Two UofL dental students completed the American Dental Education Association Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program over the 2018-2019 academic year. Sarah Jestel and Stephanie Tan completed the requirements under the mentorship of Dr. Paula Collins and Dr. Gay Baughman.
The ADEA ADCFP provides dental students and residents the opportunity to become involved in academia by providing structured mentoring, along with insights into an academic career.
Jestel’s fellowship project was titled “Using Aesthetic Case-Based Learning to Help Students Improve Conceptual Knowledge and Clinical Application,” in collaboration with her mentor Dr. Collins. Tan’s project, “Expecting the Unexpected: A Student’s Guide to Navigating a Rubric,” was completed with her mentor Dr. Baughman.
“I gained insight into and appreciated responsibilities and difficulties dental educators face and developed a meaningful, straight-forward assignment which allowed students to apply didactic concepts to clinical experience,” Jestel said.
Jestel also had the opportunity to present her work as a poster presentation at the Annual Session of ADEA this March in Chicago.
“This program plants seeds for students about future opportunities in dental education, and allows our faculty to continue their pursuit of academic excellence through research and mentoring. It was involvement with ADEA during dental school that caused me to consider a career in teaching,” said Dr. James L. Harrison, an assistant professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry and ADEA school liaison.
Over 300 students have completed the program, representing 30 different U.S. and Canadian dental institutions.
The ADEA ADCFP consists of faculty and student pairs who work in collaboration on a research or teaching project. Faculty members mentor students with regard to:
- Understanding the daily experience of a dental school faculty member.
- Hearing the personal reflections of faculty members via one-on-one interviews.
- Understanding and applying the best practices in learning and research.
- Planning an academic career and navigating the education landscape.
The ADCFP is a voluntary program offered by ADEA and managed by individual dental schools.
