Academic Careers
in Dentistry
Presented by the ADEA
Center for Educational Policy and Research
“A teacher affects eternity;
he can never tell where his influence stops.”
Henry Adams
The Education of Henry Adams, 1907
Exciting Opportunities Exist in Dental
and Allied Dental Education,
Research and Community
Service through Academic Dental
Institutions
“A student wants to feel that the instructor is not simply passing on dead knowledge in the form that it was passed on to him, but that he has assimilated it and has read his own experience into it, so that it has come to mean more to him than almost anything in the world.”
Randolph Bourne, Youth and Life, 1913
LIFE IN ACADEMIA
Course content investigation and impact on curricular design
Shaping the future of the profession through sharing knowledge and experience with students
Staying young through interaction with and mentoring of students
Preparing and training aspiring professionals and scholars
Teaching and Mentoring
“By academic freedom I understand the right to search for truth and to publish and teach what one holds to be true. This right implies also a duty: one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true.”
Albert Einstein, letter, March 13, 1954
Research and Discovery
Contribution to the development of the profession
Creative use of the latest knowledge, materials, and technologies
Exciting scientific discoveries and their application to improve the quality of life
LIFE IN ACADEMIAcont’d
Pride and excitement associated with being part of the scientific process
“ The constituency of academic medical centers, like that of the university, went beyond those individuals who taught and studied there. …academic medical centers, like their parent institutions, accepted the duty of utility—that is, of providing service to the society that supported them and allowed them to pursue their scientific interests.”
Kenneth M. Ludmer
Time to Heal, Oxford University Press, 1999
LIFE IN ACADEMIA cont’d
Serving as practitioners, advisors and decision-makers within the local and professional communities
Educating the public about the value of oral health
Addressing access to care issues by providing service to the underserved and disadvantaged populations
Providing hands-on patient care
Patient Care and Community Service
“The art of leading, …is the art of dealing with humanity, of working diligently on behalf of men, of being sympathetic with them, but equally, of insisting that they make a square facing toward their own problems.”
S.L.A. Marshall
Men Against Fire, 1947
LIFE IN ACADEMIAcont’d
Intellectual stimulation and collaborations with colleagues
Dr. Carroll-Ann Trotman, Associate Professor of Orthodontics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, is congratulated by then-ADEA President Dr. Rowland Hutchinson
upon graduating from the ADEA Leadership Institute, March 2001.
Interaction with leaders in dental and health professions education
Freedom to achieve teaching, administrative, clinical and research goals
Setting the agenda for dental education, research and general health care nationally and internationally
Professional Leadership
“What constitutes the teacher is the passion to make scholars.”
George Herbert Palmer
The Teacher, Essays and Addresses on Education: The Ideal Teacher, 1908.
Joy of teaching and continual intellectual stimulation
Benefits and Opportunities of an Academic Career:
Dr. Richard Ranney is a Professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore College of Dental Medicine and Senior Policy Fellow, Center
for Education Policy and Research at ADEA
Enhanced opportunities for professional leadership
Varied daily activities
Travel to national and international meetings—connecting with colleagues
Employer-sponsored benefits, including retirement
Association with academic leadership for dentistry around the world
Research and excitement of discovery
Appreciation from students and colleagues
Loan repayment opportunities for dental faculty
Benefits and Opportunities of Academic Career:cont’d
Dr. Gerald Glickman, Professor and Chair, Department of Endodontics at Baylor College of Dentistry, serves on the
ADEA Board of Directors as the Vice President for Sections.
Involvement in a variety of university activities (sports, arts, lectures, etc.)
Can’t make a decent living in academia
No additional debt from starting/managing a private practice
Excellent benefits, including retirement
Base salary may be supplemented through patentable research, writing textbooks, public speaking and other academic endeavors
Federal and State loan forgiveness programs are available for young faculty
There is less individual freedom
Academic lifestyle is exciting and lacks the daily routine of private practice
A
A variety of career tracks and clinical teaching is available to fit your interests
One must publish or perish
A View of Dentistry from Academia
Dentistry in not only a vocation, but—in an academic context—an exciting professional career on the cutting edge of research and intimately involved in the production of
new knowledge
Getting Started
Talk with your professor, program director, department chair and/or dean about your interest
Seek guidance from the academic affairs/admissions department
Ask to shadow your instructor in the clinic, in the laboratory, and/or in the classroom
Students:
Student representatives at the 2003 Annual Session in San Antonio, TX.
Getting Started
Consider additional training in advanced programs, including DDS/PhD, MPH, MBA and other programs
Find out about additional training/experiences in scholarly activities (e.g. educational methodologies, research, public health, research)
Students: (cont’d)
Getting Started Private and Military Practitioners:
Contact Dean or relevant department chair at your local school/program about part-time positions
Adjunct appointments provide a welcome change from the daily routine of private practice, and an opportunity to share your knowledge and experience
Opportunities exist for full-time non-tenure track clinical teaching appointments for those seeking a career change
Gain additional training/leadership experience for full-time academic appointments and advancement
Future of Academic Dentistry
Academic dentistry as an essential part of a “health team” alongside the academic medical community
As a young, bright, ambitious academic you have a superb opportunity to shape the future of the profession and dental education for generations to come
Academic dentistry as a tremendous opportunity for leaders, visionaries and entrepreneurs who can ignite and motivate the profession
Council of Students representatives at the 2004 ADEA Annual Session in San Antonio, Texas
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the following individuals for their contribution:
Dr. Richard Ranney
Dr. Gerald Glickman
Dr. Caroll-Ann Trotman
Prof. Nancy Zinser
Prof. Kathi Shepherd
Members of the CEPR Advisory Committee: Dr. Michael Alfano, Mr. Robert Dickler, Dr. Raul Garcia, Dr. Jay Gershen, Mr. Robert Johns, Prof. Kathleen Morr, Dr. Marian Osterwise, Dr. Kathleen Roth
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