Council on Orthodontic Education Report
Dr. Mark Felton
The COE met in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, March 7, 2004 during the American Dental Education Association Meeting. On the agenda were items of ongoing COE activities and new assignments.
• A subcommittee of the COE had been formed to develop material for a luncheon to be held during the 2004 American Dental Education Association meeting on March 7, 2004. The COE once again hosted this luncheon primarily for Dental Deans and associated interested groups. Mr. Mark Valentino, Assistant Dean for Advancement and Alumni Affairs for the University of Illinois College of Dentistry, delivered a presentation centering on the topic of alternate ways to fund post-graduate students programs.
• It had been suggested to see if common ground could be found to combine an end-of-residency-program examination with the ABO examination. This topic was discussed during the Council meeting in Seattle. It was recommended that a task force be formed to further evaluate the logistics of such an exam.
• Preceding the Council meeting in Seattle on March 7, 2004, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Committee on Residency Education and Training hosted the COE for a breakfast meeting. This meeting proved to be quite insightful to both groups allowing better understanding of educational and training issues facing both specialties.
• Additionally, following the Seattle COE meeting, the majority of the Council members attended the ADEA Orthodontic Section Meeting and Business Meeting. A program was presented focusing on various ways to select the best candidates for orthodontic residency programs.
• The COE once again hosted the Orthodontic Educators Conference in conjunction with the AAO Annual Session in Orlando. The conference took place on Friday, April 30, 2004. The primary focus was on orthodontic program funding. The conference included several speakers presenting a program entitled, "Financing Orthodontic Departments in the 21st Century."
• Also during the 2004 AAO Annual Session, the AAO House of Delegates assigned the COE and other Councils the duty of evaluating the possible use of evidence based guidelines to determine what scientific courses are presented at future AAO Annual Sessions. A report will be made back to the 2005 AAO House of Delegates.
• The 2004 MATCH Program for orthodontic residencies took place in December, 2003. There were 53 programs participating with 248 positions offered (down from 256 in 2003). There were 512 applicants who took part in the matching process this year. This is down from 530 from last year.
• The AAO has been ADA CERP re-certified as of January, 2004. This re-certification allows the SWSO to offer certified continuing education courses that will be recognized by the ADA. The re-certification is good for three years.
• The COE meeting in Seattle marked Dr. Katherine Vig's last meeting as Chair of the Council. Nominations were made and voting took place for her successor. Upon approval by the AAO BOT and the AAO House of Delegates, the new chair is Dr. George Cisneros, Chair of the orthodontic department at New York University.
The next face-to-face COE meeting will be during the ADEA meeting in Baltimore, MD in March of 2005.