2020 ACD Annual Meeting
Convocation Address That’s What Leaders Do Richard Thomas, DDS, MD, FACD
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Abstract Leadership is not a natural gift given a few at birth. It is the combination of hard work and a purposeful program of leadership development. The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences trains physicians, dentists, nurses, and allied health professionals for leadership positions. It is a consciously designed program that has been tested recently by the Covid-19 pandemic. The faculty and students stepped up to meet this challenge and to help others do so as well. That is the measure of leadership.
Dr. Thomas is the sixth president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and a fellow of the American College of Surgery and the American College of Dentists.
Journal of the American College of Dentists
am honored to deliver this convocation address. And although it almost seems routine to say by now, I only wish I could be with you all in person in Orlando to offer my congratulations in a more personal way. However, even given these unprecedented events that currently challenge our lives, we must embrace and retain the most positive focus possible—not only to set the example for our families, profession, and in fact our country, but because that is what leaders do. You have been recognized by the American College of Dentists, an organization that was founded more than 100 years ago, and even at its founding listed “leadership” as one of the core components of its enduring mission. I will quote the ACD web page that describes leadership as the “single common thread” that determines ACD Fellowship selection. You have all been identified as leaders. Now I know that you are all exceptional dentists, clinicians, and accomplished healthcare professionals. In fact, the ACD says that only 3.5% of U.S. dentists are selected for fellowship in this prestigious organization. But isn’t it fascinating that the one characteristic that sets you apart from the other 96.5% isn’t only professional knowledge, skills, or business acumen? No…it is leadership. We’ve all been involved in discussions of whether leaders are born or created. Vince Lombardi, arguably one of our country’s greatest coaches and sports leaders, is reported to have said, “Leaders aren’t born,
they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.”
USUHS The mission of the organization that I lead, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), is to educate and develop uniformed health professionals, scientists, and leaders. In fact, we call ourselves the Leadership Academy for the Military Health System. Graduates of USU, no matter what the profession, must be prepared for a dual role: one as a military officer and leader and one as a healthcare professional. They step into that leadership role as soon as they leave our institution. Most initially lead as practitioners in the clinical setting. But they may be called upon to practice that leadership in a state-of-the-art military hospital or clinic, or in a deployed setting located halfway around the world. And now with the Covid-19 pandemic, you see they can even be deployed to locations within our own country to provide care where it’s critically needed. As our graduates mature, many go on to become leaders in academics and research, first within our military programs, but later in national civilian institutions that include medicine, dentistry, and nursing. And others become leaders within their military services, providing guidance and
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