Advocacy

ADVOCACY Advocacy goes virtual

by Chandler Pruitt, class of 2022

Almost nothing has been consistent for dental students throughout quarantine and the transition to online education, except for the fact that everyone has consistently had questions. Dental students were not unlike the rest of the world in the search for information during the height of COVID-19 with all of the uncertainties and ambiguities it brought with it. Everyone not only wanted to know how and when their education in dentistry would be continued, but everyone was anxious to understand how this rapidly spreading virus would affect the world of the dentistry as a whole.

As Advocacy leaders, we wanted to somehow start getting some of these swirling questions answered for dental students. We began to brainstorm the best ways to get the most relevant and updated information from the most reliable sources. Dr. Craig Armstrong was the first dentist to come to mind due to his long history of involvement with organized dentistry and his long-term relationship with dental students at UT Houston.

Dr. Craig Armstrong represents Texas on the ADA Board of Trustees as a trustee from the Fifteenth District. As a trustee, he helps to frame and review policies pertaining to dentistry while formulating recommendations given to the ADA’ s governing body. Dr. Armstrong is a UTHealth School of Dentistry at Houston alumnus, and he has held numerous leadership positions within the ADA as well as serving as the President of the Texas Dental Association and the President of the Greater . Houston Dental Society. We knew that the information Dr. Armstrong provided would be as close to the source as possible.

On Thursday, April 23rd we held our first ever Virtual WebEx Advocacy Event! We had UT Houston ’ s Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Services, Dr. Ralph Cooley, Dr. Tommy Harrison, Dr. Duc Ho, and over 50 students in attendance for the event. Dr. Armstrong gave a thorough update about the countless virtual meetings he had been attending concerning how to help with the COVID-19 ramifications for dentists, updated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements, the political implications of the new CARES act, and updates about the dental licensure exam and WREB. Students submitted countless questions for Dr. Armstrong in the Webex chat box and he answered all of them with relevant and up-to-date information.

The feedback after the event was overwhelmingly positive. One student even said, “that was the most relevant and straightforward information I’ ve received about COVID-19 yet!” ADSA Advocacy is excited about our success with the first virtual event and we will continue to look for innovative ways to provide updated information to students.