Association recognized for career education initiatives

Irving, Texas鈥擧ealth Careers Exploring, Learning for Life’s national career awareness program designed to provide youth with hands-on opportunities to explore their career interests, has awarded the ADA with its highest honor for career education.

The William H. Spurgeon III Award recognizes individuals and participating organizations for their support for Exploring programs. The ADA and Learning for Life have long shared a common mission of promoting dentistry as a profession to youth from diverse backgrounds. The ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure and ADA staff member Beverly Skoog were cited for the close collaboration with Health Careers Exploring programs and activities.

“The ADA has been a strong supporter of Learning for Life and has exposed thousands of young people to the benefits of all of the different careers in dentistry,” said Dr. Frederick Eichmiller, vice president and dental director of Delta Dental of Wisconsin and chair of the Learning for Life Health Careers Exploring Committee.

The Metro Denver Dental Society and Colorado Dental Association’s Explorers programs also received a William H. Spurgeon III Award from the Denver affiliate of Health Careers Exploring.

One of the Exploring program’s chief strengths is that it connects with youth age 14 to 20鈥攁ge groups that are beginning to consider career choices and mentoring opportunities with adults, said Dr. Eichmiller.

“Learning for Life reaches out to youth at a time in their lives when they are most amenable to guiding their educations and career choices. These are bright, young, inquisitive minds that only require a little mentoring to guide them into a future in dentistry and health care,” said Dr. Eichmiller, who became involved with Health Careers Exploring at age 14 as part of the Boy Scouts.

“Learning for Life and Exploring continue to provide the opportunity for youth to become directly involved with adult mentors within their communities,” he said. “The ADA is molding the future of the dental profession by participating in this program.”

Dental societies, dental schools and individual dentists are encouraged to get involved with their local Learning for Life office to start an Explorer Post for dentistry. To find a local office, go to www.learning-for-life.org/exploring/index.html .

National Health Careers Exploring promotes career opportunities for youth from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, which also supports the goals of ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure’s Career Guidance Program. Information on career guidance, including ways to get involved with the ADA’s mentoring program for youth K-16, can be found at www.ada.org/goto/careers.

For more information on Exploring and other ADA resources to promote careers in dentistry, contact Ms. Skoog at Ext. 2390.

The Spurgeon award will be presented to the ADA at the 2009 Learning for Life National Conference in San Diego.