Leadership Development in Academic Health Science Centers: Towards a Paradigm Shift.

Problem: In an era of increasing complexity, leadership development is an urgent need for academic health science centers (AHSCs). The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and others have described the need for a focus on organizational leadership development and more rigorous evaluation of outcomes. Although the business literature notes the importance of evaluating institutional leadership culture, there is sparse conversation in the medical literature about this vital aspect of leadership development.

Using the web to increase access to oral health care for patients with special health care needs in South Carolina: A replicable model.

Aim: To create an accessible web-based resource of providers willing to provide dental services for patients with special health care needs (SCHNs).

Methods: With a grant from The Duke Endowment, surveys were sent to dentists in South Carolina RESULTS: Data showed that the majority of providers expressed willingness to treat patients with one or more mild SHCN, but fewer expressed willingness to treat those with one or more moderate or severe SHCN. Additionally, the data showed that among general practitioners specifically, only one-third were willing to treat mild and moderate/severe manifestations of all categories listed.

An assessment of promotion and tenure requirements at dental schools.

Tenure and promotion are integral parts of the academic environment; however, in this era of growing shortages of faculty, as the baby boomers retire and the majority of dentists choose private practice, recruitment and retention may be affected by the way institutions handle promotion and tenure. A national survey of U.S.

Development and assessment of a cultural competency curriculum.

The recent intense attention given to the existence of racial and ethnic health care disparities in the United States has resulted in an enhanced focus on the problem and a call to integrate cultural competence training into health professions curricula. While most dental schools have formally integrated cultural competence into their curricula, the professional literature contains little information regarding the specific types of curriculum modifications necessary to prepare culturally competent dentists. The purpose of this article is to communicate the process and materials used to develop and present didactic curriculum content incorporating cultural competence and to report early data regarding its effectiveness in improving students' knowledge and self-awareness regarding cultural competence.

Strategic partnerships between academic dental institutions and communities: addressing disparities in oral health care.

Background: A landmark report from the U.S. surgeon general identified disparities in oral health care as an urgent and high-priority problem.

Evaluation of web-based dental CE courses.

Various organizations offer online continuing dental education (CDE) courses. While previous investigations focused on objective measures to determine the quality of the courses, this exploratory study evaluates the participants' experience with them. We surveyed 436 past course participants from nine online CDE courses (courses provided by six organizations) regarding their experience with the courses taken.