School of Dental Medicine aces accreditation review
The Goldman School of Dental Medicine’s predoctoral and advanced education programs were reaccredited with full approval of the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation following a site visit from September 20 to 22. The commission had no recommendations for change and gave the school 20 commendations for excellence across all areas — education, research, patient care, and community service.
“This is as good as it gets,” says Peter Robinson, dean of the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and chair of the ADA committee that visited the Goldman School.
A team of 19 experts from diverse areas of oral health care spent two-and-a-half days evaluating SDM’s educational programs, patient treatment centers, research, and community programs. Each dental school in the United States must undergo an accreditation site visit once every seven years.
Nine of the 20 commendations involved SDM’s extensive outcomes assessment program, which measures the school’s effectiveness in education, patient care, research, and faculty development.
Also commended were the school’s facilities; the Applied Professional Experience program, where students begin working in patient care centers during their first year; research programs; student services, including personal, academic, and career counseling; and financial management. The site visitors praised all the postdoctoral programs, with some programs receiving more than one commendation.