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

It is with deep gratitude that I reflect on Dr. Jeanne Craig Sinkford, a trailblazer, a mentor, a colleague, and a friend whose impact on dental education and on my own life cannot be overstated. Her passing in October leaves a void in our profession, but her legacy continues to inspire all who knew her and all who will follow in her footsteps.

Dr. Sinkford often reflected on her own journey with profound wisdom. “Education is not a destination but a lifelong journey,” she would say. “I have learned that the degrees we earn are not endpoints. They are tools we must use to serve others and to transform our profession for future generations.” This philosophy guided everything she did.

Her path was remarkable by any measure. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1933, she exemplified academic excellence from an early age. She was just 16 when she graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, where her leadership abilities flourished. That same year, she began her undergraduate studies at Howard University, earning her bachelor’s degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors before entering dental school.

At Howard’s College of Dentistry, she distinguished herself by leading her graduating class, an achievement that brought her national recognition. But Dr. Sinkford understood that being first carried unique responsibilities. “Being the first is both an honor and a responsibility,” she believed. “It means you must be excellent, not just for yourself, but because you are proving what is possible for all those who will follow.”

She pursued advanced training at Northwestern University and then specialized in pediatric dentistry. By the mid-1970s, she had achieved what many thought impossible: ascending to the deanship at Howard University College of Dentistry and becoming the first woman to lead a U.S. dental school. She served in that role for 16 years, transforming her institution and creating pathways for countless others.

Our Work Together at ADEA

Dr. Sinkford joined the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) in 1991 after stepping down from the deanship. When I became ADEA’s executive director in1997, she was serving as associate executive director for ADEA’s Office of Minority and Women’s Affairs. She brought a lifetime of experience, wisdom, and passion to the role, eventually expanding and transforming the office as its executive director. While her formal portfolio focused on minority and women’s issues, Dr. Sinkford was far more than an administrator in a specific area. She quickly became a key adviser to me on all the issues we faced at ADEA.

Our connection went deep and, in fact, predated our roles at the association. We shared a common mentor in Dr. Joseph Henry, a visionary leader who shaped both of our careers in profound ways. Dr. Henry had been the chair of the search committee that hired me into my first faculty appointment at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He came to Harvard after his retirement from Howard’s dental school, where Dr. Sinkford had succeeded him as dean. Through Dr. Henry, she and I were connected by more than coincidence. We were linked by a shared commitment to excellence, inclusion, and a belief in the transformative power of education.

During my time at ADEA, Dr. Sinkford’s counsel was invaluable. Rooted in decades of leadership and informed by her experiences as both a clinician and an administrator, her advice was always guided by a commitment to equity that went far beyond surface-level changes. As she often said , “True diversity in our profession isn’t just about counting faces in the classroom. It’s about ensuring that every student, regardless of gender or background, has the support, the mentorship, and the opportunity to reach their full potential and become leaders themselves.” This conviction shaped every initiative she undertook as she built what would become ADEA’s Center for Equity and Diversity.

Her extraordinary ability to see the bigger picture while never losing sight of the individuals whose lives we were working to improve extended her impact far beyond her official duties. As a scholar and thought leader, she contributed extensively to the dental education literature throughout her career. Together, we published 20 articles during our time at ADEA;  from our 1999 examination of women’s health in the dental school curriculum to our final publication, “Growing our own: mentoring in the academic dental pipeline.” This 2019 work captured the essence of our core beliefs about developing the next generation of leaders.

We were also co-investigators on numerous grants from federal agencies and private foundations, including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Josiah Macy Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These collaborations allowed us to translate our shared vision into concrete programs that opened doors for countless students and faculty.

Opening Doors for Others

Dr. Sinkford’s overriding joy was mentoring women and marginalized individuals, providing the roadmap and example that “this can be done.” Her philosophy of mentorship was both simple and profound: “My greatest joy has never been in my own achievements, but in showing others that ‘this can be done.’ When we open doors, we must not simply walk through them ourselves. We must hold them open and reach back to pull others through.”

True to her word, she didn’t just open doors. She held them open, reached back, and pulled others through with extraordinary generosity of spirit. She encouraged countless people to pursue advanced degrees and academic careers in dentistry and oral health. She also led a series of ADEA International Women’s Leadership Conferences that highlighted global opportunities for women to assume key roles in academic dentistry.

Her commitment to mentoring and documenting the achievements of minority women leaders found its fullest expression in 2021 with the publication of Undaunted Trailblazers: Minority Women Leaders for Oral Health, which she co-authored with Drs. Shelia S. Price and Marilyn P. Woolfolk. This pivotal work did more than preserve the stories of 31 African American women who broke glass ceilings in oral health; it also created a roadmap to inspire and guide future generations of women entering the profession.

A Lasting Legacy

The dental education community has honored Dr. Sinkford’s contributions in ways that ensure her legacy lives on. ADEA presents three awards each year in her name. My wife Mary Kay  Leonard and I are pleased to provide the financial support for the annual ADEA Dr. Jeanne C. Sinkford Faculty Leadership Award. In this small way, we wish to honor the enormous impact she had on our profession and on our lives.

Working alongside Dr. Sinkford at ADEA was one of the great privileges of my professional career. She brought wisdom, grace, and an unwavering moral compass to everything she did. She challenged us to be better, to think more broadly, and to never lose sight of why we were working to create opportunities for those who would come after us. Through our shared connection to Dr. Joseph Henry, I came to understand that mentorship is not simply about passing on knowledge. It’s also about passing on values, commitment, and a vision of what’s possible. Dr. Sinkford embodied this understanding in everything she did.

Carrying Forward Her Legacy

As we honor Dr. Sinkford’s memory, let us commit ourselves to carrying forward her legacy: to mentor generously, to break down barriers, to create opportunities, and to never forget that our work is about the people whose lives we can change. She showed us the way. Now it is our responsibility to keep walking the path she so courageously blazed.

Thank you, Dr. Sinkford, for everything you gave us. You will be greatly missed and never forgotten.