At the end of March, Dr. Jack went to Chicago to visit with the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) staff to discuss the Missouri distant site model. The proposed ASDOH Missouri expansion will integrate a third year community health center clinical teaching component that is an innovative approach. This model will utilize ASDOH faculty placed in Community Health Centers (CHC’s) to provide a third year clinical training. This partnership with the CHC’s will provide a platform for future dental education models in rural communities.

Dr. Jack landed in Oakland in early April where he attended a Board Retreat for the Center of Oral Health, which was formerly the Dental Health Foundation (DHF). The board, which is comprised of public health, academic and business professionals, committed to improving access to quality preventative oral health services through innovation, collaboration and advocacy.

Back to Chicago in early April, Dr. Jack enjoyed the lovely weather while walking up and down Michigan Avenue to enjoy shopping, a personal spring pastime, while munching on local edible creations.

Between walks, Dr. Jack participated in a discussion with the board of trustees and leadership team of the American Dental Association (ADA) as they sought to learn how the “new dental schools” differed from the more traditional modes of dental education. Dr. Jack participated in a “point-counterpoint” discussion with Dr. Ira Lamster, Dean of Columbia University School of Dental Surgery.

Columbia is world renown for its research-intensive environment and commitment to improving the oral health of the underserved in NYC. The discussion proved to be tremendously beneficial to a significant number of members who had many misconceptions of the actual ASDOH model. They were very pleased to learn about ASDOH’s academic successes, clinical excellence and commitment to basic public health principles.

In February, Dr. Jack Dillenberg led a group of colleagues to Amman, Jordan.  Dr. Tony Hashemian, Dr. Saba Kalamchi and Ms. Elizabeth Russell from ASDOH, along with Dr.Neal Demby, Senior Vice President of Lutheran Medical Center (LMC), came together to explore establishing a program in Advanced Education in General Dentistry at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST).

This would be a unique residency in that it would be managed by LMC, accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), and have a public health fellowship embedded within it as a required component, thus making it a combined General Dentistry and Public Health residency.  The Public Health (PH) component would be managed by the ATSU School of Health Management in collaboration with ASDOH.

The residency/fellowship would be initially offered for graduates of JUST; students would be both from and outside of Jordan.

Program plans are being finalized for implementation in July of 2012.