What We Do
Our History
Promethean Dental Systems (PDS) was established in 2019 to enhance oral health outcomes through training and education. Our clinical founders, Dr. Richard Callan and Dr. Jerry Cooper help craft our focus. As former practitioners and dental school professors, they were well aware of how critical good hand skills were to the success of dental students, and to practicing dentists. The discovery of how effective virtual haptic technology (Simodont) proved to be in enhancing those skills was the impetus for the creation of PDS. Since its inception, PDS has developed and implemented numerous innovative approaches to the instruction and assessment of an individual's skills and knowledge regarding the delivery of quality health care. They have used these various technologies and methodologies to train and evaluate hundreds of dental students, dozens of dentists, and over 200 pre-dental students. Throughout the past five years, PDS has worked with the faculty at dental schools all across the country to help integrate these technologies into their curriculum, with numerous State Boards of Dentistry to address issues related to license acquisition and remediation of dentists, and undergraduate schools to develop curriculum to better prepare students for professional school. PDS has also been instrumental in the creation and implementation of post-graduate programs for advanced dental training. Promethean Dental Systems is dedicated to its mission of quality education and will continue to be a leading force in the creation, implementation and improvement of the instruction and training of oral health care.
Our Executive Team
Richard Callan | DMD, EdD, EdS
Executive Dental Educator & Co-Founder
Dr. Rick Callan is a retired professor from the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University. He has earned a Doctorate degree in Curriculum Innovation and a Specialists degree in Educational Leadership. Dr. Callan has used this background, along with his 17 years of private practice experience, as the foundation for the creation of Promethean Dental Systems. He, and the devoted team at PDS have been instrumental in the design and implementation of innovative technologies and methodologies focused on the clinical training of future practitioners.
Utilizing these unique methodologies, PDS has administered and evaluated over 200 dental and hygiene licensure candidate examinations, remediated dozens of practicing dentists, and helped aspiring dental students be better prepared for the challenges they will face in dental. Dr. Callan is dedicated to the education of Health Care Professionals and continues to seek the most effective and efficient way to accomplish that goal.
Jeril Cooper III | DMD, FAGD
Executive Dental Educator & Co-Founder
Dr. Jerry Cooper brings over four decades of experience to the dental field, blending his expertise in private practice with a profound commitment to academia. After serving patients in Trenton, GA, for 30 years, Dr. Cooper transitioned to The Dental College of Georgia to share his clinical knowledge and champion comprehensive patient care. As a professor and team leader in the senior clinic, he inspired countless students and faculty while maintaining an active dental practice.
Recognized for his excellence, Dr. Cooper has earned prestigious awards like the Judson C. Hickey Award and the American College of Dentists Professionalism Award. A life member of the ADA and a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry, Dr. Cooper continues to innovate and elevate the standards of digital and comprehensive dentistry.
Mike Hill
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Mike Hill has spent over a fifteen years in the dental industry working with practitioners, educators, and regulators to enhance oral health. Mike became a founder of Promethean as a result of his educational efforts to help private practice owners lead their organizations with Dr. Rick Callan. During this efforts, Mike became aware of the opportunities to enhance dental education and practice that Dr. Cooper and Dr. Callan had identified.
In addition to his leadership role at Promethean, Mike serves as a faculty member in the Department of Management at the Terry College of Business in the University of Georgia. Mike has been a faculty member since 2014.
Mike is also dedicated to serving the community as Kiwanian. Mike has served in all club leadership roles, and several roles at the Georgia District level including as President of the Georgia District Foundation.
Our Leadership Team
Maryjane Hanlon | RDH, MBA, DDS
Member
Dr. Hanlon is a key member of the leadership team of Promethean. She initially began her dental career as a dental hygienist before earning her DDS from Tufts University in 1997. She owned her own private practice before returning to her alma mater in 2014. Dr. Hanlon faculty service at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine included serving as the Associate Dean of PreDoctoral Clinic Administration and as the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs.
Dr. Hanlon also served as the Vice Dean of Academics & Clinics at Lincoln Memorial University’s College of Dentistry. From 2020-21 Dr. Hanlon served as the President of the Massachusetts Dental Society. Dr. Hanlon sees patients on a part-time basis and is a sought after thought leader in dentistry and dental education.
Jon Higbie | PhD
Chief Data Scientist
Dr. Jon Higbie earned his PhD in Management Science from the University of Georgia. After receiving his doctorate, Jon served on the faculty of the business college at Georgia Tech. Jon then entered the private sector serving in numerous leadership roles at technology firms including as a Chief Scientist, a Chief Analytics Officer, a Chief Operating Officer, and Managing Partner.
Jon has also served on the MIS Advisory Board for the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia for more than 25 years. Jon is a renowned expert in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Optimization with a distinguished career at the intersection of advanced analytics and business strategy.
Cynthia Hughes | RDH, BS, MEd
Hygiene Lead Educator
Cindy Hughes is the lead hygiene educator for Promethean Dental Systems. Cindy is an Emerita Professor from Augusta University’s School of Dental Hygiene. Cindy served on the hygiene faculty for nearly 18 years prior to her retirement. Cindy also worked in the private sector in various hygiene related roles.
Cindy is well known in the hygiene profession as a gifted and caring educator with a stellar reputation within the dental industry. Cindy has also served as the President of the Georgia Dental Hygienists’ Association and as the Chair of the Council on Regulation and Practice for the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.
Chris Nedza
Chief Strategy Officer
Chris Nedza earned his BA from the University of Georgia and his MBA from Emory University. Chris is a faculty member at Georgia Tech where he serves as the lead Entrepreneur in Residence of the Advanced Technology Development Center. Chris is a serial entrepreneur building several firms in various industries which led to successful exits.
Aside from Promethean, Chris co-founded an AI education platform company Sage Ai Solutions. Chris is widely recognized as a creative visionary, business strategist, and as a strong business leader.