|
Opening Ceremonies
Immediate Past President, Martha X. Baez, RDH, MPH, reviewed the 2003-2004 achievements of the Hispanic Dental Association. She then introduced HDA’s 2004-2005 President, R. Iván Lugo, DMD, MBA, FACD. Ms. Baez started a new HDA tradition by presenting Dr. Lugo with a gold, engraved gavel which will be passed on in future years.
Dr. Lugo recognized the commitment of Univision Communication, Inc., through the “Salud es Vida… Enterate!” Program, for their invaluable contribution to improving Hispanic Oral Health by presenting a plaque to a representative of Jorge Daboud:
Dedication and Commitment to Improve Hispanic Oral Health through Exceptional Programming of “Salud es Vida…Enterate!”
Sandy Reed presented official charters to two new Student Chapters. Eduardo Correa, President of the new UCLA School of Dentistry Hispanic Student Dental Association Chapter accepted the charter. Beatriz Robles, President of the new student chapter at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry accepted.
Dr. Lugo went on to introduce Mr. Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein Company who brought greetings to the attendees.
HDA’s Keynote Speaker, Dr. Antonia Novello was introduced and
presented a stirring Call to Action for all Hispanic professionals.
Note: At the Gala, Dr. Lugo presented a 2004 President’s Award to Ms. Judy Stavisky of Robert Wood Johnson for her Dedication and Commitment to Improve Hispanic Oral Health Through the Robert Wood Johnson Pipeline, Profession & Practice Program.
Excerpts from the welcome speech by Dr. Lugo
Ladies and gentlemen,
This is a dream come true! I was born and raised in Aguadilla, a small town about 60 miles west of here and it is with immense pleasure that I welcome such a distinguished group of professionals and students to my island. Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico!
I am extremely fortunate to have in this room the people who have shaped my personal and professional life and I would be remiss to let this opportunity pass by without thanking them publicly. First and foremost, I want to thank two people who instilled in me as a child the basic core values that are the foundation of everything I do: they instilled in me values of fairness, integrity, faith, and respect for all human life. My parents, an Asian-Puerto Rican mother and my dad are here today and I want to thank them for their devotion to their kids; I want to join my brother and sister in expressing our gratitude for all your dedication in raising us and playing a vital part of our professional success. Gracias Papi y Gracias Mami.
Professionally, I want to thank someone who has gone beyond the call of duty and has become my personal professional coach and mentor: my dean, Dr. Martin Tansy, dean of Temple University School of Dentistry. Your dedication to higher education, your words of wisdom and teachings in managing people and dental institutions for the past 12 years have instilled in me an immense sense of respect for higher education, the endless pursuit of knowledge, and the belief that we can shape the lives of future professionals. Thank you Dean Tansy.
And to my friends and colleagues that have provided me an immense support network and encouragement as I move ahead in my career…a big “abrazo” hug to all of you. Finally, I want to thank the membership for allowing me the opportunity to serve you as president this coming year. Thank you, gracias.
Now…
Let’s listen to the sound that will be making of history in our Association: from now on, the sound of the gavel will signify the opening of the annual session and the sound at the end of the meeting will signify not just the end of business but a charge to its membership to go back to their communities and make a difference.
This Association isn’t about race, language, or country of origin, it is about a health issue… it is about oral health and putting the mouth back in the body. It is about Hispanics and non-Hispanics coming together to address a pressing issue: a silent epidemic affecting our communities in the US, Puerto Rico, and beyond. All human beings, regardless of race and ethnicity have this as a common denominator and we here today have recognized just that.
I thank all the members of the Annual Planning Committee for all your hard work—look around you—the hard work paid off! In spite of our limited financial resources, year after year we continue to grow as an organization and this year’s annual meeting is no exception. Every year for the past twelve years, we are proud to repeat these words: “We surpassed last year’s attendance.” We debated whether or not we would break away from piggy backing with other organizations, and we increased attendance; we debated whether having the meeting outside of the mainland would affect attendance, and here we are with the highest number of registrants in our history as a young organization. Of course that has meant more work for our dedicated HDA staff: Sandy, Lisa, Liz, and Alex, and our outstanding Board of Trustees, and I thank you all for your hard work. It is that dedication and passion for what we do as an organization, bringing together educators, clinicians, and researchers that motivates people to come to our meetings regardless of geographic location and this year is a testament to that…we believed in our membership and we surpassed our goal.
As we face the future of the organization, our work is cut out for us: The American Dental Education Association indicates that only 3.3% of professionally active dentists are Hispanics. With only 3.3% of Hispanic dentists and a growing Hispanic population, without a doubt, there is a severe shortage of Hispanic dentists, leading to a critical under-representation in dentistry and support for issues affecting the health of our most vulnerable communities. We cannot continue to rely on volunteerism of the dental professions to address these needs; this requires a systemic understanding of the underlying issues, and funding to strengthen the public health infrastructure of this country and its integration to academia.
The time has also come for us to acknowledge that the less-than-acceptable enrollment levels of Hispanics in our dental schools need to be fundamentally increased. All the faculty and students enrolled at The University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry are counted as Hispanics and this effect inflates the actual numbers reflected for dental education for the entire nation. In my estimation, it would take the collective enrollment of over 40 dental schools to equate the enrollment at the University of Puerto Rico. We have to establish the right environment and put the necessary resources in place to create an impetus for our young people to enter the dental profession. The future of oral health care of our community lies heavily on a critical cadre of young people.
I must emphasize, however, that Hispanic dental students should not carry the burden, and we must not send the message that Hispanic dental students should be recruited and trained for the purpose of addressing the access issue in the United States. Hispanic students should not be made to feel that it is their social responsibility to address this issue and forego the full benefits of the profession enjoyed by their counterparts who do not belong to a disadvantaged group. This social contract is the responsibility of the government, educators, industry and health professionals, NOT the individual minority members.
It is important for us to recognize that anomalies also exist at the faculty level. The American Dental Education Association reports that there are over 400 open faculty positions in the 56 dental schools in the United States. Of the nearly 10,000 part-time and full-time basic and clinical science faculty members in dental education, Hispanics account for less than ½ percent. Furthermore, I am one of only two Hispanic dentists holding an associate deanship position in the 55 mainland dental schools; even more shocking is that, with the exception of Puerto Rico, there are no Hispanic deans in the US dental schools. In other words, without senior level representation in our schools, progress stalls and there will continue to be a prejudicial air permeating academic halls, filling them with disabling stereotypes that cripple our students’ performances. Of greater threat is the over-reliance in admissions offices on standardized exams; exams that have proven to be biased against our community and have characterized us as intellectually inferior. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a high price to pay for being multilingual and multicultural in the United States—-and it must change!
I am Ivan Lugo and I approve this message!
As we look ahead, we continue to make history. This meeting has been designed with its diverse membership in mind, with its Mission in mind, and with a serious determination to impact the health of Hispanics through national oral health policy.
I commend the planners, sponsors, and participants of the first ever “Research Oral Health Agenda for Hispanics in the United States” workshop which is represented by more than 21 universities, 65 participants and has an international presence. The interest was overwhelming and we had to close the session despite the numerous requests to attend. Once these proceedings are distributed to policymakers throughout the nation, the impact will be immense.
Be part of history. If you believe that you can make a difference, you can be a member of the HDA. Our mission is simple but yet powerful: to optimize the oral health of the Hispanic community. Nine carefully crafted words which have set a challenging course for our future and our “razon de vivir.” If you have not yet joined, please do so and become part of “the little giant that could”!
Thank you! |
