Surprising Things I Learned During my Year as ADA President

Joseph Crowley, ’76 DDS, visits the College of Dentistry to share his experiences.
Joseph Crowley

It was standing room only for anyone who arrived late to hear Dr. Joseph Crowley speak to the College of Dentistry’s students, staff, and faculty on November 28 about the highlights of his year as president of the American Dental Association (ADA). Discussing his many and varied experiences as the leader of the largest and oldest dental organization in the world, Dr. Crowley cited numerous examples of the people he met and the projects he worked on that were most memorable.

“I’m proud to say that our profession is the first one in this country to take a stance on the opioid crisis and the management of acute dental pain.” — Joseph Crowley, DDS

“The ADA is addressing many topics that have a national impact,” Crowley said. “I served on the ADA’s opioid task force that held a summit meeting at the White House, and the president and his wife met our group briefly.” He added, “I’m proud to say that our profession is the first one in this country to take a stance on the opioid crisis and the management of acute dental pain.” Other national leaders with whom Dr. Crowley interacted were the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

During his term as ADA president, Dr. Crowley was involved in myriad projects, including discussions about the potential for dental licensure exams in the U.S. that do not include human subjects; advocacy for the ADA’s Action for Dental Health campaign, a nationwide community-based initiative aimed at ending the dental health crisis in America; and promotion of the ADA Practice Transitions (ADAPT) program that fosters relationships between dentists at key points in their careers. Other endeavors of national significance included assessing the role of community health care coordinators as members of the oral health care team, and examining ways that Medicare and Medicaid plans might be altered to include dental benefits.

Dr. Crowley said he’s often asked why he wanted to serve as the ADA president. “I got involved because my challenge is to help people find out the whole story about any (dental) issue and then to make the right decision.” Although he will continue to serve on the ADA’s task force that is examining dental licensure, Dr. Crowley says he is still considering what he wants for the next step in his career. It is clear that his experiences this past year have left him tremendously excited about the future of the profession. “We’re in a new ‘golden age’ of dentistry as it relates to the care we deliver,” he said to the students in the room. “You are in a better place than any dentist who has graduated in the past. The opportunities are tremendous!”

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