Dental Public Health Leadership Academy - The American Institute of Dental Public Health

What is the AIDPH Dental Public Health Leadership Academy?

Formal leadership training, through a structured programmatic setting, is both desired and needed within the dental public health workforce. Little programming currently exists to meet this need, uniquely positioning the AIDPH Dental Public Health Leadership Academy to support the oral health community. The ability to assess and address community oral health is just as important as addressing individual oral health: the two are mutually defining and inseparable. Yet, formal leadership development programs and succession planning are largely absent for dental public health professionals. We must encourage and equip a new generation of clinicians with the training and support they need. To not accept the status quo. To innovate. To inspire. To lead.

The application deadline has been extended to June 7th, 2022 by 5:00 pm PDT. Apply ASAP!

Program Application

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Full Decription and RFA

Program Overview Program Benefits Program Eligibility and Cost

Program Overview

The DPHLA will run for a period of 12 months, with the following offerings:

Monthly, two-hour calls for the full cohort. Each call will focus on a single leadership development or public health/policy, building on learnings of previous calls as the program goes on. DPHLA faculty will finalize call topics based on the specific needs and interests of the participants, as identified in the program application. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Understanding your personal leadership style
- Dental public health and Medicaid policy
- Communicating effectively as a leader
- Team dynamics
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Being an effective policy advocate
- Collaborative decision-making
- Adaptive leadership
- Planning your career trajectory

Each monthly call will feature subject-matter expert faculty and will incorporate a mix of didactic, experiential, and peer-to-peer learning.

Interim learning and application. Participants will receive pre-readings/videos and brief assignments in between calls to build the foundation for efficient and effective learning on each call, and to prompt the application of learnings following each call. DPHLA faculty will design interim assignments to take no more than two to four hours per month.
Networking opportunities with national leaders and experts. Networking activities are planned throughout the program as an additional benefit to the monthly learning sessions. National leaders from the AIDPH Corporate Leadership Council, the AIDPH Board of Directors, and other nationally renowned organizations will join participants for optional (but highly encouraged!) virtual networking events with additional opportunities to connect during the AIDPH Colloquium.
Support for an organizational transformation project. Deep and sustainable learning is more likely to take place when immediate opportunities for application are present. To that end, DPHLA faculty will support participants to apply the key competencies of dental public health leadership that they gain through this program to a project that addresses a key challenge in their organization or community. The expectation is that each participant will plan for and, where possible, implement this project during the 12-month program.

DPHLA faculty will designate time on the monthly full-cohort calls to support participants in their project planning and implementation. They will also be available to participants in between monthly calls to provide technical assistance as needed.

Program Benefits

Oral health exists in a silo, perpetuating disparity. The current dental system is fragmented and unable to meet the oral health needs of more than half of Americans, especially the underserved and individuals with special needs. Oral health professionals may see themselves as part of an insular profession, only extending the separation from an already strained public health system. We need dental leaders who can promote holistic oral health that serves as the umbrella to clinical dentistry and recognize an integrated, comprehensive approach to health and well-being.

Through participation in the DPHLA, dental public health professionals and students will:

Build competencies in the core leadership domains of dental public health.
Gain a solid foundation in dental and broader public health policy, and related advocacy.
Be given tools to apply leadership and policy learnings to a challenge or effort within each participant’s organization and community, during the course of the program and beyond.
Become part of a cohort with ample networking opportunities, designed to support professional connections into the future.
Have opportunities to be either a mentor – building the capacity to teach and cultivate others, or a mentee – learning from the experiences and insights of others.
Connect with national leaders throughout the year with exclusive networking events.
Earn CEUs that can be applied to a variety of credentialing requirements

Your organization may be able to fund your participation when considering the benefits of your participation. Here is a sample letter we can provide to your organization outlining how the AIDPH DPHLA is a good investment. Email programs@aidph.org if you're interested in having a personalized letter made for you.

Program Eligibility and Cost

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for participation in the DPHLA, an individual must be within the first five years of their dental public health career, and/or be enrolled in a graduate-level academic program in the field of public health. AIDPH encourages applicants from traditionally underrepresented and historically excluded communities. Please reach out to programs@AIDPH.org with any questions about eligibility.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION

Interested individuals should complete this program application by Tuesday, May 31, at 5:00 pm PDT. AIDPH staff and program faculty will assess each application to ensure that applicants are positioned well to participate and are likely to benefit from doing so. In reviewing each application, AIDPH will consider:

Demonstrated self-awareness of one’s leadership strengths and opportunities for growth.
A demonstrated awareness or understanding of the importance of and opportunities presented by leadership in the dental public health field.
The overall thoughtfulness and thoroughness of answers to the application questions.
The level of time commitment to completing the program and participating fully.

COSTS

The cost for the 12-month program is $500 for students, and $1,000 for working professionals not currently enrolled in a full-time educational program. AIDPH encourages applicants to seek financial support from their institutions or employers, or from other external sources. AIDPH has prepared this letter describing the benefits of the program to both schools and employers; please take the time to review these letters for personal use in exploring sponsorship from your organization. Limited scholarship funding is available for those who demonstrate financial need.

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What is the AIDPH Dental Public Health Leadership Academy?

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Catalyst funding for this program was generously provided by

The American Institute of Dental Public Health