Geriatric Dentistry Academic Award

Levy, Barnet

Abstract

The University of Texas Health Science Center, its Program on Aging and its Dental Branch plan to modify the dental curriculum so that there will be more adequate emphasis in the field of aging and geriatric dentistry. Rather than engage in this project as a parochial venture of the Dental Branch, it has been decided that the subject of aging can be more appropriately considered when the various dental, medical (including several health care professions) and behavioral disciplines are placed into an environment which cultivates multidisciplinary interaction and the sharing of knowledge, skills and perspectives. Therefore, the dental geriatric program being proposed will collaborate closely with the Health Science Center Program on Aging which is administratively responsible to the president of the center. A highly structured, self instructional modular curriculum presently provides the framework for the dental curriculum. It is proposed that after determining what the body of knowledge and skills for dental students ought to be in the field of aging and geriatric dentistry, that a series of measurable instructional objectives would be developed and integrated into the existing curriculum along with information concerning learning resources. In addition, opportunities for dental research for a small group of dental students would be established under the leadership of the project director and the Dental Science Institute. The proposed project director, Barnet Levy, D.D.S., an experienced educator and researcher, with a demonstrated record of achievement in basic dental investigation in the field of aging, will serve as an advocate and role model for student and faculty in the area of geriatric dentistry. He will initiate the two part program with an eight month planning phase. This will be followed by an implementation and evaluation phase.