About the University of Iowa College of Dentistry

University of Iowa College of Dentistry Strategic Plan - 2005-2010

Collegiate Mission
Core Values, Goals and Strategies

Identity

The College of dentistry serves as the state’s only dental school, educating and training the majority of dentists for the state. The College also enjoys a national and international reputation for excellence in education and research and competes for the best faculty and most qualified students. The College is a comprehensive dental education institution with particular distinction in leadership in the clinical disciplines.

Mission

To educate dentists and specialists for the state and beyond, advance oral health care through excellence in scholarly and research activity, deliver high quality oral health care to Iowa and the region, and serve as a resource to the state and the profession.

Aspiration

The College of Dentistry aspires to attract the most talented faculty, staff and students: to provide an environment where they can fulfill their potential; and to remain one of the most distinguished colleges of dentistry in the nation.

Core Values

The College of Dentistry is committed to the University’s core values: Excellence – Learning – Community – Diversity – Integrity – Respect – Responsibility

Goals

1. Provide a high quality education so as to equip our graduates to deliver general dental care in a changing environment in Iowa and beyond.
2. Maintain nationally recognized advanced training programs in all dental specialties and selected clinical disciplines so as to prepare our graduates to deliver advanced and specialty oral health care and to engage in academic careers.
3. Advance research and scholarship in oral and craniofacial health.
4. Maintain an efficient patient care program guided by contemporary standards of care that meets the needs and expectations of our patients while supporting the educational goals of our curricula.
5. Recruit, retain and nurture a vital, diverse and collegial faculty.
6. Provide a productive and supportive work and learning environment.
7. Serve as a resource to the University, the profession and the state.

Planning Assumptions / Indicators

Goal 1:

Provide a high quality education so as to equip our graduations to deliver general dental care in a changing environment in Iowa and beyond.

Strategy 1A:

Use collegiate educational outcomes to shape our Predoctoral curriculum:

• Develop core knowledge in the basic and clinical dental sciences through lectures, seminars and self-directed learning
• Ensure technical excellence in a core of dental/oral patient procedures
• Enhance critical thinking skills so as to assure evidence based patient care
• Inculcate ethical and professional values
• Provide instruction in basic dental practice management skills
• Develop competence in treating culturally diverse patients

Strategy 1B:

Recruit and retain high caliber students representing diversity in gender, ethnicity and culture.

Strategy 1C:

Involve basic science and adjunct clinical faculty in developing curriculum philosophy, content and delivery.

Strategy 1D:

Provide patient experiences that are appropriate for the development of contemporary practice skills.

Strategy 1E:

Sensitize students to societal oral health needs through experiences with diverse and underserved populations.

Strategy 1F:

Ensure research and leadership experiences for students who seek them.

Strategy 1G:

Provide state-of-the-art clinical and preclinical facilities as defined by educational outcomes.

Strategy 1H:

Facilitate opportunities for graduates seeking to practice in Iowa, or to purse advanced training and academic careers.

Strategy 1I:

Develop educational programs that will be recognized as national models.

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Goal 2:

Maintain nationally recognized advanced training programs in all dental specialties and selected clinical disciplines so as to prepare our graduates to deliver advanced and specialty oral health care and to engage in academic careers.

Strategy 2A:

Encourage and reward faculty in the pursuit of national leadership roles in the specialties and selected clinical disciplines.

Strategy 2B:

Recruit students who will meet the needs for specialty care in the State.

Strategy 2C:

Pursue enhanced stipends.

Strategy 2D:

Provide appropriate research, professional experiences and mentorship for graduates contemplating an academic career in dentistry.

Strategy 2E

Provide opportunities for advanced training for international students as potential future faculty in their own countries and institutions and in the College.

Goal 3:

Advance research and scholarship in oral and craniofacial health.

Strategy 3A:

Achieve a critical mass of funded research intensive faculty, reinforcing a selective number of thematic areas.

Strategy 3B:

Pursue extramural funding through

• National Institute of Health (NIH)
• industrial/corporate partnerships and
• State and private foundations so as to place Iowa in the top ten dental schools

Strategy 3C:

Provide state-of-the-art core research facilities

Strategy 3D

Develop a reward system commensurate with research productivity.

Strategy 3E:

Increase inter- and trans-disciplinary research collaboration.

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Goal 4:

Maintain an efficient patient care program guided by contemporary standards of care that meets the needs and expectations of our patients while supporting the educational goals of our curricula.

Strategy 4A:

Ensure that collegiate standards of patient care guide treatment planning and patient management among departments and programs in that:

• A comprehensive examination is provided prior to non-emergency treatment
• A treatment plan is prepared based on patient problems and objectives
• The treatment plan is presented to the patient
• Care is delivered in a timely manner using established criteria
• There is periodic evaluation of the patient

Strategy 4B:

Coordinate patient care with our curriculum.

Strategy 4C:

Update the collegiate clinical information system to implement electronic records and digital imaging.

Strategy 4D:

Better coordinate patient care between the COD and Department of Hospital Dentistry.

Goal 6:

Provide a productive and supportive work and learning environment.

Strategy 6A

Provide opportunities for professional development for faculty and staff.

Strategy 6B

Enhance effectiveness and efficiency of administrative processes including recruitment, performance assessment and reviews,

Strategy 6C:

Improve ways of recognizing the achievements of faculty, staff and units.

Strategy 6D

Pursue additional funding streams consistent with our mission in the face of modest state appropriation increases.

Goal 7:

Serve as a resource to the University, the profession and the state.

Strategy 7A:

Provide leadership in identifying policies and strategies to serve the needs of underserved populations in the State.

Strategy 7B:

Continue to provide national and international leadership in the dental specialties, in oral health , research and in dental education.

Strategy 7C:

Provide innovative continuing education, focusing on the needs of professionals in the State.

Strategy 7D:

Pursue opportunities to participate in shared governance, policy development and appointments and reviews at the University level.

Strategy 7E:

Cooperate with community colleges to enhance educational opportunities in the allied oral health professions.

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