Goal: Provide innovative, evidence-based education that prepares dental professionals to deliver exceptional person-centered care. Through strategic investments, innovation and multidisciplinary collaboration, we integrate cutting-edge technology and a variety of clinical experiences to foster excellence.
Objective 1
Deliver a dynamic, evidence-based curriculum that prepares students and residents to provide person-centered care and become lifelong learners.
Rationale: A dynamic curriculum ensures learners adapt to advances in dentistry, research and patient care. Evidence-based practices enhance critical thinking and clinical decision-making, while a focus on lifelong learning prepares graduates to remain at the profession’s forefront. This approach ensures that UFCD graduates competent, confident and compassionate practitioners ready to deliver exceptional care and adapt to emerging challenges.
Implementation Strategies
a. Maintain outstanding education outcomes, such as as INBDE and licensure exam pass rates, specialty board pass rates, and on-time graduation rates.
b. Use leading-edge technology to enable effective communication and instruction by highly experienced faculty from all relevant disciplines.
c. Integrate evidence-based practices with established and evolving foundational knowledge and research.
d. Establish and refresh curricula that foster lifelong critical thinking skills.
e. Facilitate intra- and inter-disciplinary interactions among faculty and residents to ensure learning objectives reflect the breadth of perspectives essential for success.
Objective 2
Cultivate leadership, professionalism and wellness programs to enhance recruitment, retention and advancement of outstanding talent.
Rationale: Recruiting and retaining exceptional students, residents, faculty and staff ensures a vibrant learning environment. Leadership, professionalism, respect and wellness are crucial for fostering a culture that supports growth and academic success. Fostering a supportive academic and clinical environment will attract top talent, promote well-being and produce future leaders.
Implementation Strategies
a. Gather and analyze data to monitor and enhance recruitment, retention and advancement of faculty and staff.
b. Expand effective recruitment efforts and enhance resources available for students, residents, faculty and staff.
c. Implement initiatives that foster interconnectedness and improve college-wide well-being.
d. Establish benchmarks for assessing professionalism and leadership development.
Objective 3
Integrate technology and data sciences to bolster innovation, efficiency and outcomes across patient care and research.
Rationale: Leveraging technology bridges gaps between learning, clinical practice and research, equipping students, residents, faculty and staff with tools to enhance efficiency, outcomes and innovation. Technology-driven innovation improves patient outcomes, streamlines workflows and enhances research capabilities.
Implementation Strategies
a. Integrate assessment software and analytical approaches to support the pre-doctoral and advanced education curricula and learner performance data collection.
b. Continue to assess and implement artificial intelligence tools that support clinical training in diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment delivery and outcome evaluation.
c. Integrate technology and artificial intelligence to optimize research training and enhance patient care.
d. Promote opportunities to integrate UF technology and resources.
Objective 4
Promote interprofessional educational experiences that prepare dental professionals to excel in team-based care environments.
Rationale: As part of a comprehensive academic health center, UFCD offers unique opportunities for multidisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration. Collaborative experiences foster a holistic, integrative approach to patient care and education while preparing learners for teamwork in real-world healthcare settings. Promoting interprofessional education will help graduates excel in team-based care environments, improve patient care outcomes and strengthen interprofessional collaboration.
Implementation Strategies
a. Promote educational interaction with other health care professions through activities such as interprofessional education, collaborative learning experiences, clinical rotations and patient simulations.
b. Enhance interprofessional communication by encouraging open dialogue and emphasizing person centered approaches.