StaffIt’s hard to imagine packing more information into a curriculum than the DCG manages to do. When considering the extensive basic science, clinical science, hands-on training, business acumen and other elements required to optimally prepare a dentist for a career, nothing is left to chance.
Yet DCG alumni know that their educations continue well after graduation — in fact, throughout the duration of their careers. And no resource is more exhaustive than the Hinman Dental Society in making that happen.
When Dr. Thomas P. Hinman graduated from the Southern Dental College in Atlanta in 1891, he was intent on optimizing the standards of his profession. In 1912, he began sponsoring annual meetings in Atlanta for dental professionals with the motto, “Devotion to detail is the secret to success.”
That initiative — the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting, which will hold its 108th session March 19-21 — has grown into one of the most highly respected and well-received means of continuing education in the profession. Thousands of dental professionals from Georgia and beyond attend the three-day meeting, taking advantage of hundreds of courses, lectures and exhibits to hone their skills and ensure the most cutting-edge service possible for their patients.
“We’re all about Southern hospitality and learning from one another,” said Britney Darby, marketing manager of the nonprofit Hinman Dental Society. “We provide extraordinary education from world-class experts. And the courses aren’t sponsored by exhibitors, so there’s no danger of conflicts of interest. Our only goal is benefiting patients.”
Even better, the meeting includes an entire roster of activities just for dental students.
“We are deeply committed to students,” says Darby, citing more than $8.6 million in scholarships awarded over the years to dental and dental hygiene students, many of them DCG students. “We also sponsor lunch-and-learns and other activities year-round to assist dental students.”
But the meeting, she says, offers the most extensive and centralized means of support — and that support is increasingly augmented by the society’s website, Hinman.org. The website’s “I am a student” link offers numerous resources, including links to networking and practice opportunities.
“This is a vital resource for our students,” says Dean Carol A. Lefebvre. “The website ensures a continuous stream of information at students’ fingertips. We are so grateful for Hinman’s generous and ever-growing offerings to our students, as well as our faculty and alumni.”
For more information, visit Hinman.org.
