Dr. Joel Pratt, member of the Unionville, Mo. Rotary Club, has been honored with the Missouri Dental Association (MDA) Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award is presented to a member with a long history of exemplary service and dedication to the dental profession and organized dentistry. Dr. Pratt’s commitment and dedication to the dental profession and organized dentistry is evidenced by his 43 consecutive years of membership and during this tenure, service in numerous leadership roles on the local, state and national levels.
He has been involved in his local Northeast Dental Society, serving twice as its president and also as its Trustee to the MDA Board. Dr. Pratt is a past president of the MDA, and has been a delegate to both the MDA and American Dental Association House of Delegates multiple times in his years of membership. For 16 years he was a member of the MDA Committee of Articles of Agreement and Bylaws and served as its chair for several. Dr. Pratt served on the MDA Foundation Board—the charitable arm of the MDA—for 13 years and as chair from 2009-2012. In selection for this award, it was noted that you could count on seeing Dr. Pratt at every MDA event and consistently supporting the Association in its advocacy and charitable giving efforts, including the annual Legislative Day and Missouri Mission of Mercy.
Dr. Pratt is a volunteer for the Donated Dental Services program, which provides free, comprehensive dental treatment to Missouri’s most vulnerable people with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile, and who cannot afford necessary treatment and cannot get public aid. He is a Fellow in the International College of Dentists and a Fellow in the American College of Dentists, and currently serves as its Missouri Section Secretary/Treasurer.
Within his community, Dr. Pratt is a member of the Unionville Rotary Club and is a past president. He is a member of the Putnam County Historical Society and past president, and current vice-chair of Unionville Historic Square Inc., a preservation non-profit. Dr. Pratt is president of the Unionville Cemetery Association and a member of the Unionville Economic Development Commission.
Dr. Pratt received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1977, after which he began practicing in Unionville, joining his father in practice.