ACD REGENCY 8
British Columbia, Canada
Colorado
International
Montana
Oregon
Utah
Washington
ACD Regency 8 Newsletter
Communication for the excellent Sections that make up Regency 8 of the American College of Dentists
Western Canada ,
Robin J. Henderson, DDS
ACD Regent, Regency 8
Private Practice, Owner | Doctor
Affiliate Faculty | University of Washington School of Dentistry
Department of Restorative Dentistry
robin@robinhendersondds.com
Cell: 509.254.1500
The Model Section Designation is to encourage Section improvement by recognizing Sections that meet standards of performance in membership, section projects, ACD Foundation support, and commitment and communication. Our Regency is outstanding, as we proudly represent two of only three Sections in the College to be awarded Model Section in 2024. Both the Colorado Section (which also includes Wyoming) and the Washington Section (which also includes Alaska) achieved this esteemed designation and it will be awarded during the Annual Meeting this October in New Orleans.
ACD 2024 Annual Meeting and Convocation
October 16-17, 2024
Roosevelt Hotel
New Orleans, Louisiana
Register by September 5th
Regency. This is a great opportunity for Section Chairs, or other Section leaders, to connect for the betterment of each Section. At our recent third quarter meeting on July 15th, we were joined by ACD President, Teresa Dolan. President Dolan began leadership in the College as an At-Large Regent. She is the Chief Dental Officer at Overjet, the global leader in AI. She previously served as Dentsply Sirona’s Chief Clinical Officer and Terri was faculty at the University of Florida College of Dentistry for 24 years, serving 10 years as dean. She touched on her experiences in the College and shared current activities of the College, congratulating the Washington and Colorado Sections for their Model Section Award. She shared that she and Executive Director, Mike Graham, have goals around all Sections becoming a Model Section.
Visits During Regency 8 Annual Section Meetings
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be in-person with several Sections in our Regency this May for their respective Annual Meetings. I met so many amazing Fellows and I loved experiencing the culture and hospitality of each Section. While there, I had the opportunity to speak about the ACD Pillar of Professionalism.
Why? Why does the American College of Dentists matter? Why am I passionate about the College and what it stands for?
The 4 pillars of the College are Ethics, Professionalism, Leadership, and Excellence. I want to explore and celebrate professionalism. As we know, dentistry is a learned occupation with a goal of doing good for the public and it is, therefore, recognized as a profession versus a job or a trade. I love how the College identifies and celebrates professionalism, as I believe that to be truly important to dentistry and essential to its future.
You, as Fellows of the College, recognize that dentists have an obligation of making themselves a part of a professional society and of observing its rules of ethics, as is stated in the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Conduct.
When I was a new practice-owner, I remember sharing the expectation of professionalism with my team. They had no idea what I was talking about. I later understood that I had years of learning in dental school and the ultimate goal of the school was to professionalize us. It was unfair to set an expectation of professionalism at the onset for my team, when I had failed to teach them what I meant by that behavior. I did not define, nor did I fully demonstrate as that very young practitioner, that professionalism embodies qualities of positive habits of conduct, knowledge, perception, and reasoning coupled with clinical competence, communication skills, ethical understanding and action, legal understanding and compliance, altruism, accountability, and empathy.
I celebrate with you that the American College of Dentists holds professionalism as a pillar of Fellowship. When we adopt the behavior of a professional, we protect our profession and what it means to be a dentist; not for the reason of prestige or profit, as others and other organizations may blame, but truly with attitudes of service. For when I look critically at professionalism, I see that it embodies the other three pillars of ethics, leadership, and excellence within it.
I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Sections of Washington, Montana, and British Columbia for their Annual Section meetings and to get to know the leadership in the Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Western Canada Sections virtually.
It has been a pleasure to inform Fellows of ACD’s excellent leadership with our new Executive Director, Mike Graham, and with our very accomplished officer slate. This team of leaders, alongside the Regents, has embraced the College’s recent strategic plan, has completed a new Ethics Handbook, and has updated the organizations bylaws, which is now out to Fellows for an adoptive vote.
Kevin Miltko, Montana Section Chair and Linda Edgar, ADA President
Larry Lawton, Past ACD Regent; Michael Guyumdzhyan, ACD Outstanding Student Leadership Award; and Darcie Morris, Washington Section Chair
Larry Garetto, ACD Gies Fellow; Robin Henderson, Regent; Vic Barry, Past WSDA President; and Susan Adams, Immediate Past Washington Section Chair
David Lim, B.C. Section Chair, and Marsha Boyd, Past ACD President, receive gift to celebrate their 35th year as a Section.
Happenings of the College:
Ethics Summit, September 12-13, in Rockville, Maryland
Breaking Down the Silos: Dentistry’s Ethical Responsibility as a Partner in Healthcare.
The purpose of the Summit is to assemble a diverse and interdisciplinary cohort of oral healthcare professionals, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to develop strategies that promote interdisciplinary collaboration with an aim to facilitate discussions and knowledge exchange, providing a platform to address the critical challenges at the intersection of dentistry and broader healthcare.
SHIFT-3 Leadership Training occurred in March 2024 with a few Fellows from each Regency attending. The goal is to train leaders to then train leaders. In attendance from Regency 8 was Drs. Larry Garetto and Darcie Morris (Washington Section) and Dr. Kevin Lauwers (B.C. Section). All in attendance were in agreement that this was a very powerful experience. Another SHIFT Leadership training is planned to occur in 2025 in Rockville, Maryland.
OBLIGATION FOR NOMINATION
Fellows are strongly encouraged to nominate outstanding colleagues for Fellowship in ACD. Nominations are accepted year-round and the deadline for consideration for the 2025 convocation ceremony in Washington DC is January 15, 2025. Please ensure to provide a thorough and specific description of the nominee’s commitment to leadership within dentistry and in service to the wider community. For dentists in the earlier years of their career, the nominator should focus on the leadership trajectory and potential of the nominee. Nominators are encouraged to use direct and detailed examples of their nominee’s contributions, and to thoroughly describe the value of those contributions when completing the form.
https://www.ACD.org/ nominations/
Kevin Lauwers, B.C.Section
Our Regency is planning to gather during the Annual Meeting in New Orleans. We would love for you to enjoy some wonderful hospitality with us. Immediate Past Regent, Lance Rucker, and current Regent, Robin Henderson, hope you can join us. Space is limited, let us know very soon if you plan to attend.
