Dr. Dionne Richardson has been appointed to the position of director of dental services at the Mississippi State Department of Health. Richardson, a New Orleans native, said her top priority would be creating an action plan for oral health in Mississippi.

Prior to her arrival at MSDH, Richardson served as the director of oral health at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. She holds a doctorate of dental surgery degree from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville, Tenn., as well as a master’s degree in public health from the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y.  Richardson is also a scholar of the National Public Health Leadership Institute.