About the Author/Illustrator/DDS
Jeanette Flannery Courtad, DDS
Dr. Courtad has been a practicing dentist since graduating from the University of California at San Francisco. Her interest in dental education was evident early in her career when she created an interactive, plush tooth model for primary school outreach programs. Dr. Courtad was a volunteer teacher at UCSF's Public Health Department before moving to Colorado where she is currently the dentist for engineering students from around the world at the Colorado School of Mines Student Health Center. As a speaker at dental conferences, she encourages her colleagues to focus more on prevention through engaging education. Her unique method of using empathy to motivate patients from the tooth's point-of-view was featured in a Health Literacy out Loud podcast.
As a lifelong advocate for the arts, Dr. Courtad has been trained in painting, sculpture and dance. She has combined her artistic talents with her passion for oral health education in the award-winning, Toothful Tales series. All three books are available in Spanish and the first two in Japanese.
Collaborations
Toothful Tales, Becoming Me Cavity Free is a collaboration with the Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, the nation's first academic-based center for health literacy. The center was established to help make health care systems more user-friendly and more effective for consumers and health providers and educates the public on how to be an informed, healthy consumer. Learn more about the Horowitz Center for Health Literacy.
