Three councils explore leadership for change in dental schools

In a joint meeting in late October, three ADEA Councils met to consider how lessons from the business world can inform leadership for change in dental academic institutions.

The one-day conference in Washington, DC, brought together the Corporate Council, Council of Faculties, and Council of Sections for a full day of presentations, active learning activities, and interaction among the 120 attendees.

"Joint meetings among some combination of ADEA's seven Councils
create very positive synergies," said Dr. Richard W. Valachovic, ADEA Executive Director. "This one was particularly useful in exploring how intersections between business and academics can benefit dental education. The program's focus highlights the value we place on learning from the Association's corporate partners."

Following welcoming remarks from Dr. Valachovic and Dr. Eric
Hovland, ADEA President-Elect and Dean of the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry, the inspirational keynote address was delivered by Dr. Michael Alfano, Dean of the New York University College of Dentistry.

Drawing on his experience in both the academic and business worlds, Dr. Alfano first pointed to encouraging signs of movement toward curricular, technological, and other forms of change across dental education. He then reviewed a number of changes that are helping his school achieve educational and business success.

Among these innovations are establishing creative partnerships in a variety of areas with other New York-based enterprises and
institutions; working with the media to communicate the importance of oral health to the public; "taxing" each part of the school to create a pool of funds to support important projects; and understanding and leveraging the cost of facilities. Dr. Alfano encouraged conference participants to seek ways to differentiate their schools, accept that "efficiency" and "brand" are not four-letter words, and constantly challenge the status quo.

The remainder of the conference was devoted to an interactive
workshop on leadership for the future of academic dentistry, led by David Bachrach, M.B.A., a nationally recognized leadership consultant and coach for those in academic health centers. The day concluded with brief presentations by four individuals from the Councils (Dr. Marsha Pyle, Dr. Todd Watkins, Dr. Diane Ede-Nichols, and Dr. John Killip), who described their own leadership paths and elements that have helped them progress in their careers.

This Joint Interim Meeting was organized by a committee of
representatives from the three Councils: Dr. Todd Watkins, Vital Source Technologies, and Chair of the Corporate Council; Dr. Karen West, University of Kentucky, and Chair of the Council of Faculties; and Dr. Sandra Andrieu, Louisiana State University, and Chair-Elect of the Council of Sections.

ADEA's governance structure consists of seven councils: Council of Allied Dental Program Directors, Corporate Council, Council of Deans, Council of Faculties, Council of Hospitals and Advanced Education Programs; Council of Sections; and Council of Students.