DEI committee report
From Dr. Carlos Smith, our director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), comes the following update highlighting his and his committee’s important work to shape institutional leadership surrounding diversity, cultural sensitivity, and health inequities.
I applaud Dr. Smith’s leadership and vision as well as his committee’s commitment to address changes needed in our school and in our curriculum in support of cultural competency.
From the desk of Carlos S. Smith, D.D.S., M.Div.
Committee member news
LaTesha McLee, M.S.D.H., R.D.H., dental hygiene associate professor in the Department of General Practice, has graciously joined the DEI committee to ensure dental hygiene representation. At least one dental hygiene student will join the committee in the not-too-distant future.
New website content
I am delighted to report that our community’s collective work on a school specific DEI and inclusive excellence statement has come to an end. One of my current research projects explores the presence of dental school DEI statements. Roughly 40 percent of dental schools have a dedicated DEI statement on their websites. I am elated that we are now among those dental schools that do. Details on our statement development process can be found here.
We have made great progress and are on the forefront of dental school DEI efforts and initiatives nationwide. Feel free to peruse the site and learn more about Our Statement, Our People, and Our Action. Though challenges remain, these same challenges are best framed as opportunities for continual professional growth & development, enhanced student learning and moving toward optimal patient oral health and outcomes.
Categories Deans blog, schoolwide news