The American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the voice of dental education, has announced its collaboration with the Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) to develop current and future faculty for academic dental institutions. With more than 400 vacant budget positions in U.S. dental schools in 2005-2006 and the impending retirement of large numbers of dental and allied dental faculty members, pressing needs to attract practitioners to dental education and to encourage new faculty to stay are at hand.
"Recruiting and developing dental faculty members are critical in preparing practitioners and conducting research — both necessities in preserving the oral health of the public," said Dr. James Q. Swift, ADEA president. "With this new collaboration, ADEA has taken a significant step forward in the association's continuing efforts to ensure that our institutions have the faculty they need now and in the future."
ADEA's other major faculty development initiatives include the ADEA Leadership Institute and the ADEA Allied Dental Faculty Leadership Development Program, which help develop faculty and administrative leaders in predoctoral, advanced, and allied dental education; the ADEA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) online Community of Interest, which assists faculty in becoming more effective teachers; and the AADR/ADEA Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program (ADCFP), conducted jointly with the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), to encourage and prepare dental students to enter academic dentistry.
The ADEA-AAL collaboration will be directed toward two initiatives. The ADEA/AAL Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL) provides practicing dentists and new dental educators with intensive training in teaching methods and course planning, as well as guidance in how to succeed in the academic environment. The ITL is conducted in two phases that total seven days of residential, fellowship-type learning experiences along with bridging activities conducted by participants at their home institutions. The ADEA/AAL Institute for Allied Health Educators (IAHE) will provide similar training for allied dental and other allied health professions educators in a one-phase, two-and-a-half-day format.
"The AAL is delighted to enter into this collaboration with ADEA," said Dr. N. Karl Haden, AAL founder. "Working together will enable us to make significant headway in addressing the faculty recruitment and retention challenge."
The AAL successfully conducted two inaugural ITL programs for dental educators in 2006. Twenty-four junior faculty and practitioners transitioning into academic dentistry completed a three-phase program held in collaboration with the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry. In addition, 26 faculty members at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine completed a two-phase program held at that school.
In 2007, two national ADEA/AAL ITL programs will be held. One, again in collaboration with the UMKC School of Dentistry, will be conducted in residential sessions July 12-15 and Sept. 14-16. The other, held in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, will be conducted in residential sessions Aug. 16-19 and Nov. 9-11. The application deadline for both ITL programs is June 1. The ADEA/AAL IAHE program will be held July 19-22 at the UMKC School of Dentistry. The application deadline for the IAHE program is June 11. For details on the curriculum, instructors, and application process for these programs, please visit www.academicleaders.org.
ADEA is the leading national organization for dental education. Its members include all U.S. and Canadian dental schools, advanced dental education programs, allied dental education programs, corporations, faculty, and students. The mission of ADEA is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research, and the delivery of oral health care for the health of the public. ADEA's activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings, and communications, as well as the dental school admissions services AADSAS and PASS and the Journal of Dental Education. For more information on ADEA, please visit www.adea.org.
The AAL is an Atlanta-based consultancy that provides professional and organizational development for institutions, faculty, and administrators for the purpose of improving institutional success, job performance, and career satisfaction.
