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President’s Forum
Dr. Leo E. Rouse President of the American College of Dentists
The 100th Anniversary of the American College of Dentists was celebrated with a week of continuing education, our annual business meeting and convocation of Fellows—it was a tremendous success! Yes, it was virtual and a very special moment in the history of the American College of Dentists. I still have goose bumps as a participant in this “Centennial Celebration.” We were concerned but despite the pandemic, the American College of Dentists pulled it off with charm and class right into the annals of “Virtual Success.”
Congratulations again to our Centennial Class now known as the “Centurions.” You are indelibly etched in our history. As the President, I am especially privileged to continue the legacy of leadership of my distinguished predecessors and to work with our outstanding Board of Regents, Sections, Fellows, Affi liates, and the extraordinary staff of the College. I personally thank all the Regents for hosting outstanding virtual breakout sessions which afforded me the opportunity to visit with and welcome the new and current Fellows in the Sections. I was fortunate to attend each one with President-elect Richard Jones.
Our remarkable history will continue to propel us into the second century with our current mission of advancing excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership in dentistry. As we move forward into the second century let us be mindful of the fact that this pandemic has led us into a period of the “New Normal.” What role should the ACD take as the conscience of dentistry regarding the New Normal? I am reminded of a quote that I used in my President-elect speech, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy…and the truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.” What is the right thing to do as we move forward into the second century of the ACD? Each of the following requires ethics, professionalism, and leadership from our Board of Regents, Sections, Fellows, and Affi liates:
• Continue our support and increase participation with SPEA Chapters and activities in US and Canadian Dental Institutions. • Collaborate with ADEA and interested dental organizations regarding student debt. • Increase awareness of the ACD’s tremendous online library of ethics courses to our Fellows, educators, clinicians, dental researchers, and dental schools in the US and Canada. • Fully engage Regencies and Sections in the White Coat
Ceremonies of US and Canadian Dental Institutions. • Participate in discussions or task forces engaged in the integration of primary care and oral health to promote the multifaceted integration of oral health into overall health. • Continue to seek collaborative partnerships and opportunities in support of the profession of dentistry and dental education as we move toward the “New
Normal” in dental education and the practice of dentistry. • Diversity and inclusion are critical to health equity and equality – what is the role of the College from a biomedical ethics point of view?
As we move forward into the next century, the right thing to do is to encourage a dialogue with each other and to solicit your thoughts, suggestions and ideas via your Regencies and Sections. The pandemic is not an excuse to think out of the box but take no action—we must deploy those ethical, professional, and leadership skills to become the change that we want to see within our profession. The American College of Dentists can and will make a difference. The College is full of practical wisdom, let us pass it on.
