President invites hygienists to join the AADH annual meeting

It's hard to believe almost an entire year has passed since the American Academy of Dental Hygiene (AADH) hosted its annual meeting in Las Vegas in conjunction with the RDH Under One Roof Conference.

Many important AADH projects are underway to acknowledge the needs of today's registered dental hygienist. To promote member participation in our professional organization, an ad hoc committee is evaluating current policies and bylaws with the goal of streamlining membership application and the renewal process. To learn more about membership in the AADH, I invite you to visit our Web site at AADH.

The AADH continues to approve continuing education for professional and corporate groups, and it is with great pleasure that we are now receiving requests from individual speakers for approval as well.

So many exciting opportunities for advancement are developing for AADH members as our organization grows! This year, the AADH shares a professional affiliation with the American Dental Hygienists' Association and the International Federation of Dental Hygiene (IFDH). Activities in partnership with ADHA will include promotional space at the annual session in New Orleans and a jointly sponsored continuing-education program in 2009. One very important benefit of membership is achieving fellowship status, which recognizes you as an expert in your category of dental hygiene. Our newsletter keeps members linked in a unique network of colleagues and strengthens our bond as professionals.

Our mission — "Professional Growth Through Leadership, Mentorship, and Fellowship" — projects our vision for dental hygienists in today's society. We foster the continuing pursuit of education and research in the art and science of dental hygiene and provide formal recognition of excellence in the practice of dental hygiene.

Please join us at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 2, 2007, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the AADH annual meeting. Bring a colleague or friend to learn more about how you can benefit from membership in the AADH.

As our gift to you for attending, we will award one CEU for your participation in "Meeting the Challenge of Dental Hygiene in a Mobile Society," presented by Jane Weiner, RDH. Due to the mobile nature of our society, many states now offer dental hygiene licensure through credentials or endorsement. Ms. Weiner's seminar will enlighten dental hygienists about national and regional board exam processes as well as state requirements for reciprocity. Regardless of the need to retake state or national boards, this course will cover what you need to know and do to continue your dental hygiene career wherever you call home.