ADA News

The 2009-10 ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership held the second of its three sessions in December 2009, which enabled class members to continue leadership and management training through sessions with Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and Duke University, a visit with the ADA Board of Trustees, and guidance from volunteer mentors.

The class returns to ADA Headquarters for its final session in September.

Made possible by the ADA Foundation through contributions from GlaxoSmithKline, Procter and Gamble and Henry Schein Dental, the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership is designed to enhance the leadership skills of dentists who belong to racial, ethnic and/or gender backgrounds that have been traditionally underrepresented in leadership roles.

With volunteer mentors on hand, class members presented preliminary plans for their leadership projects, which are integral to the leadership experience. The projects provide class members with hands-on experience in identifying and taking action on a civic or professional issue of personal importance.

Current class projects address a range of initiatives, including leadership and health education programs aimed at diverse dentists and women dentists, and a number of different patient groups.

"The ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership has proven to be a magnificent vehicle for recognizing, nurturing and expanding the inherent potential of its participants," said Dr. William R. Calnon, ADA trustee from the 2nd District and chair of the Board of Trustees' Diversity Committee. "These talented individuals learn from the best and from each other.

"The skill sets they develop are being used not only in their personal and professional lives, but more importantly, in their communities," said Dr. Calnon. "In those settings, the true impact of their enhanced leadership potential has an enormous impact."

Several projects are well under way.

Dr. Immi Song, a class member from Emeryville, Calif., has already launched her initiative to combat childhood obesity. Dr. Song's goal is to develop a continuing education course for dentists through the use of educational modules developed for health care providers from the organization Health and Obesity Prevention and Education.

"As an orthodontist, I deal with children and we talk about healthy diets," said Dr. Song. "We are also in a position to interact with kids through school field trips and talk to their parents about nutrition. My project will be to train dental professionals to help our medical colleagues prevent childhood obesity.

"I feel very privileged to be part of the Institute for Diversity in Leadership," Dr. Song added. "I have never had any business or management courses or leadership training of any kind, and I want to make a difference in my community. I thought this would be a great way to learn more and help me grow more as a person and be more effective in my work."

Dr. April Champen-Washington, an Institute class member and general dentist from Raytown, Mo., presented information on her plan to provide oral health education for parents and caregivers at her church's new daycare center.

"I approached the pastor about doing something for the church, giving back in some way, and the timing was great. The state had recently provided a three-year grant for the church to start a daycare center," she said. "There was a need for oral health education because of the number of 2- to 3-year-olds with tooth decay in this population. With so much information out there on prevention, it shouldn't be so high."

Dr. Champen-Washington's role will be to educate parents about their role in children's oral health, including the need for hands-on brushing. "They have the information," Dr. Champen-Washington said of the parents. "It's just not being applied, so I'll work with them and find out what their needs and challenges are."

The daycare center opened Jan. 5, at which Dr. Champen-Washington introduced herself and made plans to return for a workshop later in the month.

"The Institute has helped me move out of my comfort zone," said Dr. Champen-Washington. "It has encouraged me to do some things that I normally would have not had the initiative to do before."

A result of that has been the production of an oral health education DVD aimed at parents but is also entertaining for kids. She's now working with a local artist to produce the DVD. "Business is not my area, so the Institute has been effective in helping me gain ideas that can be applied in a number of situations, such as negotiations. I've also built relationships by networking with peers in other communities and other states. Getting to know the other class members and share our stories has been a great experience."

Other class member projects that are being developed or under consideration include:

• Dr. Eugene Brooks, Brighton, Colo.—Initiating a combined BA/BS-DMD program for minority students at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine.
• Dr. April Hearns, Cincinnati—Developing a local chapter of the American Association of Women Dentists.
• Dr. Karin Irani, Woodland Hills, Calif.—Creating a nonprofit dental assisting training program for veterans and others.
• Dr. Bijal Joshi, Santa Monica, Calif.—Promoting oral cancer awareness among people of Indian descent in this country and later in India.
• Dr. Zacharias Kalarickal, Wesley Chapel, Fla.—Conducting oral health promotion through athletic mouthguard utilization and also contributing to the development of a leadership day at this year's annual session.
• Dr. Prabha Krishnan, Rego Park, N.Y.—Producing a women dentists' conference.
• Dr. Shanthi Madireddi, Los Altos Hills, Calif.—Opening a volunteer dental clinic for special needs patients.
• Dr. Nicole McGrath, Montclair, N.J.—Implementing annual KinderSmile Oral Health programs in preschools that serve low-income families with children age 0-6 years.
• Dr. Tyrone Rodriguez, Yakima, Wash.—Developing, with Dr. Kalarickal, a leadership day at this year's annual session.
• Dr. Diana Zschaschel, Beverly Hills, Calif.—Raising awareness among the general public and the dental community about the dental needs of persons with disabilities.

The application deadline for the 2010-11 ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership is April 30. The application will be available soon. For more information, visit ADA.org (www.ada.org/goto/diversity).