AAE Leaders Meet With Industry and Endodontic Program Directors to Challenge the Future
The 2011 AAE Corporate Community Conference welcomed representatives from 30 endodontic companies to Chicago on Thursday, August 18. They joined AAE officers and members of the AAE Corporate Relations and Exhibits Advisory Committees to focus on the theme, A Landscape of Change—Addressing the Future, and later convened with endodontic program directors for the academic perspective on future partnership with industry. Program directors remained through Saturday for their own highly interactive workshop, which, together with the joint meeting, is generously sponsored by the AAE Foundation.
Corporate Community Conference
Dr. Louis E. Rossman, chair of the Corporate Relations Committee, introduced the event, which featured panel presentations and group discussion, as an “opportunity for endodontists and industry representatives to build relationships, promote dialogue, share information and strengthen the specialty.” In fact, with its knowledge-based approach to strategic planning, meetings like the Corporate Community Conference are excellent opportunities for AAE leaders to gather feedback from vested partners as they prepare for the future.
In that vein, Mr. Tom Kennedy, director of sales for the Office Group at Carl Zeiss Meditec, and Mr. Robert Patrick, global product line manager at Carestream Dental, described the corporate strategic planning process from a global perspective. The two emphasized that in today’s economy, companies must consider measurable outcomes, return on investment, leadership development and a values-oriented culture. They also underlined the opportunity for companies and endodontic groups to work toward a better understanding of the customer’s perspective, which not only allows for exceptional customer service to individual endodontists, but also spurs new product development for future success of the specialty and industry.
Mr. Thomas Wall, manager of statistical research at the ADA Health Policy Research Center, and Ms. Lisa Radman White, managing partner and president of Radman, White & Associates, Inc., provided insights to the future of the dental profession and endodontic practice from their unique perspectives. Mr. Wall highlighted demographic trends among practicing dentists, and gave projections indicating an increasing demand for dental care in the future. At the same time, Ms. Radman White noted changes in the way endodontists practice, describing the current competitive climate and its impact on new practitioners, advances in technology and other trends among endodontists in transition.
Attendees were also impressed by the enthusiasm of Dr. Satish B. Alapati, assistant professor of endodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, and Dr. Vladana Babcic, an endodontic resident at the school. While Dr. Babcic shared her passion for endodontics and optimism for starting a private practice in the future, she also painted a candid portrait of the pressures facing new endodontists, namely mounting debt and a sluggish economy, both of which have forced her and many classmates to moonlight in general dental offices. Dr. Alapati, 2009 recipient of the AAE Endodontic Educator Fellowship Award, spoke about his decision to pursue a career in academics, citing research and the rewards of impacting future practitioners are prime motivators.
Joint Conference With Endodontic Program Directors
The joint meeting of industry representatives with endodontic program directors was facilitated by AAE Educational Affairs Committee Chair Dr. Thomas J. Beeson, and featured a series of presentations by educators and corporate personnel on future trends in endodontic technology, research, practice and education. Key discussion points included opportunities for alignment of industry research priorities with university research programs in ways that allow scientific progress, enforce patient safety and FDA compliance, and facilitate new product development, and new ADA CERP regulations, which impact industry-sponsored CE courses. All attendees expressed a desire to improve access to endodontic products in the academic setting in ways that align with university policies.
Program Directors Workshop
Forty-four institutions were represented at the meeting of endodontic program directors, which offered 10.5 hours of CE credit to participants and occurs every three years. Open discussions took place through Saturday on the topics of Board certification; developments in education from the American Dental Education Association and the Commission on Dental Accreditation; the impact of implants and regenerative endodontics on endodontic departments; and excellence in graduate endodontic education. Attendees used an Audience Response System to conduct two surveys that facilitated discussion on site, for a truly interactive experience. Nearly all program directors who attended view this event, which is planned by the AAE Educational Affairs Committee, as a highly valuable experience, and “a great asset to the education community.”
For more information about the AAE’s industry partnerships, please contact: Joseph Donohue, corporate relations manager at jdonohue@aae.org or 800/872-3636.