Page 20 - Dentistry Magazine 2021

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DENTISTRY 2021
Ethiopia, Spain, Malaysia and Turkey came together virtually through the Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics. Known as 3M Key Opinion Leaders, these visiting scholars continued
a tradition of scholar visits from various countries that spans back
to 2016. “While being isolated in many ways, this was a good way to reconnect with our past and present scholars, who have a special place
in our hearts, as we go through this unprecedented time,” reflected Bonita VanHeel, principal laboratory technician at the MDRCBB.
With support and coordination from the Office of Student and Resident Affairs, students enjoyed virtual gatherings outside the classroom setting: practicing yoga together, teaching one another to cook their favorite dishes, taking fitness classes together and more. Working with the Board of Dentistry, the school distributed personal protective equipment to tens of thousands dentists throughout Minnesota in the summer of 2020. Alumni used 3D printers to create custom masks while they waited for medical-grade
equipment. Faculty and staff con- nected over two virtual town halls, weekly clinical updates and a new community building group program spearheaded by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Clinic managers found ways of engaging their staff; in the interim before clinics reopened, patient experience manager Samantha Harris held weekly coffee huddles with virtual games. Since returning to campus, the Patient Experience team has held small retreats focused on their departmental missions and val- ues. The school celebrated a virtual commencement ceremony for the class of 2020, and faculty and staff shared their congratulations and well wishes to send those students off.
“I am humbled and grateful to see how the dental profession has pulled together through this,” Powell said. “A lot of practicing dentists across the country have expressed online how they are thinking about students in their final year of dental school.
I am grateful for our class officers, who are working around the clock
to make sure that our concerns are being heard and addressed.”
Education, anywhere,
any time
While students adjusted to distance learning, faculty and staff changed the way they worked together and clinicians sought to provide safe and effective care, the school’s Continuing Dental Education team faced the probability of cancelling over 40 hands-on workshops and certificate programs. Knowing
they needed to continue offering courses and providing new skills to oral health professionals, the team created CDE Anytime: a series of courses that provided hands-on training from the safety of one’s own home.
A team of faculty and staff through- out the school surveyed the planned courses and determined those that could work in a virtual format. They then determined the equipment, instruments, technology and supplies a participant would need for each course, shipping those materials to each attendee as needed. Presenters provided instruction on Zoom while trainees worked along with them at home.
December 23, 2020
January 4, 2021
May 14, 2021
May 14, 2021
Fall semester concludes for School of Dentistry students
Spring semester begins
Governor Walz ends state’s mask mandate
President Gabel ends mask mandate on campus, except in buildings where clinical care is provided