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Increasing Minority Enrollment Utilizing Dental Admissions Workshop Strategies
Author(s) -
Price Shelia S.,
Crout Richard J.,
Mitchell Dennis A.,
Brunson W. David,
Wearden Stanley
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1930-7837
pISSN - 0022-0337
DOI - 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2008.72.11.tb04609.x
Subject(s) - underrepresented minority , workforce , matriculation , diversity (politics) , health equity , oral health , medicine , dental education , medical education , work (physics) , family medicine , gerontology , nursing , political science , public health , mechanical engineering , law , engineering
Oral Health in America , the landmark U.S. surgeon general's report, inextricably connects oral health disparities with poor access to oral care by vulnerable populations. Furthermore, the report associates an insufficiently diverse dental workforce with oral health disparities among some minority groups. Successful strategies to curtail oral health disparities and remedy work‐force issues require collaboration among all involved in dental education. As gatekeepers to dental programs, admissions committees are significant stakeholders in diversifying the dental workforce. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that a workshop on diversity in admissions can modify the perceptions of individuals involved in the student recruitment and admissions processes and lead to increased matriculation of underrepresented minority students. Emerging from the workshop were key concepts and action steps for promoting a holistic review of dental applicants. Results since implementing the workshop recommendations have been positive, with underrepresented minority dental student acceptances increasing sixfold. The workshop was cosponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and facilitated by two nationally recognized dental educators.