Meet the Educational Horizons Team

Nancy Cherner, R.D.H, M.S., is a successful and innovative educator with over 20 years of experience in the dental field. She has both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from the University of Maryland School of Dental Hygiene. Ms. Cherner served on the faculty of Montgomery College and Northern Virginia Community College and as the Clinical Coordinator of the Dental Hygiene program at Northern Virginia Community College. As the founder and President of Educational Horizons, Inc., she has overseen the creation and implementation of courses to train and educate dental health care professionals. She created the first Review Course for the Dental Hygiene National and Regional Board Exams.

Richard L. Wynn, M.S., Ph.D., holds a BS degree in Pharmacy, and the Masters and Doctorate degrees in Pharmacology, all from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. Dr. Wynn is a registered pharmacist and currently a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Maryland Dental School. He has chaired the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Maryland Dental School and the Department of Oral Biology at the University of Kentucky Dental School. Dr. Wynn is a teacher, researcher and author. His laboratories have contributed to the development of new analgesics and anesthetics used in dentistry. He is a prolific writer, contributing chapters to textbooks and articles to numerous professional journals, including his ongoing column, Pharmacology Today, which appears in the journal General Dentistry. He is the lead author of Drug Information Handbook for Dentistry, and a co-author of Dental Office Medical Emergencies, and lead author of the soon to be published Women's Health for Dental Professionals: Featuring the Management of Dental Conditions Common to the Female Patient-all published by Lexi-Comp publications. He is currently a consultant to the American Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Wynn is a highly regarded national and international speaker and educator who is devoted to updating dental professionals on all aspects of pharmacology and drug therapeutics. He has been teaching the Pharmacology component of the board review courses for Educational Horizons, Inc. for 10 years.

Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, R.D.H., M.S., Ph.D., is an internationally recognized author and speaker on pharmacology and the care of medically complex patients. She has presented over 850 lectures and has over 100 professional publications. She is Professor, Course Director of Clinical Medicine and Pharmacology, and Director of Research at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, where she also teaches part-time in the Special Care Clinic. Ann also serves as Associate Director of the National Center for Dental Hygiene Research & Practice. Ann is also an independent educational and research consultant, and practices dental hygiene part-time, specializing in geriatrics.

Lane Thomsen, D.D.S., M.S., received his D.D.S. degree and a Masters in Oral Pathology from Loma Linda University. He is currently Associate Professor of Oral Pathology at Loma Linda University, School of Dentistry. Dr. Thomsen served as Chairman of the Department of Oral Diagnosis, Radiology and Pathology from 1984 to 1994, and as Associate Chairman from 1994 to the present. In addition to teaching, he is a practicing dentist. Dr. Thomsen is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Oral Pathology, and the American Association of Dental Schools. He has published several articles, and lectures throughout the United States. He has been teaching the Oral Pathology component of the Board Review courses for Educational Horizons, Inc. for 8 years, and is currently developing distance learning courses for Educational Horizons Online.

Barbara L. Bennett, C.D.A., R.D.H., M.S., received her associate degree in Dental Hygiene from Parkland College, Champaign, Illinois, where she held a faculty position for nine years. She received her Masters degree in Technical and Adult Continuing Education from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. Ms. Bennett has been actively involved as a dental health care provider and educator for over 25 years. She served as program Chair for Texas State Technical College Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting, for fifteen years where she taught Pre-Clinic, Pharmacology, Pathology, Community Dentistry, Periodontology, and Oral Histology. Ms. Bennett is a nationally recognized speaker on such topics as infectious diseases and the oral complications of cancer therapy. Ms. Bennett is a contributing author to Esther Wilkin’s 11th edition of Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist, and the editor and contributing author of Mosby’s Review Questions for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, as well as several other texts and journals. She previously served as a curriculum consultant for the American Dental Association Council on Dental Accreditation. Ms. Bennett has been teaching dental hygiene board review courses for over fifteen years. She currently serves as the director of medical education and curriculum management for the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She teaches several components of the board review for Educational Horizons, including Microbiology, Immunology, Periodontology, Medical Emergencies and Community Dental Health.

Christine French Beatty, RDH, PhD, is a Professor in the Dental Hygiene Program at Texas Woman’s University where she teaches community dental health, dental hygiene research, beginning and advanced levels of clinical dental hygiene, and preventive dentistry. She completed her Certificate in Dental Hygiene in 1964 at University of Texas Dental Branch (Houston), B.S. in Technical Education in 1975 at University of Houston, M.S. in Health Science Instruction in 1985 at Texas Woman’s University, and Ph.D. in Health Studies/Community Health/Health Education in 1996 at Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Beatty has practiced clinically, as a school dental hygienist, as consultant to a nursing home, as a research associate in clinical trials related to preventive dentistry, and as a dental hygiene educator, including terms as Clinic Coordinator and Department Chair. Her current scholarly interests include geriatric dentistry, community dental health, dental heath education, and dental hygiene education. She has published and presented nationally and regionally, including at Dental Hygiene National Board review courses for Educational Horizons, Dental Hygiene Seminars, and Adventures in Learning. She has served at various levels of ADHA and other professional organizations, including a term as President of the Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association, President of the Texas Dental Hygiene Directors’ Association, and currently serves as President Elect of the Texas Dental Hygiene Educators’ Association. She also currently serves as a dental hygiene consultant to the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation and has served as a community dental health test constructor for the National Board of Dental Hygiene.