By Rick Valachovic, DMD, MPH, Clinical Professor and Director of the NYU Dentistry Center for Oral Health Policy and Management

The health professions face an urgent challenge — a significant shortage of leaders amid an overarching shortage of health professionals — and dentistry is no exception. Anyone following demographic trends has long known this day would come. Baby boomers have been aging out of the health professions for about a decade now, and they are joining the ranks of older Americans, the heaviest consumers of health care.

These two developments amplify one another, and they have been further exacerbated by recent changes in healthcare delivery and the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Medicine, nursing, and dentistry have all seen an exodus of professionals from clinical roles, driven by burnout, job dissatisfaction, and a reevaluation of career paths. The result is a pressing need for leadership that can guide the professions through both immediate hardships and longer-term challenges.

Dental education is also witnessing a critical shortage of leaders. The expansion of the number of dental schools and the increase in student enrollment have created a demand for experienced deans, faculty members, and administrators. Unfortunately, the traditional pipeline for seasoned professionals has been disrupted both by baby-boomer retirements and by a slower-than-anticipated influx of new graduates stepping into leadership roles. In this context, cultivating a new generation of leaders who are prepared to navigate and address these complexities has become imperative.

Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders

These concerns propelled NYU Dentistry to establish the Center for Oral Health Policy and Management in 2021. When Dean Charles Bertolami asked me to direct the Center along with Executive Vice Dean Michael O’Connor, we decided that creating a portfolio of student leadership opportunities would be one of our highest priorities. We launched several innovative initiatives that year, and these were so successful that we soon heard from faculty and staff saying, “I want in!”

This thirst for leadership development speaks volumes. Clearly all generations within dental education are eager to step up to leadership roles and recognize the value of preparation. So how can we cultivate this latent talent? Here’s what we’re offering at NYU Dentistry.

• The NYU Dentistry Leadership Track. This twice-monthly lecture series focused on character-based leadership was initially designed exclusively for dental students. Enthusiastic demand from other members of our community led us to open these talks to faculty and staff. This initiative highlights the value of leadership training throughout the dental education ecosystem.
• Student Leadership Mock Congressional Hearing. Each spring, students are invited to apply for this competitive program, which enhances students’ public speaking and advocacy skills. Participants prepare and deliver testimony on a health policy topic before a mock congressional panel, gaining valuable experience in policy-related leadership.
• The Dental Student Leadership Institute (DDSLI). Each year, up to 35 D1 students are selected to take part in the DDSLI, an intensive leadership development experience. Over the next three years, participants are given access to seminars, workshops, internships, mentoring, and other opportunities designed to prepare them to manage the complex challenges of advancing oral health in the 21st century. The program culminates in a capstone project during their fourth year, ensuring that students can apply their leadership skills in a real-world context.
• Global Health Care Leaders: Washington, DC. Students from across the College of Dentistry, including advanced standing students and dental hygiene students, are eligible to apply for this professional development experience. Participants visit NYU’s DC campus to gain insights into policymaking and legislative processes through meetings with oral health advocates and federal lawmakers.
• Global Health Care Leaders: NYU Global Academic Centers. D4 students are eligible to apply for this international experience. Selected students travel to one of NYU’s Global Campuses each year to explore complex policy issues with overseas leaders in government and oral health advocacy. In fall 2023, the experience took place at NYU’s Villa LaPietra in Florence, Italy. This October, 25 students will travel to NYU’s Prague campus to participate in a program entitled, “From the Velvet Revolution to Health Equity: Using Dissent and Hope to Reframe Oral Health Care.”

The students in these programs are thriving. Just one example: Two of my mentees in the DDSLI — Sam Al Safarjalani and Natalie Ralston — were elected to serve on the NYU Dentistry Student Government Executive Board as president and vice president this year.

Last year, we created a second leadership development program specifically aimed at faculty. It launched this past June with twenty-five full-time faculty taking part. Over three days, they developed skills that can accelerate their ability to move into leadership roles in higher education. The experience inspired some of the participants to begin working together to recruit DDS applicants from underrepresented groups and address other compelling issues in dental education. If their efforts bear fruit, they will have shown true leadership — paying it forward as they continue to pursue their own leadership journeys.

Looking to the Future

The dental profession is encountering a host of contemporary challenges that require innovative leadership. Whether addressing disparities in access to care, integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and personalized medicine, or managing public health crises such as the opioid epidemic, leaders will be needed to drive the dental professions forward in a rapidly changing environment. By integrating leadership development into dental education, we can ensure that the profession remains resilient and capable of meeting the needs of the populations it serves.

The example set by NYU College of Dentistry provides a valuable roadmap for how dental schools can prepare their students for future leadership roles. While such initiatives could take many forms, leadership development is essential for equipping students to succeed in a complex and evolving healthcare landscape. It is imperative that dental educators commit to fostering the next generation of dental leaders. As we look to the future, let us commit to empowering and supporting the leaders of tomorrow, so that they are well-equipped to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the dental professions.