Institute projects take shape

Now in its 7th year, the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership helps participants discover key concepts in leadership, develop a lifetime of supportive relationships, and set new paths in the dental profession and their communities.

Class members’ leadership projects that provide hands-on experience in identifying and taking action on a civic or professional issue of personal importance are key to the Institute experience. Now with two sessions concluded, the projects of the 2008-09 class are coming into sharper focus.

One class member shared good news in February. Dr. Lisandra Soto’s project to promote and provide oral health care to Hispanic mothers and children won a $100,000 grant for her employer, Michigan Community Dental Clinics Inc., from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which supports children, families and communities that help vulnerable children achieve success.

Dr. Soto’s project will include everything from oral health education to dental treatment. This was the first grant ever received by the nonprofit MCDC, which has 15 clinics that provide dental services for local health departments.

“Hispanics are less likely than other ethnic minority populations to have private dental insurance; and they are more likely to seek dental care in response to symptoms rather than for preventive reasons, as reported by the dental literature,” said Dr. Soto of Portage, Mich.

“I talked about the idea for this project with the health department and my colleagues, and received some help with budgeting from the health department. Everyone thought this was a great idea,” said Dr. Soto. “I thought I would gain experience by writing the grant but wasn’t sure that we’d actually get it.”

Next steps include reviewing oral health literature and reaching out to community organizations where Hispanic women receive care.

“Limited access to dental care is a major determinant of oral health disparities,” said Dr. Soto, who had her first event with patients benefiting from the grant monies in March. “In one day, I saw a teenager with infected six-year molars and two dental abscesses. I saw adult women who had never been to the dentist. There is so much untreated dental decay in this population.”

Dr. Soto said the Institute equipped her with the tools necessary for knocking on doors and finding ways to address community problems. “We see problems every day but we’re unsure what to do,” she said. “The Institute for Diversity in Leadership encourages you to be creative and help people. You learn to do a lot of networking, and it helps you develop skills you didn’t know you had.”

One of Dr. Soto’s Institute colleagues, Dr. Kevin Williams of Greenville, S.C., is developing a dental-career mentoring program with the goal of providing a lasting influence on children鈥攎iddle school through college age鈥攁s they make decisions regarding future careers.

“The Institute has been instrumental in terms of helping us recognize that we don’t have to accomplish things on our own,” said Dr. Williams. “There are resources and like-minded groups out there. By identifying them and working with them, we can accomplish more.”

Starting with a group of five students at Greenville Middle School, Dr. Williams’ project will provide dental-career guidance to students starting in middle school and continuing through high school and college. Plans are also in the works to develop electronic media that can be used by the South Carolina Dental Association.

The idea for his project stems from a desire to show kids that dentistry is an enjoyable career, and one that can provide a comfortable living.

“I have kids and know what it takes to keep them interested in positive influences,” said the father of 10-year-old twins and a 5-year-old. “If it’s not exciting, their interest goes to something else quick. This program will help show them what a rewarding career dentistry is.”

In December 2008 at ADA Headquarters, the 12 class members presented plans for their leadership projects and gained feedback from faculty, corporate sponsors, mentors, staff and members of the ADA Board of Trustees.

“This is one of the most rewarding things I do as an ADA volunteer,” said Dr. James R. Hupp, dean, East Carolina University School of Dentistry, who participated as a speaker during a panel discussion.

“I shared my experiences, including lessons learned, as the leader in a not-for-profit organization working to improve the diversity of the organization via cultural and procedural changes,” said Dr. Hupp, also a member of the ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure and chair of CDEL’s Career Guidance and Diversity Activities Committee. “This is one of those key programs the ADA can organize and conduct to strengthen the dental profession; others interested in helping in such a manner may not be able to afford such an elaborate program due to the financial resources, including staff time and expertise, required for such a longitudinal undertaking.”

Other guests sharing insights with Institute members included Steve Kess, Henry Schein Dental; Colin MacKenzie, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Health Care; Dr. J. Leslie Winston, Procter & Gamble; Dr. Nathan Fletcher, National Dental Association; Robert Johns, NDA; Sandy Blau, George M. Pullman Educational Foundation; and Dr. Caswell Evans, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry.

Kellogg School of Management faculty providing guidance to Institute members included Prof. Tom Prince; Vennie Lyons, associate dean; Prof. Liz Livingston Howard; and Prof. Ashleigh Rosette, Duke University Fuqua School of Business.