Dr. Steven D. Chan
A Champion for Inclusivity Theresa S. Gonzales, DMD, MS, MSS, FACD Executive Director, American College of Dentists Federal Health Care Executive
P
resident-elect Steven D. Chan’s 2015 speech was one of the most impactful and memorable in College history. The speech was delivered in Washington, DC, where he made an impassioned appeal for inclusivity. He held the audience spellbound with his utterly American story of his Chinese grandparents and their immigration to this country. It was the story of many families and their search for a better life in a new world. It was beautiful and distinctive in that many in the audience were moved to tears when he spoke of the passing of his 108-year-old grandmother.
More than most, President-elect Chan understood the incalculable value of diversity and inclusivity in our society. He argued that inclusion empowers the concept and practice of diversity by fashioning an environment of involvement, respect, and connection. “We in the college exist for the common good for the greater whole of the profession, not just a part of it. No matter what you look like, no matter what manner of dress you wear, no matter what language you speak, no matter the model of practice. We believe in inclusiveness. America is built on the principal inclusiveness… American dentistry is shifting. I believe the greater whole of the profession will be in a better place by bringing us together under the tent of the American College of Dentists.”
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Dr. Chan contends that “an inclusive team can take you places you never dreamed of and if you can build a sustainable culture of inclusivity— the rest will follow.” He went on to advocate for the importance of developing leaders who reflect the population that we serve. “Our mission is to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership. Ethics and professionalism are about the here and now. Excellence is what you can see before you. Yet leadership is seeing what can be. Build better leaders and we build better organizations. Build better leaders and we build a better profession. Build better leaders and we build better images of who we are in the communities we live in. Leadership is to touch the future. We can build the ‘pipeline of hope’ for the profession.” He encouraged us to imagine the full potential of a diverse and inclusive world and to commit to an inventory of actions to realize this potential. In this way, he illuminated our imagination and catalyzed our resolve to continuously explore the richness of ideas and perspectives that inclusivity provides. Dr. Chan contends that “an inclusive team can take you places you never dreamed of and if you can build a sustainable culture of inclusivity— the rest will follow.”
2021 Volume 88, Number 3
