27 September 2021

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Interview with Lisa Ashby, CEO at Carestream Dental: Woman Leadership in Dentistry

Editorial Team

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As CEO of Carestream Dental, Lisa Ashby leads the company in its mission to transform dentistry, simplify technology and change lives. Ashby first joined the company as president of the Dental business at Carestream Health in April 2015.

Ashby brings more than 25 years of corporate business experience acquired during a successful career at Cardinal Health—a $100 billion healthcare products and services provider—where she held positions of increasing responsibility. Previously, she was president of medical devices and diagnostics at Cardinal Health with responsibility for six companies generating $3 billion in revenue and a product portfolio ranging from laboratory diagnostics to surgical devices and critical care products.

Ashby served on Cardinal Health’s operating committee, several company advisory councils and was active in several industry organizations to help influence legislative policy and create awareness across the global healthcare community. 

Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions in sales, marketing, supply chain and logistics at Cardinal Health, Allegiance and Baxter Healthcare.

Ashby holds a Bachelor of Arts in public policy/computer science/psychology from Duke University. She is a past board member of BioOhio and AdvaMedDx and has served on multiple non-profit organizations benefitting local and national communities.

1. You're a woman leading a company whose mission is to transform dentistry, simplify technology and change lives; why is this important to you, and how does it relate to the Leading Ladies in Dentistry (LLD) partnership project?

Having a purpose in what we do and spend our time, talent and treasure on is deeply personal for each of us. At Carestream Dental, I believe we’ve created the ability to change lives through technology and digital solutions. But we won’t be successful if we only focus on traditional gender roles. That’s where the “transforming dentistry” part of our mission comes in. By supporting the next generation of women in oral healthcare, we can transform the perception around roles in dentistry, science and technology. 

2. What have been the main obstacles you had or are still facing as a woman in your career, and what advice would you give to young women entering the dental industry?

In my experience, especially in healthcare and technology, women can be underestimated or not be comfortable having a voice.  I still remember, years ago, a sales professional presenting a multi-million dollar project and focusing his attention on the dominant male in the room, not realizing that that person worked for me. Still today, I find myself the only female, or one of a few, in the room at industry meetings.    

Truth be told, it still makes me uncomfortable at times, but my advice is to find your voice early and ask for a seat at the table, the opportunity to lead a project or whatever your goal may be.  And when underestimated, use that to your advantage.  You can surprise a potential client, or someone on the tennis court, and overdeliver on expectations.

3. Do you think the dental market needs partnerships to promote and support gender equality more than others?

Dentistry spans both the healthcare and technology fields, neither of which have a stellar history of gender equality. So, while the dentistry isn’t the only industry that could do better at creating opportunities for women, it does tend to fall behind. Admittedly, there are geographic pockets and specific roles within dentistry that are either over- or under-indexed by women, but that doesn’t mean we should stop striving for gender equality. 

I’m a true believer that nobody can do anything on their own these days if they want to drive change in a meaningful period of time. Partnerships, like what we have established with LLD, Howard University and Women in DSO, will allow us to drive consistency; broaden our reach; and move the dialogue into mainstream activities. Ultimately, linking equality, in whatever context, to positive financial and societal outcomes will change behavior.

4. How do you intend to implement this cooperation in practice, and how will you measure its success?

Leading Ladies in Dentistry has a robust educational portal—the LLD Virtual Academy—with which Carestream Dental is actively sharing content, like pre-recorded clinical webinars. Several of our own female employees have been invited to become members of LLD, one of whom is a dentist herself, so that knowledge exchange is happening on an even more connected level. What I’m most excited about is expanding LLD’s membership base to include more hygienists and dental nurses. This is in the early stages, but it’s something both me and Dr. Lerner, a leading member of LLD, are passionate about.   

5. What values do these cooperations add for women working at Carestream Dental, or in the dental market in general?

Ensuring our children have role models and envision a future where everyone can not only contribute but thrive is critical. I hear well-established professionals wishing they’d had women to look up to in their university programs or just starting in their careers. Leading Ladies in Dentistry provides the networking and mentorship opportunities that the last generation of women doctors and others may have missed. In fact, those same doctors can now mentor younger women just getting started in their careers. 

There are new educational resources available these days through new digital portals, like LLD’s virtual academy and Carestream Dental's own LaunchPad platform. The opportunity to connect has never been greater, and collectively we have an opportunity to make people aware of the resources available. 

With Howard University, a prominent Historically Black College and/or University (HBCU) in the US, a partnership we established earlier in 2021 is designed to arm students and fellows with the knowledge, skills and resources needed as it pertains to digital technology to deliver the best care when they start practicing. Not only is Howard ethnically diverse, its dental school is led by a woman, so we’re excited to work with Dean Andrea Jackson and leverage opportunities there for both students of colors and women.

Of course, we’ve seen a shift in the dental industry as dental service organizations have become more prominent. Business operations is another area where we’re seeing more women take a seat at the table. So, Carestream Dental has become a founding industry partner of Women in DSO®.  The company will contribute to the Women in DSO® platform created to deliver powerful networking, professional mentorship, specialized education and a rich resource network developed exclusively to recognize women leaders of the present, and develop the future women leaders in dental service organizations

6. Knowing that innovation is another important priority for Carestream Dental, should we soon expect another new project to help this industry grow and create a better work environment?

Yes! Of course, we’re always innovating, and seeking the experience and feedback of female oral healthcare professionals will be crucial in helping the company design future innovations responsive to all genders. 

While we certainly anticipate more female clinicians starting careers in the next few years, we recognize that most of the people using our technology—assistants, hygienists and dental nurses—are mostly women. So that means designing technology that is fast, efficient, even smaller and more comfortable to handle.

 Also, remember that most health decisions are made by women, and Carestream Dental found in a global study that 89% of women think it’s important that their doctor and their team uses the latest technology in the practice. So, when we deliver solutions that are simple, connected and that help people make more informed decisions, both patients and professionals benefit.

About Carestream Dental

Carestream Dental is committed to transforming dentistry, simplifying technology and changing lives. In this pursuit, we focus on providing the latest in high-quality scanning technology, the smartest chairside systems, the most intuitive practice management software, incredibly accurate imaging software and the data intelligence that helps continually refine patient outcomes. And we offer these solutions for the full range of dental and oral health professionals. 

For more information, please visit www.carestreamdental.com