1. Name
2. Purpose
3. Membership
4. Meetings
5. Executive Leadership
6. Subcommittees
7. Updates and Approvals

Article I

Name

The Dental Hygiene Professional Advisory Group shall be referred to as the DHPAG.

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Article II

Purpose

The Dental Hygiene Professional Advisory Group (DHPAG) of the Health Services Professional Advisory Committee (HSPAC) shall provide advice and consultation to the Surgeon General through the HSPAC Chair and the Chief Professional Officer (CPO) on issues related to the professional practice and personnel activities of Commissioned Officers in the Dental Hygiene (DH) professional discipline.

The DHPAG serves in a resource and advisory capacity in the development, coordination, and evaluation of activities related to the DH professional discipline with the following specific objectives:

• To identify and facilitate the resolution of issues as they relate to the needs of the DH professional discipline.
• To identify Public Health Service (PHS) and other personnel needs; Assist in meeting these needs through activities such as recruitment, retention, training, utilization, and proper recognition of DH officers.
• To develop position papers, statistical reports, and/or guidelines to advise and comment on both personnel and professional practice issues involving the DH discipline.
• To promote continuing education and acquisition of advanced degrees (e.g. MPH, PhD) to provide opportunities for employment in all PHS Operating Divisions and other health related programs (federal/state agencies and international organizations).
• To broaden opportunities for DH officers through review of appointment standards and billet descriptions, and to provide recommendations concerning proposed or needed changes.
• To assess and project the need for DH staffing levels throughout the PHS and to provide advice to meet those needs.
• To develop and/or review and critique category specific PHS recruitment materials, procedures, and programs.
• To assist in the development of orientation materials for newly commissioned DH officers and provide advice and recommendations concerning orientation programs.
• To encourage individual membership and involvement with professional organizations and societies.
• To promote all aspects of DH throughout the Operating Divisions and programs of the PHS.

Article III

Membership

Operational year: January 1 – December 31.

Eligibility requirement: DHPAG members shall be Commissioned Corps dental hygienist in the Health Services Category.

Voting members: The DHPAG shall have an Executive Committee consisting of ten (10) voting members: 

• Chair
• Chair-Elect (also the Policy Chair)
• Awards Chair
• Communications Chair
• Stakeholder & Community Engagement Chair
• Recruitment & Retention Chair
• Training, Education, & Mentorship Chair
• Technical Readiness Chair
• Data & Evaluation Chair
• Administrative Management Chair

Each voting member will serve a three-year term on staggered rotations. Once a member has accumulated a lifetime total of six years of service on the PAG, they are not eligible for reappointment.

DHPAG members may self-nominate to become part of the Executive Committee.

Organizational representation: Participation shall be encouraged from all HHS OPDIVS and agencies where Commissioned Corps DH officers are employed to provide a wide range of experiences and perspectives necessary to address issues before the DHPAG.

Participation shall be solicited from members regardless of geographic location. Diversity is promoted and officers of different cultures, race, ethnicity, sex/gender, age, sexual orientation, and disability shall be respected and encouraged to participate. Members will be solicited through Commissioned Corps publications, the HSPAC Listserv and other appropriate means.

Article IV

Meetings

The Executive Committee will meet via conference call at a minimum of quarterly. The Chair, as needed, may call additional meetings.

Fifty percent of the voting members must be present for a quorum.

Meetings will be open to all elected voting and non-elected non-voting members. Any member may participate on a committee.

Voting: When voting is required, the simple majority of voting members and Executive Committee present will determine the outcome. For election of leadership positions, current Executive Committee members will receive nominations for Chair, Chair-Elect, and Secretary thirty days prior to voting. A Commissioned Corps officer who is not in the DH discipline, selected by the DHPAG, will tabulate those votes.

Alternate voting members: If an Executive Committee member cannot be present to participate in meetings, he/she must appoint an alternate who will be given voting privileges for that meeting only. Failure to attend or appoint an alternate for two consecutive calls is grounds for dismissal from the Executive Committee. A replacement will be appointed by the Chair for the remainder of the term of that member.

Agenda: A meeting agenda and background materials will be made available to DHPAG members via the DHPAG Listserv.

Recording and Reporting: Minutes of each DHPAG meeting will be recorded by the Secretary and approved by the DHPAG voting members. The DHPAG Secretary will forward approved minutes and reports to the Communications Subcommittee Chair to be posted on the HSO website.

Article V

Executive Leadership

The Executive Leadership of the DHPAG shall be composed of the Chair, Chair-Elect and the Secretary. They are elected by the prior-year’s DHPAG Executive Leaders at the end of the calendar year, for a term of office, defined in the bylaws, beginning January 1. In the event of a vacancy of the Chair, the Chair-Elect shall assume the role for the duration of the term. Vacancies in other Executive Committee officers shall be filled by appointment by the Chair for the remainder of the term.

Duties of the Executive Leadership officers are the following:

• Chair: Provides leadership to the DHPAG and acts as liaison to the HSPAC. The Chair is considered an ex-officio member of the HSPAC and is expected to attend the HSPAC meetings and any other significant meetings affecting the DHPAG; the Chair may also designate a representative to attend such meetings. The Chair will serve a 1-year term.
• Chair-Elect: Assists the Chair and functions as the Chair when necessary. The Chair-Elect will serve a 1-year term and then succeed as the Chair the following year. While serving in this capacity, the Chair-Elect serves as the Policy Subgroup Chair.  
• Secretary: Provides a written record of the activities of the DHPAG. The Secretary shall record the minutes of meetings, maintain reports and official documents of the DHPAG, and assist the Chair and Chair-Elect in carrying out the duties associated with their respective offices. The Secretary will serve a 1-year term and is a non-voting member.

Article VI

Subgroups

• Operating Subgroups: The DHPAG will have operating Subgroups to accomplish its objectives. These Subgroups will be organized and conduct business in a manner consistent with the DHPAG. The Chair of the DHPAG will appoint the Chair of each Subgroup. The Chair of any Subgroup must be a voting member of the DHPAG; Subgroup members can be non-voting members.
• The Operating Subgroups shall include: Awards, Communications, Stakeholder & Community Engagement, Recruitment & Retention, Training, Education, and Mentorship, Technical Readiness, Data & Evaluation, Policy, and Administrative Management. Other Subgroups may be convened ad hoc to address interim issues with majority approval of the majority of the DHPAG Executive Committee.

Awards Subgroup
- Subgroup charge: Liaison to HSPAC Awards Subcommittee. Administer (announce, process applications, and recommend winners) the Candace M. Jones and Junior Dental Hygienist of the Year award. Complete the process prior to, and with enough time to prepare and present awards at the annual COA /COF Symposium.

Communications Subgroup
- Subgroup charge: Liaison to HSPAC Communications Subcommittee. Disseminate all DHPAG and category related information in a timely manner; maintain (submit requests for website changes, archive older documents, and keep all links up to date) the DHPAG portion of the HSO website and maintain the DHPAG Listserv.

Stakeholder & Community Engagement Subgroup

-Subgroup charge: Manages public health related activities within the community and fosters relationships with professional organizations of interest to the DHPAG membership. The Subgroup will focus on creating processes and tools to track community activities and engage key public health, dental, dental hygiene organizations, colleges, and universities.

Recruitment & Retention Subgroup
- Subgroup charge: Liaison to HSPAC Recruitment & Retention Subcommittee. Responsible for reviewing the application packet from potential candidates when there is an open application cycle in partnership with the HSPAC Recruitment and Retention Subcommittee. Responsible for fielding and answering potential applicant questions. Collaborate and coordinate activities with the HSPAC Recruitment & Retention Subcommittee.

Training, Education, & Mentorship Subgroup
- Subgroup charge: Liaison to HSPAC Career Development and Mentoring Subcommittee. Identify, create and maintain resources to assist DHPAG officers in career enhancement and development. Identify, create, and maintain resources to assist in mentoring DHPAG officers. Conduct surveys/assessments of needed mentoring services.

Technical Readiness Subgroup

-Subgroup charge: Liaison to HSPAC Readiness Subcommittee. Serve as the primary source of discipline-specific information and training on PHS response and deployment roles for the DHPAG. Strengthen the quality and performance of DHPAG officers through promotion of discipline-specific technical readiness training.  

Data & Evaluation Subgroup

-Subgroup charge: Liaison to HSPAC Analytics Subcommittee. Develop, disseminate, and analyze surveys and other data from the DHPAG. This information will be used to inform DHPAG activities and recommend overall improvements for the DHPAG.

Policy Subgroup
- Subgroup charge: Liaison to HSPAC Policy Subcommittee. Manage the development and implementation of the DHPAG standard operating procedures (SOP), bylaws, and provide recommendations to the HSPAC on policies, needs, and concerns that affect DH officers.   Through webinars and other available opportunities, the Policy Subgroup will serve as a resource for dental hygiene and public health policy related material.  

Administrative Management Subgroup

-Subgroup charge: Collaborate with the Policy Subgroup to maintain, update, and initiate DHPAG operational policies and guideline. Solicit new DHPAG members and manage the voting members’ nomination and selection process.

Article VII

Update and Approvals

Review: The DHPAG shall review its bylaws at least every three (3) years and recommend revisions to update them as needed. Any revisions to the bylaws may be reviewed and approved by the HSPAC. If in question, the DHPAG bylaws will be superseded by, and not conflict with the HSPAC charter and bylaws. Bylaw amendments will be made by a simple majority vote of the voting members present. Issues requiring a vote, but not reaching a quorum (50% of the voting members) may be brought to the HSPAC for resolution.