Barry Chang, DDS ’92: A Career in Service, Rooted at Columbia

For Barry Chang, DDS ’92, service isn’t a detour from his DDS. It is the point. Chang, who serves as the Medicaid Dental Director for the State of New Hampshire, has built a career that is centered on expanding access to oral health care in underserved communities. He is guided, he says, by values that were shaped at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

Chang was appointed to this role in June 2025 and oversees dental policy and access for New Hampshire’s Medicaid population, working closely with providers, state agencies, and

community organizations to address one of the most persistent challenges in public oral health: access to care. Although the position is administrative rather than clinical, Chang describes it as an extension of the advocacy work that has defined his career. “Access is always the priority,” he says, noting that recruiting and retaining providers, particularly in a small, largely rural state, requires constant collaboration and trust-building across the dental and medical communities.

Before moving to New Hampshire, Chang spent more than two decades in California working at the intersection of dentistry and public health. After graduation he launched a private practice. But he found himself wanting to do more, to be of service. He accepted the role of dental director at the federally-qualified CommuniCare Health Centers in Yolo County. There, he helped develop outreach initiatives such as Smile Savers, bringing oral health education, preventive services, and screenings directly into schools, migrant camps, and community programs, strengthening the safety-net workforce while improving continuity of care for patients who often struggle to navigate complex referral systems.

That blend of clinical insight, systems thinking, and service orientation now informs Chang’s work at the state level. In New Hampshire, he engages with dental societies, hygiene associations, community health centers, and advocacy groups representing populations such as individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, veterans, and children enrolled in Medicaid. He also participates in the New Hampshire Oral Health Coalition, helping shape long-term strategies aligned with the state’s oral health plan.

“The scale is different,” Chang says of his current role, “but the goal is the same — making sure oral health is not treated as optional, but as essential to overall health and dignity.”

Throughout his career, Chang has remained closely connected to Columbia. A California native who chose CDM in part to broaden his horizons, he credits CDM with instilling a sense of professional responsibility that extends beyond the operatory. He still recalls the influence of faculty members, including Dr. James Fine and Dr. Letty Moss-Salentijn, whose teaching and mentorship left lasting impressions. “Once you graduate from Columbia, you’re part of the Columbia family,” Chang says. “I truly believe that.”

That sense of belonging has recently translated into renewed collaboration. As New Hampshire explores strategies to strengthen its oral health workforce, particularly in rural areas, Chang has looked to his alma mater as a natural partner. CDM has collaborated with him on an application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a Rural Health Transformation grant that will support dental education, residency training, and workforce development in the state and which has been funded for 2026 at $204 million. Because rural healthcare providers face vulnerabilities that are multifaceted and unique, the RHTP allows the states—who know the issues in their communities better than the federal government—to work with providers to determine the best use of funds.

CDM’s role will include potential clinical rotations, residency partnerships, and technical support. Chang views the effort itself as a meaningful step toward deeper institutional collaboration.

“I hope to leave a footprint,” Chang says, “not just in policy, but in people and systems that endure.” For Columbia Dental Medicine, his career stands as a powerful example of how a CDM education can fuel a lifetime of service, leadership, and commitment to oral health equity.