Inclusive Excellence Week
Each year, VCU School of Dentistry and the the Office of Inclusive Excellence, Ethics and Community Engagement celebrates its commitment to inclusive excellence and diversity with an entire week of events, informative discussions, and advocacy, all with a goal of making the delivery of health care more equitable and inclusive in order to improve health outcomes in the communities we serve.
Inclusive Excellence Week 2024
VCU School of Dentistry’s fifth-annual Inclusive Excellence Week was held Oct. 28 – Nov 1. The week of in-person and virtual events featured speakers highlighting a variety of topics including elevating the voices of indigenous peoples in dentistry, geriatric dental care, diversity in dentistry and improving access to care.
2024 Inclusive Excellence Week Day 1 - Mary Otto
We kicked off Inclusive Excellence Week with Fireside Chat and Chew with Mary Otto, a journalist and the author of "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality and the Struggle for Oral Health in America". Students, faculty and staff listened to Otto discuss the challenges of receiving oral healthcare in America and asked their own questions about the book.
2024 Inclusive Excellence Week Day 2
Dr. Teague Rutherford is a General Practice Resident, Community Regional Medical Center, Fresno CA, and Member, Society of American Indian Dentists. In this session, Dr. Rutherford aims to bring awareness to the need for more Indigenous dentists.
2024 Inclusive Excellence Week Day 3
Dr. Briona Phillips, a Ph.D. graduate from VCU, is a dedicated Public Health practitioner and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Her innovative research focuses on bridging the gap between social factors influencing dental health and broader structural determinants of health disparities.
2024 Inclusive Excellence Week Day 4
Dr. An Nguyen is a public health dentist, wife, mom, maker of things, and an avid systems thinker in all aspects of her life. She is an advocate for person-centered, transformative solutions that improve the lives of marginalized people and their communities.
2024 Inclusive Excellence Week Day 5
Dr. Christie Hogue is a dentist, author, researcher and host of the educational podcast Aging Pearls. She is a sought after speaker author and educator, best known for designing training curricula for Medical Residents, Geriatric and Hospice/Palliative Care Fellows at some of the nations top academic medical institutions.
Inclusive Excellence Week 2023
The fourth-annual Inclusive Excellence Week was held Oct. 16 – 20, 2023. The week of in-person and virtual events engaged the School of Dentistry community in important conversations regarding racism, social determinants of health, disability justice, barriers to inclusive excellence and improving care for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Inclusive Excellence Week 2023
Inclusive Excellence Week 2023
Inclusive Excellence Week 2023
Inclusive Excellence Week 2023
Inclusive Excellence Week 2023
Watch our events from Inclusive Excellence Week 2023:
Monday, October 16: Beyond Organ Thieves - Why are we still talking about racism?
Tuesday, October 17: Hidden Curricula in the Dental Professions: Barriers to Inclusive Excellence
Wednesday, October 18: Disability Justice: Our ethical commitments