Message from Dean Charles N. Bertolami
Dear Colleagues:
In this issue of Global Health Nexus, we explore the importance of leadership education for dental students. Would it surprise you to learn that a major reason given by dental school deans and independent search firms for not filling vacancies for faculty and dental leadership positions is a lack of qualified candidates? This reality underscores the seriousness of the challenge to the future of dental education and the profession. Indeed, it is not too much to say that the future of dental care, dental education, and oral health research is uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, making the need for adaptive, character-based leaders throughout the dental profession greater than ever before.
Last year, we made the decision to introduce formal leadership training for students, with the goal of developing the next generation of policy-oriented leaders for the dental and related health care professions in academics, the practice sector, oral health policy, and industry. These would be people prepared to perform in uncertain environments in the future. In this issue, you’ll find a variety of perspectives on our student leadership curriculum from the people who helped develop it, including Richard (Rick) Valachovic, DMD, MPH, president emeritus of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), clinical professor, and director of the NYU Dentistry Center for Oral Health Policy & Management; Staci Ripkey, EdD, associate dean for student engagement; and N. Karl Haden, PhD, president of the Academy for Advancing Leadership. Also included is an interview about the practice of leadership with Leo Rouse, DDS, former dean of Howard University College of Dentistry and past president of the American College of Dentists and the ADEA.
Another new initiative featured in this issue of Global Health Nexus is designed to enhance the current DDS group practice structure by transitioning it to a structure of 14 academic societies (comprised of the 14 former group practices) to foster opportunities for social engagement, clinical practice, and scholarly endeavors across all 4 years of the curriculum. All the academic societies are named for important leaders in the history of dentistry.
The academic societies are designed specifically to engender the kind of collegiality, cohesiveness, and intimacy — indeed, of belonging — to the College itself that can make the dental school experience more personally meaningful for students, provide them with opportunities for professional growth and leadership, and create a lasting connection to the College.
We have also been investing in our students’ futures by harnessing the science of learning in unique preparation for the new Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE), a high-stakes licensure examination requiring candidates to use their clinical skills to successfully complete one or more dental problem-solving tasks. This two-day examination, which replaces the NBDE (National Board Dental Examination), Parts I and II, is designed to provide information to U.S. dental boards seeking to determine whether licensure candidates have the necessary level of clinical skills to practice entry-level dentistry safely. I'm extremely pleased to report that our investment seems to be paying off: 100% of our Class of 2023 passed the new INBDE on their first attempt. I congratulate our students and our faculty on this impressive achievement!
This past year we also had much to celebrate in research, including the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the NYU Pain Research Center and the inaugural Pain Research Symposium. The director of the Pain Research Center, Rajesh Khanna, PhD, is the focus of a conversation in this issue in which he offers an overview of the Center one year out. Let me also note that NYU Dentistry ranked #5 in NIH research funding for 2022 by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, and that NYU Dentistry has won the STAT Madness 2023 competition, marking the first time that a dental school has won this virtual tournament. More about research can be found in the Research in Focus section.
Another reason to celebrate is a magnificent gift from Michael Apa, DDS, Class of 2003, which will be used to accelerate, enhance, and refine the College’s programs related to aesthetic dentistry. The lead story in Grants & Philanthropy elaborates on this theme.
Yet another highlight of the academic year was the awarding of the NYU Distinguished Alumni Award to Eduardo D. Rodriguez, MD, DDS, Class of 1992, the Helen L. Kimmel Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and chair of the Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone. Dr. Rodriguez is dual-certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. The full story can be found in the Alumni in the Spotlight section of our Congratulations page. Notably, there were only two alumni from throughout the University who received this recognition, the other being the model and philanthropist Christy Turlington Burns.
These are just a few of the highlights that follow.
Sincerely,
Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc
Herman Robert Fox Dean