Celebrating the Career of Dr. Jana Winfree

by Jill Johnson, ODA staff

Dr. Jana Winfree celebrated her last day of work as the Director of Dental Health Service at the Oklahoma State Department of Health on August 31 with a party her team put together — a nontraditional gathering that represented her fun and vibrant personality. The group visited Soundbar, a listening lounge with a view of downtown Oklahoma City that serves cocktails and spins vintage vinyl records, highlighting the nostalgia she felt leading up to her retirement.

Although she plans to fill her days with sunshine, traveling, trivia games, and spending time with family, leaving full time work was still emotional. "I will definitely miss all my friends at the Health Department, ODA, and the College of Dentistry," Winfree said as she began to reflect on how her career evolved over the years.

After graduating from Ada high school and earning a degree in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Winfree planned to go into optometry, but at the time, there were no doctoral-level programs for optometry in the state. She decided dentistry was the next best thing, albeit a bit messier of a job, and enrolled in the OU College of Dentistry.

Dr. Winfree earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery from OU in 1985 and worked as an associate for several years. Early in her career, she also taught hygiene classes at Rose State College and worked for the Neighborhood Services Organization (NSO) Dental Clinic for nearly a decade.

When the director role at the Department of Health opened up, she was recommended for the job and heartily accepted the new challenge. Winfree's duties included directing dental public health programs for the state and providing subject matter expertise on oral health issues. She dedicated 15 years to this position.

Winfree says hiring a great staff that is willing to learn and grow, having an open mind, being willing to try new programs, following through on promises, and collaborating with other organizations were the keys to her success.

"Working with other groups on various health initiatives like community water fluoridation, HPV vaccines, fluoride varnish application, and the Ryan White HIV Program got me a seat at the table and meant I was able to be an advocate for oral health in many important conversations."

Oklahoma has consistently scored poorly on all 13 key oral health indicators, and the most recent Oral Health Report Card scored the state at a "D," but Dr. Winfree said that only made her more determined to bring the issues to light.

She led the Third Grade Oral Health Needs Assessment and found that Oklahoma failed to meet national objectives every time. When asked why Oklahoma struggles more than nearly all other states when it comes to tooth decay and other untreated dental issues, she said poverty, inequality, low income, and low health literacy contribute to oral health problems more than people think.

"Showing support for livable wages and public education are probably the best things we can do to start improving our state's health outcomes," Winfree said. "That, and staying away from sugary drinks."

Dr. Winfree earned her Master of Public Health degree in 2016, and said it completely changed how she thought about disease prevention and the challenges different populations face.

"Dental disease is very complex," said Winfree. "It's connected to so many other medical conditions, and poor oral health can really impact one's overall quality of life."

"For individuals and entire populations to become healthier, we must involve and engage families and communities. We should have meaningful conversations with patients directly, and meet them where they are," said Winfree.

Her advice to dental students and those considering entering the field is one of compassion. She said patients don't need lectures as much as they need understanding. For many people, it's a struggle just to make it to the dentist's office because they face financial barriers, lack of insurance, lack of transportation, or might be afraid or pain or bad news.

Winfree said there's a technique called motivational interviewing that is helpful for getting patients more interested in behavioral change. "You listen with empathy, ask open-ended questions without judgement, and gently motivate them to change health habits by giving them the confidence to do so."