New Faculty

College Welcomes New Faculty in 2021

Ashley Clark, D.D.S.

Ashley Clark, D.D.S., was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Oklahoma State University and then worked as a dental assistant for three years. Dr. Clark decided to pursue a career as a dental hygienist and graduated from the college’s dental hygiene program in 2015 from the Bartlesville site. Upon graduation, she married the love of her life and they moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, where they currently reside. They have two kids, Gavin and Laureline, who keep them on their toes and bring them joy daily. Dr. Clark loves music, theatre, college football, and all things Disney. Although Dr. Clark was sad to leave her dental family that she has worked with the past six years, she is excited to give back to the college and help shape the future of the dental hygiene profession.

Brad Cummings, D.D.S.

Brad Cummings, D.D.S., graduated from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, class of 2016. He grew up in Southern California and moved to Oklahoma in 2016 to start a family. Now, he and his wife have two children. Dr. Cummings has founded the nonprofit Smile For Good Foundation and Grill Guard mouthguards. Grill Guard connects dentists with their community through sports safety. At the college, he will primarily be working with comprehensive care and the growth of digital dentistry. He takes pride in the continuing education of technological advances of dentistry today in order to better serve the community.

Robin W. Graham, D.H.

Robin W. Graham, D.H., earned her bachelor’s degree in allied health education and a master’s degree in education from the University of Central Oklahoma, and she completed the Dental Hygiene program from Rose State College. After graduating, she started her career as a dental hygienist in private practice for over 10 years. Graham began adjunct clinical teaching at Rose State College in 1990 and in 1998 moved into a full-time professor position in both the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs. In 2015, she became the director of dental hygiene and served in that position for three and a half years. Prior to beginning at the college, she worked for a corporate dental practice, where she developed and licensed the curriculum for a 12-week dental assisting program. Graham held the position of director and placed trained dental assistants into employment throughout the corporate dental practices. She is excited to be a part of the faculty at the college’s dental hygiene program and looks forward to finishing out her career in dental education here at the college.

Kathleen Higgins, D.D.S.

Kathleen Higgins, D.D.S., serves as a clinical assistant professor in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. She is originally from the East Coast and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry in 2017, where her interest in oral and maxillofacial pathology began. Dr. Higgins completed residency training in oral and maxillofacial pathology at New York Presbyterian-Queens and went on to pursue fellowship training in head and neck pathology at the University of Chicago. During both residency and fellowship, she gained tremendous knowledge, enjoyed teaching, and was able to participate in numerous research projects. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to relocate to the Oklahoma City area with her husband and their English Bulldog, Scully.

Jaewon Kim, D.D.S.

Jaewon Kim, D.D.S, graduated Kyungpook National University, School of Dentistry in 2006. He immediately joined the Oral and Maxillofacial surgery program at Daegu Fatima Hospital until 2010 as an intern and resident. He then served in the army as a public official and head of dental department at Gapyung Health Center, until 2013. During his service, he also did his Ph.D. in oral anatomy at Yonsei University, School of Dentistry. From 2016-2018, he worked as a general dentist in Vancouver, Canada, after obtaining his Canadian dental licensure. Dr. Kim’s interest in surgery led him to Periodontics residency program in Buffalo, New York, and he did research under Dr. Praveen Arany’s mentorship during 2018-2021. He is now a faculty member at the college as a clinical assistant professor in periodontics and his focus of research is on clinical applications of 3D printing and scaffold for bone regeneration.

Daryn Lu, D.D.S.

Daryn Lu, D.D.S., was born on the West Coast and raised on the East Coast. Dr. Lu has called Oklahoma his home since 1999. A 2015 graduate of the college, Dr. Lu’s passion for his profession shows through his journey as a general dentist. He serves the boards of the American Dental Association New Dentist Committee (District 12 Representative), Oklahoma County Dental Society, Academy of General Dentistry Oklahoma chapter, J. Dean Robertson Society, Leadership OKC’s Youth Leadership Exchange, and is a guest writer for the American Dental Association New Dentist Now and igniteDDS. He volunteers his time overseas leading mission trips with the Christian Dental Society and locally as the past-president of the National Association of Asian American Professionals OKC chapter (NAAAP OKC). He is married to his best friend and clear better half, Dr. Edith Quinonez Lu.

Lauren Lunday, D.D.S.

Lauren Lunday, D.D.S., is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon. She earned her undergraduate degree in zoology Bio-Medical Sciences from the University of Oklahoma, and her doctor of dental surgery degree from the college. She then attended the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University, where she completed her oral and maxillofacial surgery internship and residency. Having a passion for academics, Dr. Lunday struck a balance between academics and private practice. She serves the OU Health team as a clinical assistant professor in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery pre-doctorate and post-doctorate departments and as a co-course director for the predoctorate department. She holds hospital appointments with multiple local hospitals. Dr. Lunday is a fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and a physician member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

Nick Mechas, D.D.S.

Nick Mechas, D.D.S., is beyond excited to be in Oklahoma for his cleft and craniofacial training, having moved here from Philadelphia, where he completed an oral and maxillofacial surgery residency at Temple Hospital. Prior to that, the University of Louisville had been his home for both hi undergraduate and dental school. Dr. Mechas has also lived in Chicago for an internship, Barcelona for study abroad, grew up in Kentucky, and was born in Montreal. He is fluent in French and Spanish and enjoys golfing, skiing and hiking. The pandemic was not all bad as he got engaged last year.

Mike Willbanks, D.D.S.

J. Michael Willbanks, D.D.S., is a 1979 graduate of Oklahoma Christian College. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he came to the college and he graduated in 1984 with his doctor of dental surgery degree. After graduating from the college, he attended a post-graduate surgical and prosthetics training in implantology and went to the Misch Implant Institute in 1997. He is a member of several professional associations, including the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and the American College of Oral Implantology. Dr. Willbanks was in private practice for more than 20 years and then spent the last few in a corporate setting. He retired from practice after 37 years and is excited to be a full-time faculty member at the college.