The American Dental Education Association (ADEA), in partnership with the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, recently announced the continuation of the ADEA/Dugoni Dental Pipeline National Learning Institute (ADEA/Dugoni NLI) and the names of the 10 schools and community partners selected for the program. Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the ADEA/Dugoni NLI program is dedicated to increasing the recruitment of under-represented minority students at dental schools and community-based dental education programs. Ultimately, the effort aims to create a diverse workforce of dental professionals who understand the oral health care needs of patients from underserved populations.
“The goal of the ADEA/Dugoni National Learning Institute is to create an environment that embraces diversity so that future dentists can embrace their cultural competencies,” said Richard W. Valachovic, DMD, MPH, president and CEO of the ADEA. “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 Fort 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 (DID) 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 3-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 fund-raising and development tutorials.
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 under-represented 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.
