Dean Feldman Starts as Chair of ADEA Board of Directors

Dean Cecile A. Feldman this month assumed her new role as Chair of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Board of Directors.

At ADEA’s annual session, where she accepted her nomination, the dean announced her top three priorities for leading the organization.

“I hope to focus on protecting dental education’s place in our nation’s universities, exploring how dental programs and curricula can drive change, and helping ADEA continue to be a leading voice for all dental education,’’ said Dean Feldman.

She emphasized the need for dental schools to manage costs, particularly in the face of dramatic shifts in technology, and to develop high-quality research programs that add value to their universities. “(It) will serve a dual role of helping us be in the forefront of discovery, while cementing our place in our nation’s great univerisities without which we will re-emerge as trade schools.”

New research discoveries would also create more effective therapies and enable efficient, personalized care, according to Feldman.

She also touted the importance of anticipating how current trends will shape the future of dentistry and announced the creation of a task force to meet this goal.

“If we wait for change to happen and then begin to react, we will have missed the opportunity to affect our future,’’ she said. “Only with imagining and moving forward before these directions are set can we help create the future that will be the best for our students, our patients, our universities and our profession.’’

ADEA helps shape the national and global conversation on affordable healthcare, including oral healthcare, said Dean Feldman. She vowed to help the organization continue its strength as an advocate in the face of threats to funding for research, loan redemption and other programs. “We need to recognize the responsibility that comes with this voice and use it in a way that advances dental education around the world,'' she announced.