Successful Faculty Training Program Returns
After two decades in private practice, Class of 2000 alumna Deanne Confalone often thought about teaching. But without formal training, she hesitated—until she saw an ad for Rutgers School of Dental Medicine’s From Practice to Preceptor (FP2P) Faculty Training Program.
“I’m happy that they have this program,” she said. “Although dentistry is dentistry, learning how to teach that clinical experience properly takes a weight off, and I feel like this program is really helping to shape that part, giving confidence in an area I don’t have experience.”
Created in 2012 with a $2.5 million federal grant, the FP2P Faculty Training Program introduces practicing dentists to careers in academia to address shortages of dental educators. After a break starting in 2018, it is now relaunched as a year-long program with one day a month commitment, offering exposure to all facets of dental education—from lectures to preclinic to clinic. Participants are paired with faculty mentors and, upon completion, may join the school as volunteer faculty.
According to American Dental Education Association, there are hundreds of open faculty positions at dental schools in the United States. Since its inception, around 45 dentists have completed the training, and an RSDM study found that more than half of the participants went on to faculty positions, including at RSDM.
“We help them understand what being a faculty is all about,” said Vice Dean Kim Fenesy, “and the idea is to create an interest in becoming dental educators.”
Even during its hiatus, the interest in the program never fully stopped.
“People were calling to see if the program was ongoing,” said Program Support Specialist Irma Fernandes, who helps plan for FP2P along with Fenesy and her team. “We got wonderful people out of it. Several program graduates started as part-time volunteers and ended up getting paid appointments because they enjoyed the environment and being with students, and students loved them.”
Assistant Professor of Restorative Dentistry Donald Lapine is an example of just that. “FP2P Faculty Training Program didn’t just spark my interest in academia—it changed my career trajectory,” he said. Lapine is now a full-time faculty and a 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. “FP2P exposed me to life in academia, and without it, I would not have transitioned to academic dentistry.”
Following in Lapine’s footsteps this year is Mohamed Mansour, who earned his dental degree at the University of Illinois Chicago and has practiced in New Jersey and Pennsylvania ever since. Teaching, he said, was always at the back of his mind. “Our job is very much about teaching—every day you're teaching patients; so, I've always had an interest, but I just never knew how to get into it,” he said. The program offered a pathway. “It shows you all facets of the school and your role as an educator before getting into it.” Through the program, Mansour has toured the school from clinics to sterilization, gaining a clearer picture of how an academic dental center operates. “It's nice to be in a structured program that teaches us all these things. I truly feel like [the program] accelerates the learning and instills confidence in you to teach.”
That overview helped participants recognize there is an opportunity in academia.
“There are many roles that need to be filled in the school, whether it be an administrative, clinical, or didactic role. The program exposes us to all the different things, and it's really fun. I look forward to coming here,” said Confalone. “No one should be afraid to come and test the water because the support that we're given by the people who put the program together is tremendous.”
The FP2P application will reopen in May and will be posted here.
