ADEA Annual Report 2018

ADA-ADEA-ASDA Task Force on Assessment of Readiness to Practice Releases Report

On Sept. 4, the Report of the Task Force on the Assessment of Readiness to Practice was released. This report, the culmination of over two years of research, discussion and collaboration among ADEA, the American Dental Association and the American Student Dental Association, describes the current state of the licensure process in the United States and outlines considerations for changes to this process to increase portability of licensure and eliminate the single encounter, procedure-based patient examination as a requirement to licensure.

ADA-ADEA-ASDA Coalition for Modernizing Dental Licensure Is Established

ADEA and representatives from the American Dental Association and the American Student Dental Association signed an agreement on Oct. 1 to become founding members of the Coalition for Modernizing Dental Licensure. The formation of the Coalition follows the findings and recommendations of the Report of the Task Force on Assessment of Readiness for Practice. The Coalition has two key goals: Replacing the single encounter, procedure-based patient exams with clinical assessments that have stronger validity and reliability evidence, and increasing the portability of dental licensure among all states for the benefit of the public and the profession.

ADEA Kicks off Development of Faculty Diversity Toolkit at June Meeting

The ADEA Faculty Diversity Toolkit Development Meeting on June 14–15, 2018 was ADEA’s first-ever convening of a cross section of its membership to develop a seminal resource for diverse faculty recruitment and retention. Forty-one representatives from ADEA Councils, Sections, Special Interest Groups, the ADEA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and institutional diversity officers engaged in focused activities to begin the process of developing the Toolkit. The completed Toolkit will be unveiled in 2019.

ADEA Releases Access, Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Framework 1-1

In June, ADEA published a new resource that guides activities in diversity and inclusion. Designed to be applied broadly to support inclusive excellence in dental education, the new diversity framework informs and assists ADEA in developing related diversity programs. ADEA member institutions and programs are encouraged to use the framework to inform strategic planning in diversity and cultural competency; further the dialogue around inclusive environments; and identify and resolve gaps in programming. The framework was developed with extensive input from the ADEA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

Plans Are Underway for Two Global Meetings in 2019

ADEA has been actively involved in the development of two international meetings to be held in April 2019. ADEA is collaborating with the Association of Dental Education in Europe for the Shaping the Future of Dental Education III, and is also planning the ADEA International Women’s Leadership Conference VI. The two meetings, hosted by the University of Brescia in Brescia, Italy, will take place back to back.

SHPEP Summer Enrichment Program Continues its Success

The Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) awarded funding to 12 program site grantees for 2018-2019. Leadership and staff from these sites convened in Washington, DC in November for the annual SHPEP Grantee Meeting. Meeting participants discussed and explored resources to enhance the educational experience and support the well-being of participants. SHPEP is funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to the Association of American Medical Colleges and ADEA.

Promoting SHPEP and the Dental School Diversity Pipeline

In August, ADEA hosted a first-ever meeting, Promoting SHPEP and the Dental School Diversity Pipeline. Representatives from the Hispanic Dental Association, National Dental Association and the Society of American Indian Dentists engaged with ADEA constituent groups that focus on diversity and inclusion. The group discussed how the associations can, jointly and through individual efforts, grow the pipeline of students applying to health professions schools, particularly to dental schools.

ADEA Hosts Capitol Hill Briefing on Rural Communities and the Opioid Crisis

On July 19 ADEA, with Rep. Mike Simpson, D.M.D. (R-ID-2), hosted a briefing for congressional staff titled “Rural Communities and the Opioid Crisis: Examining the Impact of Funding for Dental Education and Training Programs.” More than 50 Congressional staff members attended.

ADEA Joins Amicus Brief Concerning Holistic Admissions

ADEA joined with the American Council on Education and 35 other higher education groups to submit an amicus brief to the U.S. District Court in Boston on July 30 opposing the challenge to the “Harvard model” of holistic admissions review and the use of race as one factor in reviewing applicants to achieve the goal of a talented, diverse incoming class.

ADEA CCI 2.0—Change Is (Still) Here!

In 2018, ADEA CCI 2.0 focused on leadership development of its 76 U.S. and Canadian dental school ADEA CCI Liaisons, highlighted at the 2018 ADEA CCI Liaisons Summer Meeting—The Art of Innovative Thinking. This interactive meeting provided liaisons opportunities to think outside the box, including the use of drawing, model building, dancing and a string quartet. Three articles related to CCI 2.0 activities were published in in 2018 in the Journal of Dental Education:

Social Determinants of Health: An Essential Element in Dental Education. J Dent Educ. 2018 82(3):235-36; doi: https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.018.021 (March 2018)
Integrating Social Determinants of Health into Dental Curricula: An Interprofessional Approach. J Dent Educ 2018 82(3):237-45; doi: https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.018.022 (March 2018)
Change Management in Dental Education: A Professional Learning Community. J Dent Educ 2018 82(6):549-56; doi: https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.018.061 (June 2018)

ADEA Continues Active Leadership Role in IPEC

ADEA continued its initiative to advance interprofessional education and collaborative practice through an active leadership role in the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC). The IPEC 2018 Spring Institute occurred on April 30–May 2. An ADEA staff member serves on the IPEC Planning Committee responsible for the development of the IPEC Faculty Development Institutes.

ADEA President & CEO Dr. Richard Valachovic Announces Retirement

After 22 years of service to ADEA, Dr. Valachovic announced he will retire at the end of June 2019. His successor has been named—Dr. Karen P. West.

The ADEAGies Foundation Activities

The ADEAGies Foundation launched a new giving initiative in 2018 to support the ADEAGies Foundation Leadership Fund. The Fund supports programs, scholarships and initiatives that build and strengthen the pipeline of dental educators and provide critical leadership development training and resources for active and emergent leaders of promise. In addition, the Foundation funded tuition for five dental school deans to attend The Leader’s Roundtable of the Bell Leadership Institute and Achievers seminar in 2018. This opportunity was made possible by the generous contribution from ADEAGies Foundation Trustee, Rick Workman, D.M.D., and his wife, Angie Workman.

ADEA Holds Third Leadership Institute Phase V Meeting

Alumni of the ADEA Leadership Institute participated in the third Phase V program in Atlanta, GA on February 1-4. Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, Ph.D. provided a presentation titled “Mindfulness: Paying Attention to What Matters.” Based on her book, Dr. Goldstein explored fundamental questions raised by philosophy, science and religion about our humanity and our core desire to make our lives matter. Participants also discussed leadership from various perspectives and participated in peer coaching and team building activities.

ADEA in the Media

ADEA President and CEO, Richard W. Valachovic on Implications for the Dental Care of Vulnerable Populations if Medicaid Is Cut Back (May 1).
Bicuspid.com Interviews Dr. Valachovic Post-ADA Health Policy Institute Webinar: ADA Predicts More Dentists Through 2037 (Dr.Bicuspid.com) (July 12).
Dr. Valachovic Speaks With Dr.Bicuspid.com: Dentistry is Becoming More Diverse—Here’s Why That Matters (Dr.Bicuspid.com) (July 24).
Canadian Dental Association Interviews Dr. Valachovic on ADEA Survey of Dental School Graduates: Class of 2017 (CDA Oasis) (Aug. 15).

Leadership—provide leadership for the future of dental education and serve as the authority on the education of the dental and allied dental workforce.