WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) has awarded a $100,000 grant to the American Dental Education Association to support its Allied Dental Education Leadership Convening and Training (ADEA ADELCT) program. The program provides leadership training for allied dental education leaders, such as dental hygiene program directors, to address oral health disparities experienced by underserved communities—particularly in children and families.
“The focus on allied dental educators is a testament to their critical role in providing access to dental care in underserved communities,” says Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H., ADEA President and CEO. “This grant is all about ensuring availability of dental care where today it is limited or absent.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 49 million people live in dental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). The 66 U.S. dental schools serve as dental care “safety nets” for underserved communities throughout the country. Many communities located in dental HPSAs benefit from dental schools’ academic/community partnerships, which provide more than 3 million patient visits per year.
The ADEA ADELCT program will increase the capacity of dental education institutions to cultivate humanistic environments, conduct effective outreach and provide culturally competent care. Program conveners and participants will produce policy agenda items that engage with current academic research. Leaders in allied dental education will share learnings about new systems and models of collaborative care related to new models of dental care delivery, academic-community partnerships, policy discussions to advance health equity, interprofessional education and academic leadership.
“ADEA/WKKF academic/community outreach partnerships support dental accreditation standards related to diversity and humanistic care,” says Jeanne C. Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D., ADEA Senior Scholar in Residence. “They also foster learning experiences in the delivery of collaborative, team-based care with other health professionals.”
About ADEA: The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is The Voice of Dental Education. Its members include all 76 U.S. and Canadian dental schools, over 800 allied and advanced dental education programs, 66 corporations and more than 20,000 individuals. The mission of ADEA is to lead institutions and individuals in the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research and the delivery of oral health care for the overall health and safety of the public. ADEA’s activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings and communications, including the esteemed Journal of Dental Education, as well as the dental school admissions services ADEA AADSAS, ADEA PASS, ADEA DHCAS and ADEA CAAPID. For more information about ADEA, visit adea.org.
About WKKF: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit wkkf.org.
