The fourth-annual Inclusive Excellence Week was held Oct. 16 – 20, 2023.VCU School of Dentistry celebrates fourth-annual Inclusive Excellence Week
Each year, VCU School of Dentistry celebrates its commitment to inclusive excellence and diversity with an entire week of events, informative discussions, and advocacy, all with a goal of making the delivery of health care more equitable and inclusive in order to improve health outcomes in the communities we serve.
Hosted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence, Ethics and Community Engagement, this year’s fourth-annual Inclusive Excellence Week was held Oct. 16 – 20. The week of in-person and virtual events engaged the School of Dentistry community in important conversations regarding racism, social determinants of health, disability justice, barriers to inclusive excellence and improving care for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
“I would like to thank everyone who helped make our fourth-annual Inclusive Excellence Week a resounding success. I would also like to give a special thank you to our presenters who shared their wealth of knowledge and expertise with us and to our students, faculty and staff who attended the events," said Dr. Carlos Smith, associate dean of Inclusive Excellence, Ethics and Community Engagement.
“The application of the knowledge shared during Inclusive Excellence Week can strengthen bonds throughout our school and allow greater connection with the patients we serve,” said Lyndon Cooper, D.D.S., Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Dentistry. “To the many who took the time to participate in Inclusive Excellence Week, thank you for being present in recognition of this important priority. I am certain that these activities will serve to reinforce all that goes into enhancing our culture of care.”
Inclusivity goes beyond acceptance. It includes breaking barriers and building bridges. The week-long celebration at VCU School of Dentistry emphasized the importance of understanding, appreciating, and embracing differences and creating and sustaining an equitable and inclusive environment.
The week kicked off with a community dinner and inspiring panel discussion featuring Faye Belgrave, Ph.D., VCU’s newly appointed vice president and Chief Diversity Officer, Gary Cuddeback, Ph.D., interim dean and professor at the VCU School of Social Work, Adrien DeLoach, Ph.D., executive director of VCU’s Division for Student Engagement and Impact and Director of VCU Diversity P.A.T.H.S., Tiffany Williams, D.D.S., M.S.D., F.A.C.D., director of the Pediatric Dentistry residency program at VCU School of Dentistry and Sarah Holland, CEO of the Virginia Health Catalyst.
Dr. Smith moderated the discussion centered on structural racism and its impacts on the social determinants of health. The panel also discussed solutions and strategies that could help improve health outcomes.
“This session was an eye-opening learning experience. I wasn't fully aware of the way structural racism affected student placement. The problem is multifaceted and requires government and health officials to come together and make changes to eradicate structural racism,” said Heidi Hessler-Allen, patient liaison and complex case advisor for VCU Dental Care.
Hessler-Allen, who attended the panel discussion and several events throughout the week, said we must challenge disparities in health care to ensure every individual receives equitable and compassionate care.
“As a patient advocate, I think it is very important to remain active in the pursuit of justice, equity, diversity and inclusivity for all,” said Hessler-Allen. “I made it a priority to attend the week's events so as to remain vigilant in my desire to learn and to be an asset to the students, staff, faculty and patients.”
Sarah E. Raskin, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU, was the guest speaker for day two of Inclusive Excellence Week. In her presentation, Raskin discussed how a ‘hidden curricula’ partially explains the racial/ethnic imbalance in dentistry.
Hidden curricula describe expectations ingrained in social structures, systems and institutions that often work against minorities and individuals with nonconventional backgrounds. In addition to describing her own experiences on an admissions committee, Raskin discussed a study she conducted in collaboration with Eleanor Fleming, Ph.D., D.D.S., M.P.H., F.I.C.D., examining factors that might determine the entrance, completion and placement of historically underrepresented minority dental students throughout the course of their education.
Raskin also explained how dental professionals and administrators can overturn some of these hidden factors to improve inclusive excellence in dental education and practice.
On day three of Inclusive Excellence Week, participants learned about ethical commitments to the disabled community, which can include individuals with cognitive, physical, emotional or some combination of those disabilities.
Nanette Elster, J.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.D., associate professor at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and director of communications for the American College of Dentists, explained the ethical, legal and professional obligations for accommodating persons with disabilities, and she highlighted various levels of advocacy from the individual patient to more systemic approaches.
The week’s keynote lecture, Unpacking Transformative Leadership, was led by Chris Reina, Ph.D., the founder and executive director of the Institute for Transformative Leadership and an associate professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at VCU School of Business. Reina shared his perspective on what leadership really is and the impact it can have on those we manage and the organizations we work for.
“Leadership to me is about crafting experiences for people…” said Reina. “I want to introduce a framework for thinking about leadership. That’s thinking about all of us being leaders in all things that we do everyday. It's not a position. It’s not a title or something that we earn. It’s really a mindset. If we embrace the mindset of leadership, then we know that we are on stage all the time. Whoever we are, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, is influencing other people whether we know it or not. Influence is key to leadership.”
Inclusive Excellence Week wrapped up with a discussion about LGBTQIA+ health disparities. Alex Barrera, D.D.S., a DentaQuest Health Equity Hero, explored topics including awareness and understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community and what needs to change in order to improve the delivery of health care. He also focused on the challenges faced by the transgender community, including limited access to care and a lack of understanding from health care providers.
“One of the beauties of being the lone dental school in the Commonwealth, is the large responsibility we happily carry to meet the needs of a wonderfully diverse patient population. Thus, it is of paramount importance that we live out our commitments to cultural humility and health equity,” said Smith. “Our annual Inclusive Excellence Week gives our entire community the opportunity to engage around topics, behaviors and processes for continually cultivating inclusive and equitable healthcare delivery as well as continuing to build a diverse workforce that is health equity minded.”
Watch our events from Inclusive Excellence Week 2023:
Monday, October 16: Beyond Organ Thieves - Why are we still talking about racism?
Tuesday, October 17: Hidden Curricula in the Dental Professions: Barriers to Inclusive Excellence
Wednesday, October 18: Disability Justice: Our ethical commitments