Global Health Care Leaders: Washington, DC
Students from every academic program at NYU Dentistry are eligible to apply for this professional development experience, which takes students each spring to NYU’s Global Academic Center in Washington, DC. Participants engage in leadership, advocacy, and public speaking workshops and meet with federal lawmakers to advocate for issues related to oral health, including access to care and research funding.
Program Dates
April 27-29, 2025
NYU Dentistry Global Health Leaders Program Kicks Off with Student Visit to Washington, DC
From June 21-23, 2022, 15 NYU Dentistry students visited Capitol Hill to advocate in support of dental research, work force development, and other initiatives to reduce oral health disparities and improve overall health and well-being.
The visit marked the launch of the NYU Dentistry Global Health Leaders Program, a unique professional development experience
The visit was hosted by the NYU Washington, DC, Global Academic Center — one of NYU’s 15 Study Away Centers. The DC Center provided housing and dining accommodations for the visitors, including a welcoming reception and dinner and a guided nighttime tour of Washington, DC, monuments and memorials.
Dr. Valachovic, Dr. Michael O’Connor, executive vice dean of NYU Dentistry and co-director of the NYU Dentistry Center for Oral Health Policy and Management, and Dr. Staci Ripkey, associate dean for student affairs and academic support services, led the program, which was organized by the NYU Office of Government Affairs. NYU’s Government Affairs team provided advocacy tips for the students and arranged a series of visits for them with Congressional staffers for Representatives Jerry Nadler, Josh Gottheimer, Nicole Malliotakis, Jamie Raskin, Lori Trahan, Carolyn Maloney, and Robert Menendez.
Featured speakers included Drs. Valachovic, O’Connor, and Ripkey, and Mr. Steve Heuer, associate vice president for government affairs at NYU, on how to be an effective advocate. The program also included presentations by leaders from the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research, ADEA, and ADA on dental policy priorities for Congressional funding.
“The feedback I’ve received from everyone involved in the visit has been uniformly positive,” said Dean Bertolami. “It was so well received that we are planning to make two visits annually to the NYU Washington, DC, Global Academic Center and one visit annually to an NYU Global Academic Center overseas to familiarize students with dental education and health care policy in other countries, beginning with the NYU Villa La Pietra Global Site in Italy in 2023. We believe that offering students such rich experiences will enable them to become the kinds of leaders who are vital to ensure dentistry’s ability to make a positive impact on the future of health care policy and practice,” he added.