MELVILLE, N.Y., Aug. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Henry Schein, Inc. (HSIC), the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, medical and animal health practitioners, hosted a two-day leadership event for the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders, an organization aimed at promoting and facilitating collaboration among oral health academic organizations, industry partners, and other organizations with the goal of using the power of oral health care to promote peace. Henry Schein Cares, the Company's global corporate social responsibility program, sponsored the event together with Septodont, DMG America, Premier Dental and Bedford Healthcare Solutions. Henry Schein served as a founding sponsor of the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders at the organization's inception last year.

"Our Alliance truly represents the future of public-private partnership, representing collaboration across borders, cultures, and health care professions," said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Henry Schein, Inc. "Henry Schein is deeply committed to the mission of the Alliance to provide a forum for oral health leaders to rise above any political or cultural differences of the past with the shared purpose of improving oral health around the world. There has been tremendous progress of this organization since the signing of the Charter a year ago in Philadelphia, and we are looking forward to close collaboration as we work to accomplish great things together in the future."

The Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders event, entitled "Integrating Dialogue, Leadership and Advocacy: Towards the Alliance Ethic and Developmental Agenda," brought together more than forty oral health leaders from around the world, including from Canada, China, Israel, Japan, Palestine, Turkey and the USA. The event provided a forum to explore the role that leaders at all levels from students to dental academics to business leaders and dental professionals can play in fostering peace through oral health. A series of workshops were facilitated by Rachelle Weiman, Ph.D., Senior Director for Global Education and Program Development for the Dialogue Institute; Ziad Fahed, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Students and Associate Professor of Humanities at Notre Dame University in Beirut, Lebanon; and Tom Kennie, BSc, Ph.D., MBA, FRICS, CMIPD, CMC, Founding Director, Ranmore Consulting Group and the Innovation Laboratory for Higher Education. Stanley Bergman and Marion Bergman hosted a dinner for participants at E&E Grill House in New York City.

"The gathering in New York City of the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders will plant the seeds for tolerance, understanding, and respect among representatives from diverse geographic, political, religious and other groups," said Dr. Amid Ismail, Dean and Professor at the Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University and one of the Founding Board Members of the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders. "The workshop will prepare ambassadors and identify oral-health focused projects where the seeds of tolerance and respect will flourish for the goodness of humanity."

The goals for the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders include: the promotion of peace through oral health as part of total health and the reduction of disparities; the improvement of oral health through an enhanced understanding of the social, political, and other causes of conflicts; the development of leadership and advocacy programs to promote peace through oral health; the promotion of opportunities for dental students and educators for exchange to familiarize them with state-of-the-art technology and science in all disciplines of dentistry throughout different parts of the world; and the facilitation of international collaborative research among participants of the Alliance.

The Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders was born out of Bridges to Peace, a joint effort between Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dentistry founded by Alpha Omega Fraternity and Al Quds University School of Dentistry, under the auspices of the D. Walter Cohen, DDS Middle East Center for Dental Education, to facilitate opportunities for dental professionals, educators, and students to reach beyond political or religious divides and use oral health as a means to improve the quality of life for people of all nationalities.

The Founders of the Bridges to Peace program Dr. Adam Stabholz, Dean of Hebrew University Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, and Dr. Musa Bajali, Dean of the Al Quds University School of Dentistry serve on the Founding Board for the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders. The other Founding Board Members are Steve Kess, Vice President of Global Professional Relations, Henry Schein, Inc.; Dr. Amid Ismail, Dean and Professor at the Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University; Dr. Bruce Donoff, Dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Dr. Jerold Goldberg, Dean of the CASE School of Dental Medicine, Case Western Reserve University; and Dr. Ferda Tasar, Former Dean of the Hacettepe University Faculty of Dentistry.

Please visit http://youtu.be/rC8iBII6Xjo to view a video about the program.

About Henry Schein Cares

Henry Schein Cares, Henry Schein's global corporate social responsibility program, enhances access to health care for underserved and at-risk communities around the world. Activities supported by Henry Schein Cares focus on three main areas: advancing wellness, building capacity in the delivery of health care services, and assisting in emergency preparedness and relief. Firmly rooted in a deep commitment to social responsibility and the concept of enlightened self-interest championed by Benjamin Franklin, the philosophy behind Henry Schein Cares is a vision of "doing well by doing good." Through the work of Henry Schein Cares to enhance access to care for those in need, the Company believes that it is furthering its long-term success.

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Henry Schein Cares Supports Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders Leadership Event