3 minute read
SPEA Update
The Student Professionalism and Ethics Association (SPEA) is incredibly grateful for our continued partnership with the American College of Dentists. This past year for SPEA has seen growth as we have strengthened existing chapters and started new ones at dental schools across the United States and Canada. Much of this growth has been made possible due to the generous support of the ACD - which culminated in our first in-person Annual Session since COVID-19 last fall in Houston, TX. The ACD gave vital support for this session and enabled many students access to a memorable and empowering conference. Students that attended the conference and were supported by the ACD have continued to build connections with ACD fellows across the country and we look forward to continuing to strengthen that relationship.
We appreciate your continued support as we plan our next Annual Session happening this fall in Orlando, FL. This year, our goal is to increase our number of attendees and have 100+ students at our session. SPEA continues to attract students across the nation due to our focus on leadership, a high moral standard, increasing the quality of patient care, and elevating our standards of professionalism. Once again, this would not be possible without you, and we thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to bolster our organization.
Submitted by Amber Alak and Daniel Carney, SPEA National Vice Chairs
News From our SPEA Chapters
The SPEA Chapter at the University of Washington has been having a great year! We just had an awesome event with one of our oral medicine specialists about navigating ethical situations in patients with cancer. We are so grateful for the support of our local ACD chapter. We are looking forward to meeting with all the other chapters soon at annual!”
Submitted by Drew Marchant, SPEA at University of Washington School of Dentistry
We are so excited for our first full year of SPEA at UTHSC! We’re really looking forward to engaging with the new D1s and learning, with their input, what SPEA looks like for UTHSC and how we can best serve and support our classmates. The ACD has played a huge part in helping us get started and we’re so very grateful for that!
We can’t wait for this year’s Annual Session, for the chance to encourage other students and realize together what all UTHSC SPEA can be.
Submitted by Shelby Schultz, President, SPEA at UTHSC (Tennessee)
UCSF SPEA had a successful year, beginning with our 2nd annual ACD x SPEA mentorship mixer in fall 2022 and students enjoyed connecting with their mentors individually after. We also organized a successful fundraiser for Valentine’s Day care packages. In spring, we hosted the SPEA elective featuring 9 speakers from ACD and UCSF faculty, who shared real-world cases of ethics and professionalism. As we transition board positions, we eagerly anticipate continuing to share SPEA’s mission with the future leaders in our profession.
Joany Xue, SPEA Chapter President at UCSF
