The Office and its Mission
The College of Dental Medicine (CDM) Office of Diversity Affairs (ODA) has been the internal support system for underrepresented minority students, faculty and staff. The ODA also plays an integral role in the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority students for CDM. Many programs have been implemented through the ODA to increase the training of underrepresented minorities in the CDM pre-doctoral and postdoctoral programs. Following are descriptions of programs supported by the ODA, in keeping with the office’s mission: to support, promote and encourage a climate for diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion within the CDM for students, faculty, staff and patients.
For Predoctoral Dental Students:
Underrepresented in Dentistry Program (UID)
Student National Dental Association (SNDA)
Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA)
CUMC Queer and Ally Partnership (LGBTQ)
For Freshman, Sophomore, and Community College Undergraduates:
Summer Medical & Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
For Junior High and High School Students (Grades 7-12):
Science & Technology Entry Program (STEP)
The Sophie Davis BS/DDS Pilot Program Collaboration
Interested in Applying to Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine?
Admission Requirements
Admissions Policy on Diversity
Want to Contact Us?
Office of Diversity Affairs General Contact Information and Faculty/Staff List
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Underrepresented in Dentistry Program (UID):
The Underrepresented in Dentistry (UID) program was instituted at CDM in 2003 as a collaboration between the ODA and Office of Admissions & Student Affairs. The program seeks to increase the diversity of the CDM student body as a means to enhance diversity within the dental profession. This mission is a reflection of the CDM admissions policy for diversity, which affirms the school’s commitment to “assure a critical mass of underrepresented in dentistry students, as well as a student body which is diverse in many respects.” To accomplish this mission, the UID program currently provides targeted merit scholarships to assist underrepresented in dentistry students who have been accepted to CDM. UID students receive mentoring and support, including guidance to identify research and community service placement opportunities, from several dedicated CDM faculty members. The success of this initiative is reflected within the CDM pre-doctoral class. The freshman cohorts enrolled since the UID program’s inception have included increasingly larger numbers of students underrepresented in the dental profession.
UID Program Information:
http://dental.columbia.edu/odma
UID Program Contact Person:
Dr. Dennis A. Mitchell
Senior Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs
630 West 168th Street, P&S Box 20
New York, NY 10032
212-342-3714 (phone)
212-305-3142 (fax)
dml48@columbia.edu
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The Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
The Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) is supported by grant funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The SMDEP is a 6-week summer enrichment program for pre-dental and pre-medical freshman, sophomore and community college students belonging to groups underrepresented in the dental and medical professions. Eighty such students (including 20 pre-dental students) will participate in the SMDEP at Columbia each summer. Students are provided academic enrichment in the basic sciences, elective courses (e.g., current topics in health), learning skills seminars, clinical exposure, career development services and financial planning assistance from faculty/instructors within Columbia’s CDM, College of Physicians & Surgeons (P&S), Biological Sciences department, and Scholarly Resources department. Additionally, current CDM and P&S students serve as resident advisors/teaching assistants for the program, providing academic assistance, organizing social activities, and providing other support as needed.
SMDEP Program Information & Application:
http://www.smdep.org
Columbia SMDEP Dental Contact Person:
Dr. Dennis A. Mitchell
Senior Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs
630 West 168th Street, P&S Box 20
New York, NY 10032
212-342-3714 (phone)
212-305-3142 (fax)
dml48@columbia.edu
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The Sophie Davis BS/DDS Pilot Program Collaboration
The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at The City College of New York is dedicated to producing broadly-educated, highly-skilled primary care practitioners to provide quality services to underserved communities. The dental program is designed as a seven-year integrated curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science (BS) and Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degrees. During the first five years of the program, students will fulfill all requirements for the BS degree and complete the pre-clinical portion of the dental school curriculum, including pre-clinical dental laboratory techniques. After successfully completing the five-year sequence leading to the BS degree, students then transfer to the cooperating dental school for their final two years of clinical training. The BS degree is conferred by The City College, while the dental school to which the student transfers will award the DDS degree. In this, the inaugural year of the program, five students will be accepted for eventual transfer to Columbia University School of Dental Medicine. It is anticipated that the program will shortly expand to include up to 20 students with potential transfer to additional dental schools in New York State.
http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/prospective/med/programs/BS-DDS-Program.cfm
Student National Dental Association
In collaboration with the CDM Office of Student Affairs, the ODA supports the CDM chapter of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA). This student-based organization, whose parent organization is the National Dental Association (NDA), has evolved into the multicultural community service organization for CDM students. The SNDA at CDM also maintains its commitment to supporting underrepresented dental students, encouraging promising economically disadvantaged youths to pursue dental careers, and serving as a means for patient recruitment. SNDA students sponsor and/or participate in numerous community service activities each year, including Give Kids a Smile Day, CU Smiles, Oral Health Teach-Ins, dental service trips to Jamaica (W.I.), and health professions career days.
Columbia University SNDA Website:
http://dental.columbia.edu/snda
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Hispanic Student Dental Association
In Collaboration with the CDM Office of Student Affairs, the ODA supports the CDM chapter of the Hispanic Student National Dental Association (HSDA). The student-based organization, whose parent organization is the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA), has supported the global outreach mission of CDM to expand the CDM Global Externship Program to include dental service trips to Latin American countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
Hispanic Dental Association Website:
http://www.hdassoc.org
CUMC Queer and Ally Partnership- (LGBTQ)
There is currently an initiative to start an alliance among the different schools at CUMC devoted to LGBT issues. It's funded by the Center for Student Wellness and called The CUMC Queer and Ally Partnership. For the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and allied community at all Columbia University Medical Center schools. Their mission is:
Promote and serve diversity, health, and wellness; Create safe opportunities to build a social network and community; advocate for equality, visibility, and recognition.
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Admissions Policy on Diversity
The College of Dental Medicine seeks a diverse student body reflecting not only the many faces of the patients who will be treated by the graduates of the school, but also for the creation of a diverse body of thought and interest within this community of scholars. Our definition of diversity includes race/ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and more, but is certainly not limited to those considerations. The candidate’s background in the sciences, future career intentions, unique abilities, personality, and general accomplishments also are carefully reviewed in seeking to have a diverse student body. For instance, a student who has demonstrated unique talents and skills in research, or who has a unique life mission in public health service, brings to our student body another important measure of diversity.
The school sets no quotas nor has set asides; regardless of race or ethnicity, all applicants are considered in the same competitive pool using the same policies and procedures and Admissions Committee members. Our Admissions Committee protocols insure that all applicants receive individualized consideration using a flexible policy in which race/ethnicity is one of a number of diversity related considerations or factors taken into account.
Historically, the school has made a good faith consideration of workable race neutral alternatives to race conscious policies. Such alternatives have proven inadequate in creating the desired nature of the student body. In dentistry in particular with the very small national applicant pools for those groups who are under-represented in dentistry, race neutral alternatives are particularly limited.
In summary, it is the intent of these “narrowly tailored” policies to assure a “critical mass” of under-represented in dentistry students, as well as a student body which is diverse in many respects. Such a student body is best prepared to meet the health care needs of our local community and society at large. As part of the institutional outcomes annual review, these policies and the results of their implementation are carefully reviewed and subject to future modification.
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Office of Diversity Affairs Contact Information
630 West 168th Street
P&S Box 20
New York, NY 10032
212-342-3714 (phone)
212-305-3142 (fax)
http://dental.columbia.edu/odma
Dr. Dennis A. Mitchell
Senior Associate Dean
dml48@columbia.edu
Ms. Sandra Garcia
Assistant Dean
Admissions and Student Affairs
sb64@columbia.edu
Dr. Luz Aguirre
Faculty Advisor, HSDA
lma2143@columbia.edu
Dr. John Zimmerman
Faculty Advisor, LGBTQ
jlz4@columbia.edu
Ms. Beverly Cummings
Administrative Aide
bic1@columbia.edu
Mr. Brandon Jackson
ODA Teaching Assistant
bjj2106@columbia.edu
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