Stepping up for Community

Tonya X. Cook ’89 ’95 ’15 walked into the Plainfield Health Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) 26 years ago expecting to help briefly. Instead, she “got the bug,” discovering the work that would define her career. 

“I fell in love with public health dentistry and FQHCs,” she said, “because I just was in alignment with their mission in giving back to the community and trying to improve their overall health and fighting for oral health needs in the state of New Jersey.” 

That passion carried her through roles at multiple FQHCs and ultimately to her current position as chief dental officer for Star Community Health, an FQHC in Pennsylvania. This year, she was selected for the 2026 Richard Ferraro Award from the  American Association of Public Health Dentistry—an honor given to an FQHC leader who advances prevention and access to care. Her employer, Star Community Health, nominated her, recognizing her impact since she joined in January 2023, leading three dental centers and four mobile units all while also overseeing her own practice in Newark.

“As I reflect on my journey, I credit Rutgers with providing the educational foundation and values that guided my career.” 

Cook obtained her BA in biology from Rutgers-Camden before beginning her career as a Merck scientist, quickly realizing it wasn’t for her. “I love to talk, but there was no one to talk to but test tubes,” she said. Dentistry—sparked by childhood braces and an encouraging dentist uncle—offered the human connection she craved. She enrolled in Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (then-University of Medicine and Dentistry) and graduated in 1995. “This foundation was definitely an experience that set my career off to a great start,” she said. “I was prepared when I graduated.”

She completed her general practice residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson and joined Plainfield Health Center, where she was mentored by her former faculty, Margaret Murray Sobers. She helped expand school-based programs in Newark, reaching nine schools from elementary to high school and launching two mobile clinics. “For some students, that was the first time they had ever been to the dentist,” she said, adding that Newark, at the time, was a “dental desert” as many offices accepted private insurances and confined to work hours. The need was stark. She still recalls how she once offered hygiene kits, and a child asked for an extra toothbrush—because he shared one with his brother. “That really changed how I looked at not only providing the service but also connecting to the patient to see how I can be of service outside of the operatory.”

To strengthen her leadership, Cook returned to Rutgers, earning her master’s degree from the School of Public Health in 2015. During the program, her academic advisor, Teri Lassiter, played a pivotal role in guiding and supporting her. “Every class was worth it because I really utilize a majority of that education in what I do today.” 

At Star, she oversees 80 staff members, including dentists, residents, and hygienists. She mentors the residents and also her fellow alumni, just as she learned from those before her. One of those is Baseemah Marshall, who is the director of the Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center. 

For Cook, this award recognizes her critical mission of making a change for the community. 

“My parents always instilled in me that to whom much is given, much is required, and that has always been my mantra to life,” she said. “I just hope I made a difference along the way.”