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Workshop Summary Fourth North-South Project In Dental Education

Dr. Rafael Aponte, North-South Project / University of Puerto Rico


Dental educators from North and South America met again last April at the historic city of Baltimore, where the Fourth Workshop took place, as part of the North-South Project in Dental Education.

The scenic Inner Harbor enhanced by the beginning of the Spring was the stimulating setting where dental educators from both hemispheres held an exchange of information, sponsored by the dental schools of Maryland and Puerto Rico and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. International associations such as the American Association of Dental Schools, the International Association of Dental Research, the OFEDO-UDUAL, and the Panamerican Health Organization endorsed and participated in this important meeting, where once more, knowledge, efforts, experiences, and outcomes where shared.

The subject of this significant event was "Dental Informatics and Transmission of Information", and was part of a series of workshops sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and administered by the University of Puerto Rico, School of Dentistry. This important meeting was held at the Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel and the University of Maryland at Baltimore Dental School.

The University of Puerto Rico hosted a welcome reception at the Marriott Inner Harbor. With live Latin American music as a background, participants were able to meet new colleagues or strengthening old friendships, with Puerto Rico acting as a bridge between both continents thus promoting an environment of brotherhood, which prevailed throughout the three days. Doctors Luis A. Marini and Richard R. Ranney, deans of the University of Puerto Rico, School of Dentistry and the University of Maryland at Baltimore Dental School, respectively, addressed the guests extending a warm welcome to all. Members of both faculties acted as hosts, making all the arriving participants feel at home. The act was closed with the musical notes of nostalgic song "En mi viejo San Juan".

On Monday, April 18, the scientific program was officially inaugurated with a welcome message from the Dean of the host institution, Dr. Richard R. Ranney, and brief messages from the representatives of the different organizations.

Greeted by an enthusiastic audience and assisted by an excellent team of simultaneous translators, the workshop opened. Dr. James F. Craig explained the workshop goals and agenda, and Dr. Marion Ball presented the global perspective. Doctors Roberto Vianna and Bengt Sündstrom discussed existing information networks in Latin America, while Dr. Celia Zaher offered an impressive vision of the opportunities for collaboration through library resources in Latin America. A panel discussion followed, where doctors Alfonso Fuentes and Luis Rivera shared with the audience the dental informatics needs in Latin America. Doctors Eric Spohn and John Zimmerman were in charge of presenting the opportunities for collaboration through the International Medical Informatics Association and the American Association of Dental Schools.

During the afternoon, the group visited the Health Sciences Library of the University of Maryland, where doctors Richard Hsieh, Carlos Gamboa, John Zimmerman, Eric Spohn, John Eisner, and Ms. Frieda Weise presented a magnificent exposition and demonstration of new systems available in the field of informatics and their uses in the teaching of dentistry.

That evening, Dr. Ranney, as Dean of the University of Maryland at Baltimore Dental School, hosted a harbor cruise and dinner aboard the Bay Lady, where participants were able to view the Inner Harbor city lights under the clear skies of Baltimore.

During the second day, other available systems were analyzed and visitors toured the Dental School witnessing the applicability of the previously discussed systems with doctors Dianne Rekow, Luis A. Marini, James F. Craig, John Hasler, and Mr. Robert Robinson, acting as presenters and facilitators.

In the afternoon, the group returned to the hotel, where participants joined discussion groups, in order to develop specific plans for the future. The groups formed were: library, videodisc/barcode, clinic management, distance learning, communication, and eletronic curriculum.

Tuesday evening there was a baseball game at the Camden Yards Stadium, where the Orioles played against the Angels. The host university staff had reserved a block of tickets and all interested were able to enjoy this fascinating experience and share the Orioles' triumph.

The third and last day, the discussion group findings were presented to the audience, along with recommendations for future endeavors. Dr. Rafael I. Aponte gave a brief history and analysis of the North-South Project in Dental Education and the workshop concluded as old and new friends bid farewell with an invitation to meet again in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the Fall, where the series will conclude in a Caribbean setting, where participants shall discuss the development and use of human resources as well as share the hospitality and tropical beauty, when once more Puerto Rico will bring together the Northern and Southern hemispheres in a search for effective collaborations in the field of dental education.

Mailing address:

Puerto Rico University/Medical Sciences Campus

P. O. Box 365 067 - San Juan

00936-5067 - Puerto Rico


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