Professional Biography

My name is Rae Elliott, and I am a Public Health Dental Hygienist located in Eastern North Carolina. I currently work with the North Carolina Oral Health Section, A Division of the North Carolina Department of Public Health. In my role with the Oral Health Section, I cover 14 counties in Northeastern North Carolina by providing oral health preventative services to early childhood and K-8 students. The preventative services include dental screenings, dental sealants, our fluoride mouth rinse program, and dental education. I also host oral health continuing education courses for WIC departments, health departments, Pre-K, Head Start, and elementary school educators as well as to medical and dental providers.

Before my entrance into the orbit of oral health, I worked in hardware and software sales for six years following my undergraduate education. My experience and time in sales have proven to be insurmountable for my transition into oral health and my role in private practice and later public health.

I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2006 from North Carolina State University, an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene in 2014 from Halifax Community College, and a Master of Dental Hygiene in 2018 from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. I began the Doctor of Health Sciences Program in January 2019, and I am working diligently to graduate in December 2021. Since 2014, I am licensed to practice dental hygiene in North Carolina and Virginia.

I am proudly affiliated with the following organizations: the North Carolina State Alumni Association, The University of Tennessee Alumni Association, the North Carolina Public Health Association, the North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, the North Carolina Dental Hygienists’ Association, the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners, and the Virginia Board of Dentistry.

I am an active member of the Halifax Community College Dental Hygiene Advisory Board and a guest lecturer on North Carolina Dental Public Health, Periodontology, and Community Dental Health. I am also a leader of the North Carolina Oral Health Regional Alliance for Region 9. Finally, I am a Council of Interstate Testing Agencies (CITA) Board Examiner.