Diversity Resources: Dentistry (ADEA)

Addressing Diversity - Dentistry

  • The Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) is a FREE six-week summer career-enrichment opportunity for college freshman and sophomores interested in careers in the health professions. The health profession tracks available include: medicine, dentistry, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant and public health.
  • "Impressions" is a Student National Dental Association program that provides support to potential dental students by offering a way for college students to learn more about careers in dentistry and the dental school application process. Impressions provides a way for potential dental school applicants from underrepresented groups to visit dental schools; hold meetings with students and faculty members; gain valuable insight into the admissions process, dental school curriculum, the Dental Admissions Test and financial aid programs; and sometimes engage in mock interviews for as a way to prepare for the admissions process. Participants say Impressions has opened dentistry as a career choice to health-profession oriented students who never would have thought a career in dentistry possible. The program is just one example of a wide-range of initiatives undertaken by dental students and organizations like the SNDA, the Hispanic Student Dental Association, the Society of American Indian Dentists Student Chapter and the American Student Dental Association to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who seek careers in dentistry.

  • The ADA’s Student Ambassador Program brings these groups and other national organizations together to provide a forum to initiate and expand student-to-student recruitment activities like Impressions. With funding from GlaxoSmithKline, the Student Ambassador Program held its annual meeting in October 2008 during the ADA annual session in San Antonio, with US dental schools sponsoring 58 student ambassadors.

    The Council on Dental Education’s Career Guidance and Diversity Activities Committee began the Student Ambassador Program with the recognition that dental students from underrepresented groups are powerful mentors for college and high school students from similar backgrounds who may be considering a career in the health professions. Many dental students — especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds — have often had to overcome significant obstacles in gaining admission to dental school. Now entering its fourth year, the Student Ambassador Program is moving toward emphasizing collaboration between students and dental school admissions offices and college prehealth advisors. For more information on the Student Ambassador Program, contact Beverly Skoog, career guidance programs liaison at the ADA at skoogb@ada.org.

Advisor and Student Resources

Associations Supporting Students of Diversity