New ADA career resource focuses on minority youth outreach

The ADA has a new career resource designed to help facilitate outreach to students from diverse backgrounds.

“Minority Youth Outreach: A Resource Kit for Dental Societies” offers ideas used by model programs, such as initiating dentistry Explorer posts, partnerships with minority dental organizations, experiential dental academies, mentoring programs and more.

The kit highlights the vital role practitioners play in minority youth outreach activities. An innovative program discussed is the Southeast Missouri Area Health Education Center’s Experiential Dental Academy, which supports AHEC’s mission to enhance access to quality health care by improving the supply and distribution of health care professionals.

The one-day academy for high school and pre-dental students interested in careers in dentistry and dental hygiene includes workshops on loan forgiveness programs and a session for parents. It’s also the result of a collaboration between Southeast Missouri’s AHEC, the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry and local dentists, Drs. Daniel Jackson and Tracy Hopkins.

In addition to the ADA’s new Minority Youth Outreach kit, graduates of the ADA Institute on Diversity in Leadership who have spearheaded similar projects are available to help implement locally focused diversity efforts.

For more information, contact Beverly Skoog, career guidance programs liaison, at skoogb@ada.org.

For additional resources on dental careers, visit www.ada.org/goto/careers.