Representatives from the UNMC College of Dentistry attended the 2026 American Dental Education Association Session & Exhibition, held in March in Montreal, Canada.
Executive Associate Dean Greg Bennett, DMD, represented Dean Gerard Kugel, DMD, PhD, at the Council of Deans meetings at the event.
“At the Council of Deans meetings, dental school leaders from across North America came together to address the critical issues shaping the future of dental education,” Dr. Bennett said.
“Equally meaningful was the chance to stand alongside our faculty as they shared their scholarship with colleagues from around the world,” he said. “Seeing the quality and impact of the research coming out of this college on a national stage is a source of genuine pride, and it reinforces why our presence at meetings like this matters.”
Dental and dental hygiene faculty members presenting at this year’s “Building Pathways, Advancing Access”-themed event included:
- Lisa Moravec, who presented the educational session: “Building Bridges, Advancing Accessibility in Dental Education”
- Moravec, Jane Broekemeier and Amanda Dolen, who presented the poster: “Bridging Pathways: Advancing Dental Hygiene Success Through Operation Room Simulation”
- Nicole Baker, who presented the poster: “Dental Injection E-module’s Impact on Dental Sudents’ Performance and Confidence”
- Yun Saksena, DMD, associate dean for education and campus culture, who co-presented the educational session: “Guidelines for Behavioral Sciences Curricula: Pathways Toward Health for All”
Dr. Saksena also served on the ADEA Advisory Committee on Access and Strategic Change, the ADEA Council of Deans Fellowship Alumni Leadership Team as a member-at-large, and was elected secretary to the ADEA Section on Social and Behavioural Sciences Leadership Team.
Other UNMC attendees included Tammie Vargo, DHA, chair of dental hygiene, and Nancy Adams, PhD.
Dr. Vargo said she was proud to see four members of the dental hygiene faculty present their research. “It was great to see them share their knowledge and connect with other professionals from across the country.”
The plenary sessions were inspiring, she said, detailing the role of leadership and the different type of leaders — servant leadership, transformative leadership – and their criteria.
“That was both informative and motivating,” she said.
Dr. Bennett said that attending the annual session and exhibition was an important opportunity for the college on multiple fronts.
“The UNMC College of Dentistry has a voice in these conversations, and we intend to keep it strong,” he said.