BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Bergman is a Fellow of the TMJ Foundation, a global consortium and online fellowship program for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, where she serves as Selection Chair, Advisor and Honorary Program Faculty. The TMJ Foundation established an accredited one-year global fellowship program to encourage critical thinking in the diagnosis and management of TMDs. They are entering their fourth year of this program, which has hosted lecturers from 14 international professional education institutions.
With a natural ability to form connections, Dr. Bergman has collaborated with numerous leaders in the field to inform clinicians about the unique needs of TMD patients, from routine dental care to end-stage management. She is a clinical expert for the TMJ Patient Led RoundTable, a patient-centered, public private partnership that the FDA launched with the TMJ Association under the auspices of FDA’s Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNet). This work advances national/international infrastructure to bring real world data and patient experiences together. Their most recent project has been the formation of a TMJ patient registry. Dr. Bergman served as a liaison to connect this group with the Association of Migraine Disorders, which also has a registry, to explore the synergy in sharing data surrounding chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs).
Dr. Bergman is a tenured instructor for McGann Postgraduate School of Dentistry (MPD), where she developed a TMD curriculum entitled “Twenty-First Century TMD Protocols.” After graduating with highest honors from MPD’s sister company, Progressive Orthodontic Seminars, Dr. Bergman began teaching orthodontics for the general practitioner, and a dental assistant course for orthodontic assistants. She has taught these courses domestically and in Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa since 2014.
Since 2022, Dr. Bergman has been a Quality Assurance consultant, author and content reviewer for Immersify Education, an award-winning Ed Tech company that uses Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and gamification to provide interactive educational content for dental and nursing students. She now also serves as a subject matter expert consultant for Immersify’s institutional partnerships. As a dental education specialist, Dr. Bergman’s role is to answer questions for dental faculty and deans who are interested in adopting Immersify into their programs and to assist in customizing the platform for each institution’s specific needs and requirements.
In December, 2024, Dr. Bergman was nominated and confirmed as the President-Elect of the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD). After a two year term, she will ascend to the position of President of AAWD. Among other duties, she will be developing directives for committees and planning the annual conference. Conference planning is one of Dr. Bergman’s strengths, as she enjoys bringing educators and learners together around shared passions.
At the age of 19, Dr. Bergman was involved in a fluke accident that caused severely damaged temporomandibular joints, resulting in multiple surgeries and eventual total joint replacements. This accident changed the trajectory of her life, and positions her uniquely as both a patient and provider. She has dedicated a large portion of her clinical career to treating patients with pain. The biopsychosocial model is what informs her work in clinical practice, education, outreach, and research. You can watch her TEDx Talk, “Why is healthcare ‘disjointed’?” here to learn more: Click here.
Dr. Bergman received her DDS degree from West Virginia University in 1994 and holds certificates from University of Kentucky and University of Michigan’s Orofacial Pain Shadowing Programs. When she is not working, she can be found spending time with her husband and their three adult children, either in the snow or the sun.