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As the youngest of seven children, Roosevelt Allen, DDS, MAGD, ABGD, grew up in a home that prioritized religion and education. His parents and grandparents insisted he, “get as much education as possible, because that’s the one thing people can’t take away from you.”
This inclination and support for learning is what propelled him to earn multiple degrees, become a dentist and retire a major general from the U.S. Air Force.
Dr. Allen sat down with me to discuss his time in the Air Force and how he brings that experience to his current role at United Concordia Dental as chief dental officer.
Dr. Allen’s three-year commitment turned into a 32-year career with the U.S. Air Force.
Catherine Clements: Let’s start with your clinical interest. Did you always want to go to dental school?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: Initially, I wanted to become an attorney. I chose Lincoln University because Thurgood Marshall, a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court at the time, had graduated from there. Within my first year, I realized political science was not for me.
After some guidance from my academic advisor, I switched my major to chemistry with a minor in math. I had been taking a few art classes and really liked working with my hands. That’s when I landed on dentistry, which combines art and science.
Catherine Clements: What made you interested in joining the Air Force?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: When I was getting ready to graduate from dental school in the 1980s, interest rates were very high, around 20%. I wanted to set up my own practice but borrowing more money did not seem like a feasible option. A big advantage of joining the military was that I could defer my student loans. In a short three-year commitment, I would have the opportunity to develop my skills as a clinician and travel. While I initially joined for financial reasons, I realized the Air Force would accelerate my education, enable me to practice dentistry, and offer me professional development opportunities. Three years quickly turned into thirty-two.
Catherine Clements: Wow, that’s quite the tenure. Can you walk me through your career path in the Air Force?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: In the U.S. Air Force Dental Corps, there are three career tracks you can pursue: a clinical track, an education track, and an executive leadership track. I was fortunate that I was able to go after all three.
For the first few years, my everyday was delivering quality dental care to service members and their families — not only in the U.S. but also overseas. After that, I completed the advanced general dentistry residency program. With the educational track, I was able to command a one-year residency programs for new dentists joining the Air Force, which was like a fifth-year of dental school. I ended up leading this program with a team of 14 specialists for about five years. From there, I transitioned into an executive leadership position. I’ve commanded at various levels dental squadrons, medical clinics and hospitals, and leading at the wing level and more.
As you can imagine, I traveled around quite a bit and spent time across the U.S., including Louisiana, Texas, Delaware, Virginia, Arizona, North Dakota, as well as Washington D.C. several times. I've also had some overseas assignments, including England, Senegal, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan.
The leadership career track also gave me the opportunity to work at the Pentagon, where I handled all the recruitment and retention of medical personnel across the Air Force. As the wing commander, I was responsible for about 1,600 personnel in the National Capital Region.
I concluded my career as the director of health care operations and research for the Air Force Medical Service. I had a fantastic team developing policy for the delivery of health care across 75 medical treatment facilities.
Catherine Clements: When you reflect on your time in the Air Force, was there a specific mentor or career milestone that stands out the most?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: I was incredibly fortunate that I had several mentors. To be successful you must have them. Col (Dr.) James Cornelius, an oral surgeon I met in England, mentored me to become the clinician and leader I am today. I always aimed to emulate his relationship with his family, work and faith.
My most significant career milestone was becoming a general officer. I had no idea I had the potential to hold this role, but people see things in you that you may not see in yourself. For me, my proudest moment was being selected as the 19th U.S. Air Force Dental Corps Chief.
Catherine Clements: I would imagine preventive health care is a significant priority for the military. What was that like for the Dental Corps?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: The goal is to have service members at Class 1 readiness, which means they’ve had all their dental care done and are in top shape when it comes to oral healthcare. Generally, we would maintain a 98% readiness rate.
In the combat environment, it’s critical for individuals to be at their best mental, physical, social, spiritual and intellectual health. Something like a toothache could have a huge impact on a mission, especially if it requires that the individual be transported through a hostile area to receive care. If military members are in their best shape, it eliminates that possibility. You can understand why prevention and maintenance is essential.
That is something I still get to influence in my role at United Concordia Dental, where we oversee the active-duty dental program.
Dr. Allen with his mentor Col (Dr.) James Cornelius.
Catherine Clements: That’s a great segue. What brought you to United Concordia Dental?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: As I was preparing to leave the military, I had to decide what I wanted to do next. I wanted to focus on delivering high-quality care to populations that needed it most. For me, that included Medicaid members and the military and their families. When I learned of the high-volume work UCD does with government contracts for these populations, it seemed like a perfect fit.
Additionally, the Air Force’s core values of integrity, service before self and excellence in all we do translate well to United Concordia — which focuses on similar core behaviors, including putting the customer first, trust working together, purposeful execution and transformational leadership.
Catherine Clements: In the Air Force, you were already focused on quality, cost-effective and preventive care — how did that work prepare you for your role at UCD?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: Most health care organizations are focused on the quadruple aim — improving health outcomes, lowering care costs, improving the patient and clinician experience. These are all focus areas across the enterprise and UCD. In the military, a strategic focus was improving healthcare outcomes. That is exactly what we are focused on at UCD. With an emphasis on oral health impacting total health, we stress the importance of preventive and maintenance care. We offer incentives (pay for performance), use mobile dental units to improve access, and offer enhanced benefits for pregnant members and members with chronic conditions to ensure that preventive and maintenance care is delivered. By being proactive as opposed to reactive, better outcomes are a cost-effective way of delivering quality care to our members. We continually strive to collaborate with the medical community, which will improve outcomes as well.
Catherine Clements: Are there any other ways you are supporting veterans in the community?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: I’m a board member on the United Concordia Dental Charitable Fund that allocates resources to delivering health care for under- and uninsured individuals. Right now, I’m working with New York University and their local VA facilities to provide dental care to veterans who don’t have access. We’ve leveraged a similar model with other organizations across the country.
Dr. Allen poses with his wife and daughter.
Catherine Clements: Transitioning from a military to civilian world is a huge change. What advice would you have for others shifting gears?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: First, it’s important to prepare yourself mentally. Consider what you want to do next, where you want to live and if you’re ready to leave the military. This is an opportunity for many people to settle down for the first time. It is also a chance to make a career change. Look at your own skill set and recognize strengths and weaknesses and how you can use those to your advantage. I recommend finding a mentor, specifically someone who has had a similar transition, who can guide you through the process. Networking is key. Reach out to your contacts to gather insights about different organizations you’re interested in.
Take advantage of any transition programs your service branch may offer. These are often available up to a year before your departure and will educate you on dressing for success, writing resumes and interviewing — things many service members haven’t done in years.
One you land the new role, find out about the organizations culture and climate, like how they communicate with each other. For me, it was challenging to no longer use the formalities that come with rank structure like, “yes, ma’am” or “yes, sir.” Everyone calls the president and CEO of UCD by his first name — which was an adjustment for me since you would never refer to a senior leader in the Air Force that way.
Catherine Clements: What is important for employers to know when considering a candidate with military experience?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: At every level, military members are an asset to any organization. They bring leadership and teamwork skills and really know how to maximize their talents. Service members are flexible and already used to working in diverse groups. For example, with the Air Force’s development initiatives, a young, enlisted member, who’s only been in two or three years, is set up to be successful as they transition to a noncommissioned officer, getting the appropriate training to lead others, write well, and communicate well — and those skills are transferable to most companies.
Catherine Clements: Are you involved in the V.E.T.S. (Voices of Employees That have Served; Military/Veterans) Business Resource Group (BRG)? If so, what has that experience meant to you?
Dr. Roosevelt Allen: Yes, I’m one of the advisors for the V.E.T.S. BRG and it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience. This group provides a platform for veterans to come together, discuss concerns and challenges but also opportunities. It’s a great space for workforce development. It’s also gratifying to have a seat at the table with leadership when they consult our group for feedback on recruitment and retention. I think every organization should offer a group like this.
Roosevelt Allen, DDS, MAGD, ABGD, chief dental officer, United Concordia Dental, leads the dental solutions partner’s oral and overall health efforts with a focus on interprofessional collaboration, dental technology, improvements to access to care, social determinants of health, and education on the link of oral and systemic health. Dr. Allen also oversees professional affairs, dental directors, and clinical and dental policy.
Joining the organization in 2018, Dr. Allen previously served as dental director of Government Business for United Concordia Dental. An integral part of the leadership team, he oversaw clinical and dental policy for its customers, including the Department of Defense, Highmark Wholecare and Highmark Health Options.
Prior to United Concordia, Dr. Allen retired at the rank of major general after a 30-plus-year career in the United States Air Force, serving as the medical operations director and chief of the Dental Corps, Office of the Air Force Surgeon General. In that role, he executed health care policy for 44,000 military members at 75 medical treatment facilities across the United States, Europe and Asia and provided policy and operational advice for over 3,500 military dental professionals.
Dr. Allen holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lincoln University; a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the Howard University College of Dentistry; and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University. He completed the Comprehensive General Dentistry Residency at Wilford Hall Medical Center.
Active in the dental profession, Dr. Allen is a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry (MAGD) and holds fellowships in the American Board of General Dentistry (ABGD) and the American College of Dentistry (ACD). He is a member of the American Dental Association, National Dental Association and the Association of Military Surgeons United States.
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