Dr. Gerilyn Alfe, DMD, MBA

When a Crisis Became a Calling

After three back surgeries ended her 25-year clinical career, Dr. Gerilyn Alfe faced a defining choice: fade away, or redefine her impact on dentistry. She chose transformation, both for herself and for the dentists she now leads toward independence, profitability, and fulfillment.

Practice Success and Industry Proof

Dr. Alfe built and operated two highly successful practices, culminating in Chicago Smile Spa, a boutique cosmetic practice she launched in 2005. Her documented results set a benchmark few achieve:

• 100% insurance independence for 21 years
• 90% patient conversion rates across digital platforms
• 50% year-over-year new patient growth through strategic marketing
• A premium fee-for-service model with loyal patients and empowered teams

Chicago Smile Spa became proof that dentists can thrive outside insurance networks while maintaining both profitability and exceptional patient care.

Academic Excellence & Business Leadership

Graduating magna cum laude from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (fifth in her class), Dr. Alfe was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honor Society and awarded the AAWD Certificate of Recognition and the Jack Frommer Prize in Morphological Sciences.

After selling her practice, she completed her Executive MBA with Honors at the Jack Welch Management Institute, where she was named a Distinguished Welch Scholar. This dual foundation of clinical expertise and advanced business leadership uniquely positions her to bridge chairside dentistry with executive-level strategy.

Mentor, Educator, and Coach

For more than two decades, Dr. Alfe has shaped the profession as:

• Clinical Instructor, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
• Faculty member, PAC-Live, The Hornbrook Group, and Clinical Mastery
• Mentor, Six Month Smiles

She has taught and mentored thousands of dentists, focusing on:

• Patient communication and case acceptance
• Team culture and leadership development
• Profitability frameworks and operational systems

As CEO of Get Ahead Coaching & Consulting, she now helps practice owners transition from clinicians to confident CEOs. Her advisory programs consistently deliver double-digit growth alongside measurable improvements in patient experience and team performance.

Alignment with the Foundation Dental Alliance

Dr. Alfe’s philosophy is inseparable from the mission of the Foundation Dental Alliance:

• Practice autonomy over corporate control
• Insurance independence as the path to profitability and quality care
• Leadership and empowered teams as the engine of sustainable growth

Her role on the Advisory Board ensures FDA remains the destination for dentists who demand more, from themselves, their practices, and their careers.

Core Expertise

• Fee-for-Service Practice Development & Insurance Independence
• Executive Coaching & Leadership Training
• Practice Growth, Startup & Transitions
• Financial Analysis, Profitability & KPI Optimization
• Patient Communication & Case Acceptance Strategies
• Team Recruitment, Training & Culture Development
• Marketing Strategy, Technology & Patient Experience Design

Continuing the Mission

Dr. Gerilyn Alfe represents the evolution from successful practitioner to strategic advisor. Her journey from forced retirement to executive coaching proves that setbacks can spark reinvention. On the Foundation Dental Alliance Advisory Board, she brings unmatched credibility as a dentist who achieved independence, profitability, and lasting influence, and now equips others to do the same.