(l–r) Students Emma Lattouf, Marc Horton, Andrew Soule-Hinds, Matt Mara, and Luri Lee
From giving lectures to presenting posters to serving in leadership roles, students and faculty represented the School well throughout the 2014 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session & Exhibition March 15–18, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas. This year’s theme was “The Science of Learning” and ADEA asked: How does the brain work, how do people learn, and what is the most effective way to teach?
On Monday, March 17, Marc Horton DMD 14 once again presented a poster as a participant in the 2013 ADEAGies/AADR Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program, “A Fellow’s Exploration of Teaching, Research and Faculty Development at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.”
Four students attended as representatives for the ADEA Council of Students, Residents and Fellows (CoSRF): Emma Lattouf DMD 15, Luri Lee DMD 16, Matt Mara DMD 16, and Andrew Soule-Hines DMD 15. Lattouf and Soule-Hines returned for their second year as CoSRF representatives; Lee and Mara were there for the first time. The group attended workshops and learned how ADEA leaders are selected and the role they play on a national level.
Mara was elected Policy Center Liaison for Institutional Capacity Building and was also a student presenter alongside GSDM faculty member Dr. Cataldo Leone and Drs. William Lehman, Stephanie Oberhaus, and Barbara Schreiber from Boston University School of Medicine (MED).
Mara said, “We had a great time and I loved meeting other CoSRF reps from other schools. It’s always nice to brainstorm and problem-solve issues in dental education with like-minded students.”
He added, “As ADEA leaders at BU, Luri and I are excited to bring back what we learned and initiate new programming within our chapter.”
Lee said, “It was a really rewarding and exciting experience. As students, we’re so busy juggling classes, clinic, and schoolwork that we sometimes forget to see the bigger picture. It was great to be able to take a step back and learn more about the hot topics in dental education, such as the possibility of eliminating live patient exams for licensure exams and the criteria for evaluating applicants from pass/fail schools to residency/specialty programs now that boards are pass/fail.”
She added, “Through interactions [with other dental students] I quickly learned that what makes BU unique is our faculty and staff. Not many other schools have such caring faculty and staff who are so supportive of their students.”
Dr. Neal Fleisher co-presented a lecture on how GSDM has incorporated visual thinking strategies into the DMD curriculum on Monday, March 17.Dr. Laura Kaufman was part of a team presenting “Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse: Educating and Engaging Dental Professionals” on Tuesday, March 18.
Also on March 18, Dr. Cataldo Leone presented, “Integrated Problem Sessions: Innovative, Flexible Models for Self-directed, Group Learning” with Matt Mara and MED faculty.
The pinnacle of the annual meeting was the presentation of Gies Awards on Monday, March 17. One honoree was Dr. Raul Garcia, who received a Gies Award for Outstanding Vision (Dental Educator).
“I am so proud of our students and faculty for all of their impressive accomplishments at the 2014 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition,” said Dean Hutter. “With each passing year, the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine takes an increasingly more pivotal role in this significant event.”
Lee added, “It’s exciting that the ADEA Annual Session is in Boston next year so my classmates will also have the opportunity to attend!”