“Dear Dr. Rowan,
The DDS mission is to achieve equity in oral health as a vital component of overall health for marginalized communities through education, service, and advocacy. This includes amplifying the voices for our patients, oral health students and colleagues when a corrective action is warranted. Based on the images that were used on social media and other news outlets a faculty member from UIC failed in their actions during a lecture educating our future oral health professionals. Racism and insensitive actions have no place in our institutions, practices, or profession.
This week DDS learned that a faculty member used the photo below in a lecture presentation to students. Dental Professionals are required to take ethical, bias and/or cultural competency courses in renewing their licenses. This image demonstrates the lack of sensitivity training, lack of social justice beliefs and the ethical obligation we have in the dental profession. Providing an apology after complaints of the alleged image used in this manner is unacceptable and should not be tolerated by any institution that nurtures, mentors, and educates our future oral health professionals, especially in today’s environment.
It is the consensus of the Diverse Dental Society that the University of Illinois College of Dentistry, take the appropriate actions to demonstrate that this presentation is insensitive, inappropriate, and unacceptable. We strongly encourage you to investigate if there are past instances or a pattern of behavior behind this image. We feel very strongly that this type of imagery is demonstrative of deeply rooted bias and racism. We believe that the individual, who thought this was acceptable imagery for a dental lecture, should be reprimanded to the largest extent possible. We do not believe that cultural sensitivity training will justify or resolve the trauma that this image, and this individual, has inflicted. We are concerned for the wellbeing of all students and we want to ensure that the future of the dental profession is inclusive to all racial backgrounds. We encourage your institution to offer support to any students and/or faculty that have been affected by this occurrence. We hope that you will take the necessary steps to prevent such instances in the future.”
