DENTISTRY

Dean Outlines New Initiatives During Annual Ceremony

Dean Peter Polverini spoke of the School of Dentistry's commitment to developing alternatives to educating oral health professionals at the School's annual convocation ceremony. Guest speaker, Dr. James Woolliscroft, dean of the U-M Medical School, spoke of the need for an integrated approach to professional health care education.

Some of the School of Dentistry's most important achievements during the past year, and a hint of things to come, were presented by Dean Peter Polverini during the School's fourth convocation ceremony in August.

During the annual ceremony, which celebrates the start of the new academic year, he highlighted some of the achievements of the past 12 months and identified future challenges and opportunities for the School.

"Perhaps the single most important accomplishment this past year was the completion of our strategic self-assessment," Polverini told students, faculty, and staff.

Beginning in March 2005, a 21-member committee of faculty, students, and staff performed a critical introspective analysis of the School's strengths and weaknesses.

"As part of the process, we defined a vision for the future that included developing a new clinical education model, a major investment in technology to support our education and patient care programs, targeted growth of our research enterprise, and a commitment to revitalize our research and patient care facilities," he said.

In late August, a team of external reviewers visited the School to review and discuss the self-assessment. The findings from the visit will be submitted in the fall to U-M President Mary Sue Coleman and Provost Teresa Sullivan.

Educational Programs

"Among the many recommendations developed during our strategic assessment was the key conclusion that we must explore alternatives to our current predoctoral clinical education program," Polverini said. "We must transform the predoctoral, hygiene, and graduate educational programs so they serve as role models for dental education in terms of innovation and financial sustainability."

He added that the programs must continue to emphasize the School's commitment to educating the oral health professional of the future, encouraging exploration and discovery, and creating excitement about academic dentistry as a career choice.

To help ease an impending national shortage of dentists-scientists, while seeking to improve the public's oral health, "we will expand our emphasis on educating dental specialists, master's, and doctoral level dental scholars," he said.

"We will consider more self-directed forms of education that will enable students to take more control of their learning. We will challenge them to explore and participate in developing new, innovative educational collaboration," he added.

Research and Discovery

Polverini said research and discovery "continues to be the centerpiece of the School of Dentistry. The work we do in our research laboratories and clinics distinguishes us from our peers and enables us to attract some of the best faculty and students from around the world."

He noted that during 2006, the School ranked first in research and training award grants from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a part of the National Institutes of Health, totaling more than $10.6 million.

During the same time, the School was second among the nation's dental schools receiving more than $13 million in research and training awards from NIH.

In addition to laboratory research, Polverini highlighted the leading role the School is playing in addressing the problem of access to care. Under the leadership of Dr. Amid Ismail, the Detroit Center for Research on Oral Health Disparities is investigating the social, economic, environmental, and biological causes of disparities in oral health.

External Impact

Polverini said the School of Dentistry will continue to establish "unique interdisciplinary collaborations" with other U-M schools and colleges and other institutions of higher learning around the world.

The creation of new knowledge and the advancement of best practices will be the guiding principles in establishing new educational and research partnerships locally and globally.

"The learning curve will be steep as we come to grips with the cultural, economic, and political realities both here and abroad," he said. "We have little choice but to move this agenda forward if we hope to expand our global presence."

Global Collaboration

Polverini said that during the past year, the School established memoranda of understanding with dental schools in England, Brazil, and China.

In the months ahead, he continued, U-M and the School of Dentistry will explore emerging global opportunities. Working with other U-M units, the School of Dentistry will develop cultural immersion programs that that will support faculty and students in this effort.

"As we begin the new academic year, we will continue to face significant challenges that, if not addressed, will impede our vision to become a school of the future," he said. "I am confident, however, that we have the people in place who have the ingenuity and creativity to shepherd our School through these trying times."