Sara Swift, RDH, BSDH, OMT, DISIPC

Dear Philips and RDH mag representatives,

Sara Swift is one of those hygienists who brings a calm into the room without announcing it. Steady. Grounded. All heart, no performance. She cares fiercely about her patients, and her entire professional life has been shaped by a sense of responsibility. By protecting people, serving them well, and uplifting others up, even when no one is watching. Especially when no one is watching. She has never chased recognition, but I see her effect everywhere. In the volunteer hours that stack up quietly. In the uncompromising attention to patient safety. In the long arc of education, access, and follow-through. Sara doesn’t talk about heart-to-hands work. She simply does it, again and again. Her impact ranges from global mission work to weekly community service, from infection control safeguarding at the highest level to strengthening the very foundation of our profession, Sara is living the values this award exists to honor.

Sara Swift is a dental hygienist with more than 15 years of clinical experience and that alone doesn’t even begin to explain her impact. What makes her extraordinary is how she uses her skill set (clinical, educational, organizational, and deeply human) to protect patients, lift communities, and strengthen our profession from the inside out. She works with intention. She works with integrity. And she works even when no one is watching (honestly, especially then).

At her core, Sara is about safety and dignity. As a leader in infection control, she served as Sterilization Lead for the very first Massachusetts Mission of Mercy. An enormous undertaking delivering care to underserved populations at scale. That role isn’t flashy. This kind of work is meticulous. High-stakes. Relentless in the best way. It’s ensuring that hundreds of patients receive care safely, without harm, without shortcuts. It’s systems-level thinking paired with sleeves-rolled-up execution. It’s the kind of labor that doesn’t earn applause in real time, but absolutely prevents harm, and in very real ways, saves lives.

Her service doesn’t stop at state lines. In 2018, Sara traveled to Haiti with International Medical Relief to provide essential dental care in communities with profoundly limited access. Anyone who has participated in global health work knows it isn’t about heroism. It’s about humility. Flexibility. Listening more than speaking. Meeting people exactly where they are, with respect. Sara did that work with skill, restraint, and genuine care, never centering herself, always centering the patient.

Week after week (literally every week) Sara volunteers her time, expertise, and energy. This isn’t seasonal altruism. It’s built into her life. She gives because she believes oral health is not optional. Because patients deserve safety, education, and care regardless of circumstance. Because someone has to be the steady one. And Sara chooses to be that person, again and again.

Clinically, Sara is deeply rooted in prevention and long-term wellness. She holds a Dental Infection Safety & Prevention Certification (DISIPC) and completed the Myo Mentor program, where she developed a strong focus on airway health. What I respect most is how she brings this knowledge into everyday care. Not in a flashy way. But in a very real, very practical, this will actually help you breathe better and feel better kind of way. She connects oral function, airway health, and systemic wellness with clarity and patience… and patients feel that difference. Patients leave her care more informed and more empowered. That matters.

Sara’s hands don’t stop at the chairside.

As Communications Chair for the Massachusetts Dental Hygienists’ Association for the last two years, she has transformed how over 8,000 hygienists receive information, feel connected, and engage with advocacy. This role is volunteer. I want to say that again because it matters: this is volunteer leadership layered on top of clinical work, service work, and life. And yet she treated it with a level of dedication that most paid positions never see.

She built MDHA’s digital presence from nothing (literally zero!) to a thriving, engaged community. She posts several times a week. She studies algorithms. She learns trends so she can meet hygienists where they actually are She creates content that informs, mobilizes, and sometimes just lets people know they’re not alone in this profession. And when advocacy action is urgent, she moves quickly and with purpose, getting the message out clearly, at the right moment, so our collective voice actually lands where it needs to.

This work directly aligns with what Heart to Hands winners consistently embody, impact multiplied beyond the individual patient. Sara strengthens systems. She protects public health. She amplifies education. She brings people together. She does the kind of behind-the-scenes work that makes it possible for others to do their jobs safely and with confidence.

What truly sets Sara apart, even among many exceptional hygienists, is that she doesn’t split her values depending on the setting. Her clinical ethics, her volunteer work, her leadership, and her advocacy all come from the same place. She is consistent, reliable, generous with her time and exacting with her standards. And she is one of the most quietly influential people I know.

As a dental hygienist, future dentist, and lifelong advocate for underserved communities, I am honored to bring Sara Swift to light, as she represents the very best of our profession. She never stops giving. Her hands are skilled and they are guided by a heart that understands responsibility, service, and care.

The Heart to Hands Award celebrates dental hygienists whose compassion translates into action, consistent, meaningful, and life-changing. Sara Swift’s hands are steady, skilled, and always in service of others. Her heart is evident in every patient protected, every community served, and every system strengthened because she showed up and did the work. This award is meant to honor those who give without pause and lead without needing the spotlight, and Sara Swift is, without question, its truest reflection.

Warmly and with deep respect,Aleah Diemand, RDH, BSDH