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Pre-Dental Conference 2009 - Spelman College
On March 21st , 2009, Spelman College held its annual Health Professions Conference which included the 2nd Annual Pre-Dental Conference which is organized and run by the Georgia Dental Diversity Group. According to Dr. Rosalind Gregory-Bass "Spelman College is a private, historically Black College for woman founded in 1881 whose mission is to promote academic excellence in the liberal arts and develop the intellectual, ethical and leadership potential of its students. The Health Careers Program under the Leadership of Director, Dr. Barbara Bell and Associate Director, Dr. Rosalind Gregory-Bass, provides students with crucial information could impacts their awareness and preparation for a career as a health professional. Nationally there is a shortage of health professionals, especially among underrepresented minorities. It is through programs and symposiums like the Health Professions Conference that we strive to inspire, support and educate pre-health students." At the Conference, Georgia Dental Diversity Group and Georgia Dental Society, with the support of the Georgia Dental Association, unified their efforts to teach pre-dental students about dentistry as a career and in the process achieved their mutual goal of promoting diversity in the Dental Profession.
 Over fifty pre-dental students came to the event from Spelman College, Emory University, Clark-Atlanta University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University and University of Georgia. Dr. Evis Babo told the students "[i]t is important that we look beyond race, gender and ethnicity and respect our differences and make any effort to overcome barriers and to build bridges for our future."
 Dr. Carole Hanes, Associate Dean for Students, Admissions, and Alumni, Medical College of Georgia, spoke to the pre-dental students about the dental school admissions process and DAT & AADSAS tests. She said "[t]he School of Dentistry looks forward to the opportunity to build a relationship with the faculty and students of Spelman and the other Atlanta based universities." Also, Ms. Shannon Fatehi, a first year student at MCG School of Dentistry, brought her perspective as a dental student to the discussion. Dr. Kanetta Lott spoke about the practice of pediatric dentistry. In a unique program, Dr. Joyce Lee, an oral surgeon, gave a hands-on lecture and taught the excited pre-dental student about suture techniques by using banana peels as "patients." The students enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with dental instruments and to practice performing a suture.
 The President of the Georgia Dental Society, Dr. Debra Wilson, spoke about her career as a dentist, as well as her role a woman and a mother. Dr. Wilson summarized her impressions of the event by saying "This event was important and inspirational to me. I am inspired by the diversity in dentistry today. Such a difference from when I graduated in 1979. It forces me to recognize the progress that dentistry has made in the past 30 years. I am even more proud to be a dentist now, than I was at graduation. The acceptance of difference is so important for our profession and our country. We need our young professionals of all backgrounds to promote dental wellness in every community" Her daughter, Danielle, who graduated from Spelman College was in attendance and supporting the event.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Philip Hanes, professor and chairman of the Department of Periodontics at the Medical College of Georgia, spoke on the relationship between oral health, periodontal disease and their effect on overall health.
 The event concluded with a networking reception. The program coordinator for Spelman College, Dana Pride Jones, surprised everyone with a special cake for this event, which commemorated the Conference and the event.
 Ms. Jenifer Matosian, an attendee and student at University of Georgia said "[t]hrough the various workshops we attended, we learned so much about the opportunities in dentistry, the Medical College of Georgia, how to strengthen our applications, how to finance dental school and life in dentistry while having a family. I enjoyed the clinical portion where Dr. Lee demonstrated how to make different sutures. We enjoyed hearing from Dr. Hanes, Dr. Braswell, Dr. Babo and the other established dentists." Dr. Laura Braswell and Dr. Marya Barnes, speakers, said "it was exciting to see enthusiastic young people eager to secure educational opportunities to become dentists." The pre-dental conference will continue to be held yearly by the Georgia Dental Diversity Group. We hope foster diversity in organized dentistry and to create future leaders who will guide our profession. We look forward to working with other groups with a common mission to achieve these goals.
Pre-Dental Symposium & Call for Mentors 2008 On Thursday May 15th 2008 , the Georgia Dental Diversity Group sponsored a first-time event to connect prospective dental students from many different Georgia Colleges with Dr. Carolyn Hanes, the Director of Admissions from MCG School of Dentistry. The meeting was held in the Clary Theater on the Georgia Tech Campus. Over 50 people showed up, in sprite of stormy weather. Dr. Hanes talked about the Dental Program at MCG and steps to take to improve a candidate’s chance of admission. Looking out at the crowd, it was clear that the future of Dentistry will certainly include ethnic diversity. The pre-dental students hung on every word she said, and almost every student lined up afterwards to ask her questions. We finally had to “rescue” Dr. Hanes so that she could return to Augusta. One important step in getting into dental school is “shadowing” in different dental offices. We set up a list of rules for shadowing, and have put it on our website (DiversityInDentistry.com) to encourage professionalism when a student visits an office. Please help us help the future of the profession by serving as role-models and mentors for these pre-dental students. You can contact Dr. Evis Babo at (404) 605-0359 or Dr. Laura Braswell at (404) 261-9593 if you have any questions. We may call you to ask if you can help, please feel free to say “No” if it is not a convenient. The event was so successful, that we are planning another meeting in the Fall on the Morehouse campus to assist more pre-dental students, and try to help them hook-up with mentors in the Atlanta area. These young people are bright and motivated, and eager to enhance their applications. Donating money to dental schools is helpful, but nothing feels better than helping an excited young applicant achieve his or her dream of becoming a dentist.
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