Council on Orthodontic Education Report
Dr. Mark Felton
The COE met by conference call on December 17, 2003. On the agenda were items of ongoing COE activities and new assignments.
The problems associated with Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding continue.
As of now, future funding has been eliminated for most dental residencies. This is a very far reaching problem in that it will affect how many graduate programs pay residents. Additionally, a survey has been sent to orthodontic chairs regarding funding of orthodontic programs. These findings will be presented at the Orthodontic Educators Workshop at the AAO Annual Session in Orlando this coming Spring.
In that same vein, a subcommittee of the COE was formed to develop material for a luncheon during the 2004 American Dental Education Association meeting in Seattle, WA in March of 2004. The COE will be once again hosting this luncheon primarily for Dental Deans and associated interested groups. One topic will concern alternate ways to fund post-graduate students. Mark Valentino, Assistant Dean for Advancement and Alumni Affairs for the University of Illinois College of Dentistry, will deliver this program.
It was suggested that a task force be developed to continue discussions to see if common ground could be found to combine an end-of-residency-program examination with the ABO examination. This topic will be discussed more during the next COE meeting in March, 2004 and during the Educators Conference at the AAO Annual Session in Orlando next May.
The COE will once again host the Orthodontic Educators Conference in conjunction with the AAO Annual Session in Orlando. The conference will take place on Friday, April 30, 2004. The primary focus will be on orthodontic program funding.
The AAO has up to date information on accreditation issues on the AAO member website, www.AAOmembers.org. As more information becomes available, it will be communicated to members via the website and Straight off the Wire.
The next COE meeting will be during the ADEA meeting in Seattle, WA on Sunday, March 7, 2004.