ADEA partners with the Dugoni School of Dentistry for underrepresented minority student recruitment and community-based dental education

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA), The Voice of Dental Education, in partnership with the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (Dugoni), is pleased to announce the continuation of the ADEA/Dugoni Dental Pipeline National Learning Institute (ADEA/Dugoni NLI) and the names of the 10 dental schools and community partners selected to participate in the program. Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the ADEA/Dugoni NLI program is dedicated to increasing the recruitment of underrepresented minority students at dental schools and community-based dental education programs. Ultimately, the effort aims to create a diverse workforce of dentists who understand the oral health care needs of patients from underserved populations.

“The program works to forge better partnerships between dental schools and their respective communities.”

"The goal of the ADEA/Dugoni National Learning Institute is to create an environment that embraces diversity so that future dentists can enhance their cultural competencies," says Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H., ADEA President and CEO. "The program works to forge better partnerships between dental schools and their respective communities."

Through the ADEA/Dugoni NLI, 10 dental schools and community partners have been selected to implement a yearlong minority student recruitment campaign or engage in community-based dental education. The dental schools and community partners selected to participate in the ADEA/Dugoni NLI are:

• The University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine and Ft. Lewis College.
• Indiana University School of Dentistry and Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation.
• University of Louisville School of Dentistry and Central High School-Dental Magnet.
• University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry and Latinos of Tomorrow/Greater Kansas City Collaborative.
• The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and GlenOak High School.
• Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health and San Francisco State University.
• Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry and Black United Fund of Oregon.
• Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Increasing Diversity in Dentistry (IDID) Institute Corp.
• East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
• Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and Health Legacy of Cleveland.

Each participating ADEA/Dugoni NLI dental school will receive $10,000 and a three-day training course about dental pipeline best practices, advocacy and leadership. Additional support and resources include peer mentor match-ups, access to various online courses, as well as fundraising and development tutorials.

Paul Glassman, D.D.S., M.B.A., Project Director of the RWJF grant supporting this initiative and Director of the Pacific Center for Special Care at Dugoni adds, “This is a great opportunity to extend the lessons of a decade of dental pipeline activities and foster new partnerships dedicated to improving oral health for underserved people.”

The dental pipeline effort is based on the concept that dental institutions can address the access to dental care issue by recruiting and admitting more underrepresented minority students, increasing cultural competency of all students, and educating dental students through community rotations in health centers and other safety-net dental settings. Such principles served as the basis of a decade-long nationwide effort among dental schools and community partners that has positively impacted dental education and access to care.

More information regarding the ADEA/Dugoni NLI can be found at www.adea.org/PipelineNLI.
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