Dental educators complete intensive faculty development program

    Dec. 20, 2007
    Program is a collaborative venture of the American Dental Education Association and the Academy for Academic Leadership.

    WASHINGTON, D.C.--This year, three dozen new and prospective dental educators completed the ADEA/AAL Institute for Teaching and Learning, an intensive faculty development program that is a collaborative venture of the American Dental Education Association and the Academy for Academic Leadership.

    ITL is held in partnership with the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. The program's goals are to enhance the effectiveness of dental educators and increase the likelihood they will have successful academic careers.

    "We congratulate these participants on completing the ADEA/AAL Institute for Teaching and Learning," said ADEA President James Q. Swift, DDS. "ADEA's collaboration in this program is a key part of the association's efforts to develop the dental school faculty of the future, and we commend these individuals and their institutions for their commitment to dental education."

    Thirty-one dental educators along with five practitioners interested in becoming faculty members made up two classes of ITL Scholars. The program included intensive training in teaching methods and course planning, as well as guidance in how to succeed in the academic environment.

    Designed and led by nationally recognized experts in dental and higher education curriculum and leadership, the 2007 ADEA/AAL ITL was conducted in two phases over seven days of residential, fellowship-type learning experiences along with bridging activities conducted by ITL Scholars at their home institutions. The program at UMKC took place in July and September; the UNC program was conducted in August and November.

    "There is nothing more rewarding than helping people develop the tools for successful academic careers," said AAL President N. Karl Haden, PhD.

    "With approximately 50 percent of new faculty coming from private practice and many young educators leaving academia, the ADEA/AAL ITL helps individuals become more effective educators while simultaneously assisting academic dental institutions in meeting their needs for recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty members."

    The 2007 ITL Scholars at UMKC were Dr. Mijin Choi, New York University; Dr. Laurent Dejean, New York University; Dr. Nidya de la Torre, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Dr. Shara Dunlap, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Dr. Derrick Eiland, Howard University; Dr. Robert Erickson, private practitioner, Madison, WI; Dr. Tracy Kamens, New York University; Dr. Steve Karbowski, Baylor College of Dentistry; Dr. Chia-Ming Lee, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Dr. Maureen McAndrew, New York University; Dr. Stuart McNally, Creighton University; Dr. Benjamin Record, Louisiana State University; Dr. Ernest Sigler, University of Nebraska; and Dr. Gary Ten Eyck, New York University.

    The 2007 ITL Scholars at UNC were Dr. Satish Alapati, Medical University of South Carolina; Dr. George Gerdts, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dr. Robert Goldman, Medical University of South Carolina; Dr. Riki Gottlieb, Virginia Commonwealth University; Dr. Barry Hammond, Medical College of Georgia; Dr. Steven Harrop, private practitioner, Winthrop, WA; Dr. Natalie Jeong, Tufts University; Dr. Andrew Kious, Medical College of Georgia; Dr. David Klein, University of Minnesota; Dr. Leslie Lawrence, Howard University; Dr. Stephen Mackler, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dr. Kathy Marshall, Howard University; Dr. Brent Martin, private practitioner, West Hartford, CT; Dr. Preston D. Miller, Jr., private practitioner, Memphis, TN; Dr. William Morris, private practitioner, Union Hall, VA; Dr. Melanie Nasseripour, Boston University; Dr. Randolph Schader, Albert Einstein Medical Center; Dr. Aamir Sheikh, Howard University; Dr. Mary Williard, University of Washington/Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; Dr. Willie Winfree, Howard University; Dr. Tanya Wright, Meharry Medical College; and Dr. Jeevan Yenuganti, Louisiana State University.

    Four of the ITL Scholars--Dr. Robert Goldman, Dr. Y. Natalie Jeong, Dr. Stephen Mackler, and Dr. Preston D. Miller, Jr.--were awarded fellowships from the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation to participate in the program.

    In 2008, ADEA/AAL ITL programs will again be conducted at UMKC (Phase I: June 11-14; Phase II: Sept. 19-21) and UNC (Phase I: Aug. 7-10; Phase II: Oct. 31-Nov. 2).

    Fellowships will be offered by AAP, the American Association of Orthodontists, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. The application deadline is April 30.

    For more information on the ITL programs, including application details, go to www.academicleaders.org, send an e-mail to [email protected] or call (404) 350-2098.