Category Archives: Diversity

Three new dentists, three different paths

The ADA New Dentist News spoke with three dentists — all 2018 dental school grads — to learn what led them to dentistry and how they chose their career path. Military Dr. Kristofer Harris took a demotion to become a dentist, but he couldn’t be happier. Dr. Harris, 37, was recommissioned as a lieutenant in the Navy Dental… Read More »

How diversity and inclusion guides the ADA

As a new dentist, you are probably keenly aware of the benefits of diversity and inclusion. Maybe you saw firsthand how collaborating with someone from a different background than you improved the results of a group project in dental school. Or maybe you noticed how listening to a colleague with a unique perspective changed the way you think… Read More »

Dentistry is like a Taylor Swift concert..sort of

On a random Tuesday night this past May, I found myself sitting with 56,000 other people in CenturyLink stadium. This time, it wasn’t the 12th man I was sitting with. It was with 56,000 Swifties. Yes, we were at the Taylor Swift concert in Seattle. Surprisingly, it was one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had. Thousands… Read More »

Women dentists reflect on gender gap in earnings

It’s 2018. Why are we still talking about a gender pay gap? The answer is complicated: Despite making up nearly a third of all dentists — up from 3 percent in 1982 — female dentists continue to be out-earned by their male colleagues. According to a 2017 study from the ADA Health Policy Institute, men dentists earned 54… Read More »

Applicants sought for 2018-19 ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership

The American Dental Association Institute for Diversity in Leadership is accepting applications through March 16 for its 2018-19 class. The Institute is designed to provide education and leadership skills to dentists who are members of racial, ethnic and/or gender groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in leadership roles within the profession and their communities. Selected applicants will attend… Read More »

Women in dentistry: Not done yet

How do you describe the average dentist in America? A paper written in the 1940s that was co-authored by Dr. Harold Hillenbrand, a former executive director of the American Dental Association, made an attempt: The average dentist in the United States is a white male who is engaged in private practice. He is married, has 2.4 children, a… Read More »