19 March 2007

ADEA Symposium: Minority Dental Faculty Development (MDFD) - Pilot Programs to Increase Faculty Diversity
Room: Morial Convention Center - 293

Principal Coordinators: Dr. Jeanne Sinkford
Presenters: Dr. Marilyn Woolfolk, Dr. Earl Kudlick, Joseph F. West, Athena Tsembelis

FOCUS: Excellence in the Academy

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: This symposium will bring together for dialogue three project directors from dental schools that received W.K. Kellogg/ADEA Minority Dental Faculty Development (MDFD) Grants. Seven MDFD grants were awarded to dental schools to help in their efforts to recruit, retain and develop underrepresented (URM) minorities and low income (LI) individuals to careers in dental education. Attendees at this symposium will learn: 1. The value of the lessons learned and outcomes of these grants to other schools as they attempt to increase faculty diversity. 2. Strategies used for successful collaborations in creating academic partnerships for career advancement of URM faculty. 3. Strategies employed to sustain URM faculty recruitment efforts when grant funding ends.

A survey of dental deans in 2002 reported that future dental faculty heads the list of their concerns. There continue to be approximately 250 vacant funded dental faculty positions in U.S. dental schools annually. While faculty vacancies in general are a concern, it is an additional concern that only 5 percent of full-time dental faculty are underrepresented minorities (URMs), which is significantly below their representation in the U.S. population (12 percent). As the population becomes more diverse, there is a need to produce more minority dentists to serve this growing segment of the U.S. population. URM faculty are needed to serve as role models and mentors, as well as to meet the diversity and cultural competency objectives that dental schools will need in the training of a diverse workforce for the future. This symposium will bring together for dialogue three project directors from dental schools that received W.K. Kellogg/ADEA Minority Dental Faculty Development (MDFD) Grants to help in their efforts to recruit, retain, and develop URM and low-income individuals to careers in dental education. The topics will focus on the areas of implementation, outcomes, and evaluation for the three pilots since the three schools differ in strategies, institutional resources, implementation plans, and anticipated outcomes. Topics to be discussed by the three presenters are: 1) academic partnerships for seamless transitions in faculty career development 2) the critical role of a formal mentoring program as related to the advancement of trainees 3) institutional resources required for implementation and sustained program elements including: curriculum development, extramural experential learning experiences, and health services research related to minority health. Attendees will learn: 1) the value of the lessons learned and outcomes of these grants to other schools as they attempt to increase faculty diversity 2) strategies used for successful collaborations in creating academic partnerships for career advancement of URM faculty 3) strategies employed to sustain URM faculty recruitment efforts when grant funding ends.