Third-year dental students Logan Lawrence and Hibah Chughtai and second-year dental students Christine Scanlon, Shyamaly Premaraj, Ian Fullinfaw and Jordan Brozek organized and led a presentation focused on inclusivity that was held during the All College Conference on Aug. 21. The goal of the presentation was to lay the foundation for a sustained dialogue around inclusion within the college.
Members of the college community were offered opportunities to share their experiences related to inclusion. A series of anonymous statement reflections were read, there was a faculty panel discussion featuring Dr. Ali Nawshad and Dr. Luana Oliveira-Haas, and Dr. Sheritta Strong, director of inclusion at UNMC, spoke about implicit bias. The faculty advisor for this project was Dr. Yun Saksena.
"The inclusivity program shed light on the role that inclusivity plays in the lives of students, faculty and staff. The program provided a platform for our colleagues to share their experiences of inclusivity that have held great gravity in their lives. These experiences not only provided a glimpse into the unspoken lives of those around us, but also helped us recognize the importance of accepting the differences that make each of us unique." – Hibah Chughtai, third-year dental student
"Inclusion affects everyone in the UNMC community: faculty, staff, students and patients. As health care practitioners, it's important that we understand that each of us has a unique perspective. The primary goal of our program was to lay the foundation for a more sustained dialogue around inclusion within our college. To every person involved, thank you for your time, your dialogue and your commitment." – Logan Lawrence, third-year dental student