Joseph Salamon, DDS: No financial relationships to disclose
Description: Native American application to professional health care education severely lags behind that of other under-represented minorities. In 2021, 11,759 students applied to dental school (DDS/DMD programs); yet only 19 (0.1%) identify as American Indian / Alaska Native. This presentation explores research related to the under-representation of Native Americans in health professional schools focusing on societal, historical and institutional barriers to post-graduate professional education and introduces novel concepts to address such challenges. The authors will introduce participants to, and provide updates on the fifth year of, The Native American Pre-Dental Student Gateway Program initiative between the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and The Seneca Nation Health System; focusing on the collaborative efforts between tribal government, tribal support organizations and state education partners that have sought to reduce this alarming demographic disparity by introducing Native American students to careers in dentistry and provide resources and support to help facilitate successful application and acceptance into pre-doctoral dental education. This roundtable will demonstrate the successes, limitations and lessons learned from five years of multi-institutional collaboration and give participants a blueprint to create similar immersive programs with their own tribal, educational and institutional community partners. Participants will be able to: identify three barriers to Native American post-graduate professional education, discuss three consequences that the shortage of Native American Dental Providers has on the delivery of adequate oral healthcare to Native populations, identify tribal, education and institutional partners in their community that can be utilized to create a similar immersive experience.
Source of Funding:: 25,000 from United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. Tribal Support Partner 5,000 from Native American Parent Partner Resources, Tribal Support Partner 7,200 from the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board
