In 1970 I met with a number of dental students from around the country at the ADA Headquarters in Chicago. We were all excited to establish ASDA as a national student organization dedicated to promoting the well-being of dental students while advancing our profession.
For me, my journey as a health care professional has provided opportunities and blessings that allowed me to express myself while making a positive difference in helping to improve health care delivery while promoting oral health as a key component to overall health. Remember dentistry is not just about teeth – it’s about the person attached to the tooth, the family attached to the person and the community attached to the family – a successful health care provider must be concerned about all of these!
I want all of you to know that you are only limited by your imagination and initiative in how you can, should and will make a difference. Please follow your heart and allow yourself to have the courage to move in directions you may not even be thinking about now! Also remember how important maintaining the highest standard of integrity is – the most difficult glue to find is the one to repair a broken trust.
I want all of you to know that you are only limited by your imagination and initiative in how you can, should and will make a difference.
As I retire from my current role as dean, I look forward to continuing to make a positive difference and hopefully working with all of you to improve our health system while improving the health of the people we serve.
Dr. Jack Dillenberg, Inaugural ASDOH Dean
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