Anti-racism structures in academic dentistry: Supporting underrepresented racially/ethnically diverse faculty.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper is to describe the racialized barriers to recruiting and retaining historically underrepresented racially/ethnically diverse (HURE) faculty at U.S. dental schools and the linkages of these barriers to structural racism to assist dental schools in eliminating these hurdles through an antiracism framework. METHODS: Data is used to describe the trends in the racial/ethnic composition of dental school faculty and the parity gaps by race/ethnicity between dentists and the U.S. POPULATION: Literature on the recruitment and retention of faculty of color at higher education institutions is reviewed to identify challenges and best practices. Barriers to the full participation of HURE faculty, outlined in the American Dental Education Association's Faculty Diversity Toolkit, are also identified. Research on antiracism frameworks is also investigated to denote their uses and key components. RESULTS: There is a critical shortage of HURE faculty at dental schools and active HURE dentists in the U.S. A history of racism and its legacy reinforce biases, stereotypes, and power structures that harm HURE faculty at U.S. dental schools. An anti-racism framework is needed to holistically eliminate inequities and racialized policies and practices that persists as barriers for HURE faculty. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the representation of HURE dentists in the workforce and dental school faculty requires a major disruption to culture and institutional practices that mask centuries of structural racism embedded within complex academic systems. Dental schools must use antiracism models to create strategic initiatives that support a humanistic, equitable, and antiracism environment where HURE faculty can thrive.

ADEA Faculty Diversity Toolkit: A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Diversity and Inclusion in Dental Education.

Population demographic shifts in the United States and Canada have led to an increasingly diverse postsecondary student population. However, the largely homogenous dental faculty in the United States and Canada does not reflect the rapidly changing student body and the diverse patient population academic dentistry has been called to serve. Therefore, recruitment and retention of diverse dental faculty in dental education must be a priority. Substantial evidence also indicates improved outcomes for faculty, students, and institutions when faculty diversity on campus is increased. Beyond the positive impact faculty diversity can deliver to the learning and working environments of an academic institution, a variety of regulatory bodies mandate good faith efforts to maintain a diverse faculty, including the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards for dental schools and dental therapy education programs. To assist its member institutions with answering the call for improved faculty diversity, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) worked with its members to develop the ADEA Faculty Diversity Toolkit (ADEA FDT), a landmark evidence-based resource designed to assist dental education with the design and implementation of faculty recruitment and retention initiatives that can be tailored to their unique needs. This article provides an overview of the changing landscape of the United States and Canadian populations, shares the historic homogeneity of dental education faculty, provides an overview of some of the benefits associated with faculty diversity and highlights the challenges and barriers related to recruiting and retaining diverse faculty. Most importantly, it introduces the ADEA FDT and the need for dental schools and allied dental programs to use the Toolkit as a proactive resource in increasing and maintaining faculty diversity. Furthermore, it provides an overview of how to utilize and adapt the highlighted best practices and model programs to improve faculty diversity on their campuses.