Ways to help dental students pay off their student loans was the topic of a panel discussion during an ADA Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations meeting in June. Panel members included (front, left, in black jacket) Dr. Brittany Dean, Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations member from the New Dentist Committee; (center, front, in gray suit) Luis Padilla, M.D., associate administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Health Workforce and director of the National Health Service Corps; and (right, center, white jacket) Ms. Susana Galvan, ADA manager of diversity and inclusion and outreach.
Dental students are graduating with unprecedented amounts of student loan debt. Based on American Dental Education Association data, the average dental school graduate in 2014 carried $247,227 in student loan debt, up from $221,000 in 2013.
With this in mind, the ADA Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations in June organized a dental loan repayment panel to review some of the options dental students have to receive assistance in paying off their educational debt, according to ADA News.
“In the spirit of helping all of our members succeed, the Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations decided to assemble a panel of experts to help students understand the options that are available to them in dealing with the ever increasing educational loan burden,” said Dr. Cesar Sabates, council chair.
The council’s guests included Susana Galvan, ADA manager of diversity and inclusion and outreach; and Luis Padilla, M.D., associate administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Health Workforce and director of the National Health Service Corps.
For a summary of the presentations, click here.
looks good