AAE Leadership and Staff Attend 2023 ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition
Taking place in Portland, Ore., from March 9-14, 2023: AAE President Dr. Stefan Zweig attended the 2023 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session and Exhibition, offering an update on the activities focused on educators of the American Association of Endodontists over the past year. Dr. Yaara Y. Berdan, the AAE/ADEA Council of Advanced Education Programs (COAEP) representative, also gave an update of the AAE Educational Affairs activities, such as the success of the newly launched AAE Educator Community, the Educator Workshop coming up this August for program directors, and an update on ADEA surveys. Additionally, several AAE members hold volunteer leadership roles within ADEA, including Drs. Susan B. Paurazas, Roberta Pileggi, Ana C. Andrada and Natasha M. Flake as members on the Endodontic Section and the COAEP. Finally, AAE staff attended the meeting in support; represented were: Ken Widelka, AAE’s executive director; Catherine French, associate executive director of advocacy; and Heather Niziolek, manager of member engagement.
The Annual Session’s meeting theme, “Believe, I’m Possible,” encourages the continued commitment to improving the future of dental health education. The COAEP included endodontic educators who shared their experiences and feedback on issues top of mind for educators and the path forward to help refine the framework of best practices around endodontics. These conversations help educators navigate challenges like faculty shortages, teaching the next generations, integrating new technologies into curriculum.
Featured speakers and interactive sessions were dedicated to the future of AI in dentistry, faculty recruitment and succession planning, and debt repayment. ADEA’s Advocacy and Government Relations team gave updates on 1) the Licensure compact, 2) Restrictions on DEI for educators, 3) Medicaid Adult benefits and 4) GME funding.
AAE leadership met with ADEA leadership to discuss overlapping challenges and explored the possibility of synergies for the future. The AAE’s presence at ADEA shows support of our endodontic educators, learning from participants about key issues impacting education that might have gone unseen. The meeting helped immerse AAE staff into the world of dental education, getting candid feedback to present to the Educational Affairs Committee to help diversify future educational offerings and programming.
Networking Dinner for Endodontic Educators
The AAE hosted a dinner on Saturday evening in Portland for AAE Endodontic Educator members attending the 2023 ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition. We had a great turnout, where members got to network with one another and meet with AAE executive leaders present.
About ADEA
ADEA is the sole national organization representing dental education, and its meeting offers educational, networking and development opportunities to all dental educators. These groups are integral to achieving common goals towards improving endodontic education at both the predoc and postdoc levels.
