Cultural awareness training for dental students.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the impact of a full-day workshop on increasing cultural awareness among incoming first-year (DDS-I) and post-doctoral (PGY-I) dental students at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. METHODS: The workshop focused on developing students' cultural awareness regarding dimensions of identity, recognition of power and privilege, importance of cross-cultural understanding and communication, and the role of self-reflection through direct teaching, interactive discussions, and reflective writing. A convenience sample of 83 DDS-I and 30 PGY-I students from the 2019 enrollment class were recruited. Assessments included pre- and post-workshop surveys, facilitator interviews, and a formal workshop evaluation. Descriptive and bivariate analyses of students' responses were performed to assess cultural awareness within and between student groups. Facilitator interviews and student feedback were analyzed qualitatively to identify emerging themes. RESULTS: Global cultural awareness among both student groups was higher in the post-workshop survey (for DDS-I, mean = 3.46, SD = 0.38; for PGY-I, mean = 3.47, SD = 0.30) than in the pre-workshop survey (for DDS-I, mean = 2.98, SD = 0.34; for PGY-I, mean = 2.90, SD = 0.47), which represented a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). Quantitative analysis revealed that the workshop provided a platform to discuss sensitive topics, increased cultural awareness among students and faculty, and provided faculty with different perspectives about culture awareness. CONCLUSIONS: The full-day workshop achieved its goals of increasing dental students' self-perceived cultural awareness and capacity to establish cross-cultural professional relationships.

Cultural competency training for public health students: integrating self, social, and global awareness into a master of public health curriculum.

Cultural competency training in public health, medicine, social work, nursing, dental medicine, and other health professions has been a topic of increasing interest and significance. Despite the now burgeoning literature that describes specific knowledge, attitudes, and skills that promote cultural "competence," fully defining this complex, multidimensional term and implementing activities to enhance it remain a challenge. We describe our experiences in introducing a mandatory, full-day workshop to incoming Master of Public Health students, called "Self, Social, and Global Awareness: Personal Capacity Building for Professional Education and Practice." The purpose of the program is to provide a meaningful, structured environment to explore issues of culture, power, privilege, and social justice, emphasizing the centrality of these issues in effective public health education and practice.