DCG welcomes new orthodontics residency program director

The DCG recently welcomes Dr. Soumya Padala as the new Orthodontics Residency Program Director. Padala, Assistant Professor of Orthodontics, is a distinguished orthodontist and educator, known for her passionate advocacy for mental well-being within the professional sphere. Her extensive experience in both clinical practice and academic leadership makes her an invaluable addition to the DCG team.

“My aim is to cultivate an environment where everyone can thrive — not just in their profession, but in their overall well-being. This includes creating strong partnerships and addressing the critical issue of burnout in healthcare,” Padala said. She is a strong proponent of interdisciplinary, patient- and family-centered care.

She advocates for expanding the residency experience to include comprehensive, hands-on training in airway and sleep orthodontics, in close collaboration with ENT, sleep medicine, speech, surgery, physical therapy, TMJ specialists and other healthcare providers.

“Residents need both didactic and clinical training in airway and sleep orthodontics, with meaningful patient involvement throughout the care journey,” Padala said. “Mastering these areas equips future orthodontists to recognize the full-body impact of their work reinforcing that orthodontics is not about creating beautiful smiles but about fostering healthy smiles and faces that support overall health and function.”

Influenced by Arianna Huffington’s Thrive philosophy, whom she calls her mentor and teacher, Padala believes success must be redefined as a life rooted in five daily behaviors: sleep, food, movement, stress management and human connection.

“When we prioritize restoration and purpose not just for patients, but for providers, we create a system that heals from the inside out,” she said. “As Arianna Huffington puts it, success should be measured in joy, not exhaustion.”

As a growing number of previously undiagnosed airway-related sleep disorders come to light, the need for specialized training has never been more urgent. Yet access remains limited due to cost, infrastructure gaps and a lack of collaborative care practices. Padala sees this not as a barrier, but as a call to innovate.

“This is an opportunity to transform residency from a place of survival into one of growth where clinical excellence and human well-being rise together,” she said.

Her academic vision is centered on building a model residency program here at Augusta University that champions joy, curiosity, compassion, interdisciplinary collaboration! She firmly believes that when providers are supported in their own health and purpose, the care they deliver becomes exponentially more impactful.

Padala’s research interests include burnout prevention and the development of care models that integrate sleep and airway orthodontics to enhance quality of life. She is particularly passionate about empowering orthodontists and dentists to play a broader role in whole-body health. Her work also explores patient and provider perspectives, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), TMJ disorders and interdisciplinary strategies. In parallel, she studies organizational behavior and systems transformation to help build academic cultures where success is measured not just in metrics, but in meaning, belonging, purpose and human flourishing.

Her training, research and vision align perfectly with the DCG’s commitment to shaping the future of orthodontics through education, innovation and engagement, fostering an environment where everyone can truly thrive.

Originally from India, Padala earned her BDS in Dentistry and MDS in Orthodontics from Sri Ramachandra Medical College. She completed an orthodontic internship at The Ohio State University in 2009, a fellowship at the University of Connecticut in 2010 and her orthodontic residency at Ohio State in 2014. From 2015 to 2019, she was the lead orthodontist at Midwestern University, where she helped build an interdisciplinary predoctoral dental program focused on collaborative care. She later pursued advanced craniofacial orthodontic training at Rush University Medical Center, co-directing the Craniofacial Center and expanding it to include a dental sleep service line.