NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Dr. Gizelle Poché Richard received the Distinguished Service Award during the 144th House of Delegates of the Louisiana Dental Association on April 12.
The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor bestowed by the LDA. LDA members who win this award must exemplify the highest standards of professional conduct in dentistry and make extraordinary contributions to organized dentistry and their communities. Dr. Gizelle Richard has been a dedicated tripartite member of the LDA, the American Dental Association and the New Orleans Dental Association for 40 years.
Richard maintains an unwavering commitment to legislative advocacy. She serves as the chair of the LDA Committee of Government Affairs and donates her time to the LDA Committee of Governmental Affairs and the LADPAC Committee. These groups empower dentists to communicate with legislators, track important bills, and advocate for causes that affect the profession.
As part of an LDA-organized community outreach program, Richard has worked on the Louisiana Mission of Mercy (LaMOM), a volunteer-run project that offers free dental care from licensed dentists to thousands of Louisiana residents per event.
In the New Orleans component of the LDA, she is a long-time New Orleans Dental Conference Committee member, where she has served as the general chair, the scientific chair, the speaker host & room monitor chair, the registration chair and an advisory committee member.
Richard’s involvement in the LDA isn’t her only contribution to dentistry. She has been a member of the Crescent City Study Club (Seattle Study Club) since 2000. Since 2020, she has been a fellow in the American College of Dentists.
A Louisiana State University School of Dentistry graduate and E. Kells Honor society member, Richard has been a licensed, active dentist since 1985. She practices in New Orleans with her daughter, Dr. Gabrielle Richard and her daughter’s husband, Dr. Brent Benoit.
About the Louisiana Dental Association
The Louisiana Dental Association is the largest professional health organization for dentists in Louisiana. It is a statewide grassroots organization whose purpose is to promote, advocate for and protect the dental professional. The LDA has over 1,900 members. For more information, visit www.ladental.org.
