Youth Summit Aims to Diversify Dentistry
“Raise your hand if you’ve seen a dentist that looks like you,” asked Dr. Laila Hishaw in the UCLA School of Dentistry’s simulation lab, upon which three or four arms sheepishly extended into the air.
She was addressing a group of 50 high school students from Santa Monica High School and Westchester High School, invited to experience a day in the life of a UCLA dental student through the Diversify Dentistry Youth Summit (DDYS) on Oct. 11. The sparse responses from these primarily Black and Latinx students was not a surprise, given that only 3.8% of U.S. practicing dentists identify as African American, and only 5.9% as Hispanic.
The Summit is one of Dr. Hishaw’s tentpole initiatives through her non-profit organization Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships (DIDM), founded in 2018 with a mission “to empower underrepresented youth to explore dentistry and mentor pre-dental students, cultivating a diverse dental workforce that drives health equity and improves oral health access for all communities.”
Two years into its existence, DIDM recruited the School of Dentistry’s Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Dr. Edmond Hewlett as a founding board member. Following successful Diversify Dentistry Youth Summits at other institutions across the country, Dr. Hewlett was eager to bring this impactful event to UCLA in 2024 through his work with the School’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee.
“This was a historic day; the largest pre-college enrichment event ever held at our School, and the start of a beautiful friendship between DIDM and UCLA Dentistry,” said Dr. Hewlett. “The Diversify Dentistry Youth Summit is made possible through the sheer passion and will of Dr. Laila Hishaw. We hope to make this an annual event at UCLA.”
The Summit began with a lightning, 90-minute exploration of the D.D.S. pre-clinical experience. Sitting at the same workstations all-too-familiar to first- and second-year dental students, the high school visitors learned dental anatomy basics, practiced drilling and filling on a typodont, and took alginate impressions.
Their mentors through these exercises were current School of Dentistry students, many of them actively involved with the Associated Student Body and UCLA’s chapter of the American Student Dental Association.
In addition, several dentists from across Southern California – and the country – took time away from their private practices to volunteer at the Summit. One of Dr. Hishaw’s goals is for pre-college students to envision themselves in the shoes of established oral health care professionals; the DIDM motto is “We did it … So can you.
Moving to a lecture hall, over lunch the SaMo and Westchester cohorts listened to – and had an opportunity to ask questions of – a panel that included Group Practice Director Dr. Erin Lobo-Marwah, Trenice Mayfield, D.D.S. ’25, and Maria Bella Carrillo, D.D.S. ’26.
It was a full-circle moment for Carrillo, who served as DIDM’s intern while a Bruin undergraduate.
“I chose UCLA [for dental school] because it really tries to bring people together through all the different organizations here,” she shared.
Associate Dean for Student Services Dr. Steve Lee followed with information about the dental school application process, during which one astute guest inquired about various pathways for alleviating the financial burden of higher education.
Completing the immersive experience, a white coat ceremony was held for DDYS participants. Typically a rite-of-passage moment for third-year dental students transitioning into clinical patient care, organizers wanted this younger generation to get a taste of what may come should they follow this career path.
“Putting on that white coat is welcoming you into the profession,” Dr. Hewlett explained to the assembled group. “So today, we are welcoming you after your initiation into dentistry.”
Coated and inspired by this window into the world of oral health care profession, the 100-plus Diversify Dentistry Youth Summit student participants, chaperones, mentors, and volunteer dental students posed for a group photo in the Center for Health Sciences breezeway.
Boarding busses to their home schools across the Westside of Los Angeles – parting gifts including typodonts in hand – these high-achieving, STEM-focused high schoolers were left with an unforgettable day of experiential learning that hopefully inspired them to change the face of dentistry.