Associates ever since.
Beginning in 2006, Dr. Chambers has been providing free dental care to the needy by acting as a volunteer dentist for 232-HELP’s Donated Dental Program. His skills in cosmetic dentistry, prosthodontics, implant restoration, endodontics and in treating periodontal disease have helped numerous citizens of Acadiana return to a life free of dental pain.
Dr. David Chambers is a member of the Louisiana Dental Association, Acadiana District Dental Association and the American Dental Association.
Dr. Kirk Crane
2015
Dr. Crane graduated from the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry in 1977. After moving his practice to Lafayette from Newelton, LA, in 1992, he became deeply involved with the dental community.
He is currently a part of the American Dental Association, the Louisiana Dental Association, the Acadiana District Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the American Orthodontic Society, the Academy of Laser Dentistry and the Academy of Computerized dentistry.
Dr. Crane has been a volunteer dentist for 232-HELP’s Donated Dental Program since 1999 and continues to provide his services to those in need across Acadiana.
Dr. Gregory Folse
2014
Dr. Folse passionately treats our country’s most vulnerable populations. He maintains a mobile, geriatric dental practice in Lafayette, Louisiana, a comprehensive school-based dental practice throughout Louisiana, and lectures extensively.
He graduated from LSU Dental School in 1989 and completed the Geriatric Dental Fellowship Program at Baylor in 1999.
He is currently working with the U.S. House and Senate, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Special Care Dentistry (SCD) to nationally improve the oral health of vulnerable populations. He is the original author of the Special Care Dentistry Act, a federal bill requiring oral health services for aged, blind, and disabled Medicaid eligible adults.
He currently serves as a consultant to the ADA’s Council on Access, Prevention, and Inter-Professional Relations (CAPIR) and is a founding and current member of the ADA’s National Elder Care Advisory Committee (NECAC). Dr. Folse is a current member of the LDA and Special Care Dentistry Association where he has achieved Diplomat status. Volunteer Dentist for the Donated Dental Program since 2009.
Dr. Edward Neupert, III
2013
Dr. Neupert graduated from LSU School of Dentistry in 1980 and entered the United States Navy. While serving in the Navy for 12 years, he completed his oral surgery training at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. He has published numerous articles about oral surgery and has presented research topics at national oral surgery meetings. Before coming to Lafayette in 1992 to join Dr. Dupree, he instructed oral surgery residents at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia.
During the last 14 years, Dr. Neupert has donated over $130,000 in treatment value and 268 hours volunteering to provide oral health care to some of our more complicated cases. Dr. Neupert has helped make the Donated Dental Program an asset to the community by helping the underserved.