Dr. Darien Weatherspoon is a dental school graduate of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD). After receiving his DDS, he completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency and received his MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan. He then completed a residency program in Dental Public Health at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). He is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health.

Dr. Weatherspoon is currently an Assistant Professor at the UMSOD where he lectures on topics related to: dental public health, health equity, access to oral health care, prevention, social determinants of health, and interprofessional education and practice. He is also involved in clinical teaching and is pursuing his PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine on a part-time basis. His research interests include: addressing oral health inequities, improving access to oral health care, improving the oral health of older adults, and addressing oral cancer inequities. He is currently the Principal Investigator on an R21 grant funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities that is examining whether Medicare Advantage is facilitating equity in access to oral health care among Medicare beneficiaries. Previously, Dr. Weatherspoon was awarded a Diversity Supplement from NIDCR.

Prior to joining the faculty at UMSOD, Dr. Weatherspoon was a Program Official at NIDCR where he oversaw an oral health inequities research grant portfolio, served on Federal working groups, and contributed to institute strategic initiatives.