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 Dr. Lavern J. Holyfield

 Dr. Lavern J. Holyfield
Classes are back in session at Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry, and Dr. Lavern J. Holyfield, assistant professor and director of faculty development, is hard at work implementing a program she created to facilitate the enhancement of teaching skills among junior faculty and promote success in academic dentistry.

Grant funding recently provided by the Texas A&M Health Science Center will help her in her quest to attract and retain preeminent faculty members at HSC-BCD through her Teaching Scholars Program.

According to Holyfield, the program will enhance pedagogical skills among participants through a series of seminars and workshops. It will also promote networking among new and junior faculty.

“An additional component of the training will focus on improving leadership and communication skills and goal setting,” says Holyfield.

Holyfield explains the need for developing new faculty members is so important because more than half of dental faculty members will reach retirement age in the next decade, creating a situation in which more dental educators are leaving the workforce than entering it, according to the American Dental Education Association. Further, most new faculty members transitioning from private practice to academia have no formal training in clinical or classroom instruction.

“Equipping new faculty members with resources of this kind facilitates confidence and success in the world of dental academics,” says Holyfield. “The program ultimately benefits the students whose education is impacted by the expert skills of the teaching scholars.”

Holyfield will identify 20 faculty members to participate in an 18-month-long pilot study. Contingent on the program’s success, Holyfield plans to extend enrollment in the program to other dental schools and make herself available to consult with dental institutions on implementing the program on other campuses.

“I anticipate that through participation in this program, new and junior faculty members will be better prepared and, thus, more successful as dental academicians,” says Holyfield.