$2.5M grant will help develop UF dentistry faculty

The University of Florida (UF) College of Dentistry has received a $2.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to execute a multifaceted, interdisciplinary plan to improve faculty development.

The five-year grant, which went into effect in July, in part supports the ongoing revision of the college's curriculum, according to the university.

One way the grant will improve the faculty and curriculum is by supporting the work of Linda Behar-Horenstein, PhD, a distinguished teaching scholar and professor in the UF College of Education. Creating student-centered learning experiences, writing syllabi, engaging critical thinking skills, and incorporating technology are some of the teaching skills that Behar-Horenstein, co-principal investigator, will address as part of her involvement in the grant, the university explained. Online courses, training sessions, and clinic observations are other strategies under consideration.

Few faculty have had experience in teaching pedagogy, Behar-Horenstein noted.

For 16 years, Behar-Horenstein has served as an educational consultant for the College of Dentistry as an affiliate professor. Now embedded in the college, she will oversee and evaluate the faculty development programs made possible by the grant.

Some of these programs will teach faculty about motivational interviewing, a patient-centered communication technique that tackles health issues such as smoking. By using reasonable goals and focusing on patients' personal motivations, healthcare providers can help them change their behavior. Others will focus on cultural competency.

Faculty will also get training on case-based learning, a teaching technique, in which students are presented with a clinical scenario based on a fictitious patient that they must resolve. During the grant's five-year period, teams of clinical faculty and basic scientists will create 20 patient case-based scenarios.

The professional development content created through the grant will be shared with four affiliated dental hygiene programs in the state.

In addition, the funding also provides opportunities for predoctoral students interested in pursuing academic dentistry. Starting next year, six incoming students will participate annually in a summer mentorship program that places them in healthcare facilities around North Florida. Also beginning in 2013, four students will receive tuition for a yearlong fellowship program offered by the American Dental Education Association.

The grant also pays for four dentists who are either in or considering an academic career to enroll in the two-year Master of Public Health program at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions. Starting in 2013, one college faculty member per year will also receive a stipend for books and course materials as part of enrollment in a nondentistry graduate program focused on enhancing teaching skills.