Dr. Judith A. Jones receives William J. Gies Award for Innovation

BOSTON--The ADEAGies Foundation will honor Dr. Judith A. Jones, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine professor and chair of the Department of General Dentistry, for her outstanding innovation in support of global oral health and oral health education.

Dr. Jones will be recognized at the Gies Awards celebration March 14, 2009, in Phoenix, Ariz., in conjunction with the 86th ADEA Annual Session.

The William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation, and Achievement recognize contributions to and support of global oral health and education initiatives.

Dr. Jones was nominated for the award for her work during the past seven years as the inaugural chair of the Department of General Dentistry. She led a large and diverse faculty, gathered from different specialty departments, into a cohesive force with common goals.

Through small focus groups, large departmental meetings and an Outward Bound team-building experience, Dr. Jones led the development of a departmental strategic plan, guided by the missions of the school, and focused on the educational program and the comprehensive care of patients as students attained competency.

This vision led to innovations in the curriculum and course content and a change in culture for the teaching faculty, including:

* Culture shift: Formative teaching and summative evaluation became the standard tools by which faculty members developed their courses.

* Mentoring and advising program: Dr. Jones supported the idea from faculty who believed strongly that current mentoring needed to be extended to include students throughout dental school. This has been established.

* Case presentations and Grand Rounds: With Dr. Jones' advice and support, the director of the extramural program required that students return from their 10-week rotation with a documented patient case for treatment planning purposes; the best cases from each rotation are invited to present Grand Rounds to the faculty and student body.

* Evidence-based Dentistry: Dentistry is constantly changing, an essential concept the school teaches its students is how to continue to learn when they graduate. An enthusiastic and active proponent of the concept of evidence-based care, Dr. Jones works with course directors to ensure that their courses contain EBD exercises.

* Clinical oral diagnosis and treatment planning was restructured for content and student participation. As part of their comprehensive care, students write cogent analyses for their patients. Students also attend small group seminars where they bring study models and patients' charts and discuss their patient and their proposed treatment. These seminars allow students to see more patients than they would otherwise. Therefore, they learn from their classmates' experiences, as well as their own.

* Focus on ethics and professionalism: Dr. Jones worked with faculty to clarify expectations with students in small group advising sessions, develop a system for recording behavior, and institutionalize the process. These positive and negative reports are available to mentors, advisors, and program directors. They are used in the assessment of clinical grades and competency.

"Dr. Jones embodies the leadership and commitment to excellence and innovation that we value strongly at the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine," said Dean Jeffrey Hutter.

"Dr. Jones is an advisor to both her students and faculty members, a lecturer and clinical instructor to our students and a mentor to faculty members seeking to broaden their horizons. The recipient of both an NIDCR K24 Award for patient-oriented research and mentoring and the International Association for Dental Research's Distinguished Scientist in Geriatric Oral Research, she mentors students and faculty in cutting edge oral health services research," Hutter continued.

"She is an innovative educator, and much respected by her students and colleagues. She truly embodies the concept of this William J. Gies Award for Innovation."

For a complete listing of Gies Award winners, visit ADEAGies Awards.

To read more about the ADEAGies Foundation, go to ADEAGies Foundation.

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