Dr. Peters, a board-certified pediatric dentist, spent the initial part of his career operating a multi-location specialty practice and advocating for children's health at both state and federal levels. As he gained a deeper understanding of innovation management principles, cross-functional teams, and human-centered design, he became increasingly convinced that creativity and collaboration are imperative for making significant improvements, not just incremental changes, to both individual and societal health. After gaining these new insights, dedicating years to advocacy and policy efforts, and navigating his business through a pandemic, Dr. Peters sold his practice after nearly a decade of ownership. This decision was driven by the realization that his aptitudes and disparate skills and interests would be better optimized by shifting his primary professional focus to the intersection of healthcare and innovation — integrating a commitment to advancing human health, driven by a passion for solving complex problems. Dr. Peters' breadth of experience extends beyond clinical practice to encompass the fields of leadership, change management, design thinking, and product innovation. Through numerous leadership roles in professional specialty organizations, he has also acquired expertise in advocacy, government affairs, healthcare policy, and organizational governance. Currently, Dr. Peters is completing a Master of Product Innovation (M.P.I.) at the VCU da Vinci Center and serves as a venture scout for Hoplite Healthcare, a consultant to early-stage healthcare companies and investors, and an active member in his regional biotechnology hub. Despite these broader engagements, he remains committed to his clinical roots by continuing to provide specialized care for children in private practice and outpatient surgical settings and teaching post-doctoral residents at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Dr. Peters earned a B.S. from Hampden-Sydney College and then worked for a leadership development organization, an architectural-engineering company, and a medical device company. He later completed a D.D.S., M.S.D., and a two-year specialty residency at the VCU School of Dentistry. Selected as the annual Samuel D. Harris Research & Policy Fellow by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, his research during this yearlong fellowship was subsequently published in the Journal of the American Dental Association and influenced policy that assisted tens of thousands of underserved Virginians. Additionally, Dr. Peters holds certificates in Leadership from Northwestern (Kellogg), Entrepreneurship & Innovation from the Universidade do Porto (FEP), and Health Care Innovation from the VCU School of Nursing. In his free time, Dr. Peters enjoys visiting friends, traveling the world, and spending time with his family somewhere between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay.