title: Increasing minority enrollment utilizing dental admissions workshop strategies.
abstract: Oral Health in America, the landmark U.S. surgeon general's report, inextricably connects oral health disparities with poor access to oral care by vulnerable populations. Furthermore, the report associates an insufficiently diverse dental workforce with oral health disparities among some minority groups. Successful strategies to curtail oral health disparities and remedy work-force issues require collaboration among all involved in dental education. As gatekeepers to dental programs, admissions committees are significant stakeholders in diversifying the dental workforce. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that a workshop on diversity in admissions can modify the perceptions of individuals involved in the student recruitment and admissions processes and lead to increased matriculation of underrepresented minority students. Emerging from the workshop were key concepts and action steps for promoting a holistic review of dental applicants. Results since implementing the workshop recommendations have been positive, with underrepresented minority dental student acceptances increasing sixfold. The workshop was cosponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and facilitated by two nationally recognized dental educators.
authors.affiliation: West Virginia University School of Dentistry, Morgantown, WV 26506-9407, USA. sprice@hsc.wvu.edu
authors.forename: Shelia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Crout
authors.forename: Dennis A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: W David
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Brunson
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wearden
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D032802:Committee Membership; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004493:Education; D004497:Education, Dental; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005179:Faculty, Dental; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016730:Program Development; D012570:School Admission Criteria / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012575:Schools, Dental / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States