View of Mt. St. Helens from Portland, Oregon

CDM faculty and students active at national conferences in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon
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A group of faculty and students from the University of New England College of Dental Medicine recently attended a trio of national conferences in the “other” Portland — Portland, Oregon — in March.

UNE CDM was well represented at the axiUm Electronic Health Record Mini-Summit, the 2023 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session and Exhibition, and the 2023 American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) Annual Meeting and Exhibition. All conferences were held from March 10-18, 2023.

UNE CDM faculty and students presented two educational sessions and one poster at the ADEA meeting:

  • Student Michael Wilkes (D.M.D., ’24) presented the poster “This is Perio Jeopardy! Effectiveness of Game-based Review in Predoctoral Education,” on Sunday, March 12. Co-authors for this project include Joshua Huber (D.M.D., ’23); Assistant Clinical Professor Mohamed ElSalhy, B.D.M., Ph.D., M.Sc., M.P.H.; and Assistant Clinical Professor Anuja Doshi, B.D.S., M.S.
  • Doshi and Associate Clinical Professor Courtney Schapira, D.D.S., presented “You Can’t Spell Implants Without Plan: Rethinking Predoctoral Implant Education,” with colleague Kai-Chiao Joe Chang, D.D.S., M.S., periodontics faculty from A.T. Still University Arizona, on Sunday, March 12.
  • Doshi presented a short talk, “Fostering New Collaborations in New England,” during the Faculty Development Marketplace: A Forum for Collaboration, on Tuesday, March 14. Megan Pugach, Ph.D., director of education at The Forsyth Institute, was a collaborator on this short talk.
A student and faculty member pose in front of a research poster

Egan Sachs-Hecht (D.M.D., ’24) was the presenting author for the interactive talk, “Evaluation of a Virtual Dental Simulator for Teaching Operative Dentistry,” at the AADOCR meeting on Wednesday, March 15.

Co-authors of this project included D.M.D. Class of 2024 students Daniela Cerrillo and Maria Malachi and faculty mentor Yang Kang, B.Med., Ph.D., associate clinical professor in the College of Dental Medicine.

Sachs-Hecht remarked that the presentation was a chance to learn from fellow attendees, and an information exchange that generated future research topics.

“It was a great experience for my first time presenting, and based on the interaction from the attendees, it was a great success,” Sachs-Hecht remarked. “Some of the questions presented even generated ideas for future research topics. I cannot wait to expand on the research we have ongoing, and I look forward to presenting more at future conferences.”

Cerillo said her experience at ADEA was meaningful and inspiring, especially as it related to topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Her participation in the Student Diversity Leadership Program (SDLP) at ADEA discussed topics including ethics, implicit bias, new professionalism, anti-racism, and health justice practices as they relate to dentistry.

“I am glad to know that these important topics are being incorporated into our field more so than ever before and that dental professionals are having more exposure to them,” she said. “I cannot wait to share with my peers everything I learned from this trip.”

Two students pose in front of their research poster with CDM Dean Nici Kimmes
Dean Kimmes and a student presenter pose in front of a slide deck on a screen
The Oregon Convention Center, where the conferences were held
Egan Sachs-Hecht presenting at the AADOCR meeting
A student and faculty member pose in front of a slide deck on a large screen

Student and Faculty Leadership

The ADEA Student Diversity Leadership Program brings together dental and allied students from across the United States and Canada in support of partnerships for action, dialogue, and collaboration at the ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition. Daniela Cerrillo (D.M.D., ’24) was selected by the UNE College of Dental Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to attend the program from March 10-11.

ADEA’s governing body is the House of Delegates (HOD). During the annual session, the HOD convened twice in an opening and closing session. Three faculty from UNE CDM served as delegates to the HOD:

  • Anuja Doshi, B.D.S., M.S. — Council of Sections, ADEA Section on Periodontics Secretary
  • Courtney Schapira, D.D.S. — Council of Faculties, alternate delegate for UNE CDM
  • CDM Dean Nici Kimmes, D.D.S. — Council of Deans

As delegates, Doshi, Schapira, and Kimmes cast votes during HOD proceedings and in the election for the ADEA chair-elect of the board.

Doshi, Schapira, and Kimmes also attended the 2023 ADEA Signature Series, titled “Inclusive Leadership and You,” on Saturday, March 11. The opening event was well attended, very interactive, and a great start to the conference, Kimmes said. Presenter Anne Loehr engaged attendees in discussions around core competencies and best practices for inclusive leadership using nuanced scenarios.

“I love that ADEA is an opportunity for me to speak with faculty and leadership from other schools to brainstorm ideas and have collaborative discussions revolving around process improvements,” Schapira said. “I always come back to UNE energized and with a notebook full of ideas and suggestions. That's probably my favorite part.”

This was the first ADEA meeting for Anshu Bathija, B.D.S., M.S., assistant clinical professor, played an important role serving as one of 54 faculty judges for the student poster session Sunday, March 12.

A view of Mt. Hood from Portland, Oregon

Bathija said she was joyous in her role as a poster judge.

“I got to learn so much, and I love reading literature/in-process research, so that was good, and talking to students about the experiences at their own dental schools was fun as well,” she remarked.

Dean Kimmes said she was proud of her cohort’s active participation in the meetings.

“My favorite part of both conferences was attending sessions to support our faculty and students. Their presentations and research projects were impressive, and I loved listening to them,” she said.