Heather Blair

Heather Blair is the Co-Coordinator of the Dental Hygiene Program and an Associate Professor in the Oral Health Sciences Department at Vermont State University. She teaches across the dental hygiene curriculum, including Preclinical Oral Health Practice, Clinical Oral Health Practice I, General Pathology and Pharmacology, and Advanced Clinical Oral Health Practice I and II. In the Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program, she teaches Advanced Community Oral Health and Dental Practice Management.

Heather is an alumna of Vermont Technical College, where she earned both an Associate and Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Concordia University.

Her professional background includes ten years as a dental practice manager, followed by clinical dental hygiene practice and public health work as a Tooth Tutor in elementary and middle schools and with Head Start programs. These experiences sparked her interest in dental hygiene education, leading her to serve as a clinical instructor with all three cohorts of students and later as an adjunct faculty member in the online Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program. She subsequently accepted a full-time faculty appointment and Co-Coordinator role within the department.

In her current role, Heather has been instrumental in developing innovative clinical learning opportunities for students, including the establishment of a medical–dental integration rotation at the Golisano (University of Vermont Medical Center) Children’s Hospital and a senior clinical rotation providing onsite care within a K-12 school setting. She has worked in the field of oral health and dental hygiene for more than twenty-five years.

Heather has held numerous professional leadership roles at the state and national levels. She is a past executive board member of the Vermont Dental Hygienists’ Association and previously served as the American Dental Hygienists’ Association District 1 Constituent Advisory Committee Liaison. She currently serves on the 802 Smiles Advisory Committee and the Vermont Oral Health Plan Advisory Committee and holds the role of Regional Dental Hygiene Liaison for Region 1 and Vermont with the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety in collaboration with the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Heather lives in the rural town of Fletcher, Vermont, with her husband. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, spending time with family, cooking, game nights, summer camping, relaxing by a bonfire, and being a grandmother.