This blog post was authored by Dr Eleanor Fleming. Dr Fleming is a Clinical Associate Professor of Dental Public Health and Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in West Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Dr Fleming visited the University of Bristol as a Next Generation Visiting Researcher January-February 2024 to collaborate with Dr Patricia Neville on several research activities focused on decolinizing dentistry.
Dr. Patricia Neville and I collaborated on a manuscript exploring the diversity of women’s identities in dentistry in 2021 (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdoe.12796). From the success of our collaboration and based on our shared intersectional and interdisciplinary lens of approaching oral health, Dr. Neville invited me to Bristol. My visit had a two-fold purpose: first, Patricia and I explored opportunities for our continued scholarly collaborations, and second, I supported her work at the Bristol Dental School as its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead, as an outside consultant.
Over the course of my six-week visit, I gave three lectures: one, to the dental students on justice-centered approach to clinical practice; a second to dental school faculty and staff on transforming dental education; and the final, a university talk on decolonising dentistry to centre health justice. The university talk was co-sponsored with the Centre for Black Humanities and the Black and Brown Bioethics Network. There was a reception afterwards which facilitated rich conversation and relationship building. I am grateful to Dr Elizabeth Robles, Dr Harleen Johal and Dr Matimba Swama for their hospitality and support of my university lecture. Because of the success of the university lecture, Patricia and I submitted an abstract to The First Black and Brown in Bioethics conference 2024 “Engaging Diversity in Bioethics Theory and Practice”. Our abstract was accepted, and our presentation entitled, “A Critical Retelling of Dental Ethics Told Through “George Washington’s Complete Denture” won first place.
In addition to my collaboration with Dr. Neville, my time at Bristol was well-spent and supported by other colleagues at Bristol Dental School. In particular, Dr. Nilu Ahmed shared her work on antiracism and inclusive pedagogy. As a result of conversations, personally, my approach to teaching is elevated and I am grateful that I was able to grow in both my critical scholarship and pedagogy. To have this opportunity to enrichen my perspective and also to connect with preeminent scholars like Professor Kehinde Andrews made this a trip of a lifetime.
In consultation with faculty, staff, and students, I offered feedback on Bristol Dental School’s decolonising efforts. I was also able to learn more about the General Dental Council’s Standards for Education. In observing the focus on communication and the use of standardised actors to assess student learning and to provide them with timely feedback as they progress in developing their competency for clinical practice, I have brought my observations back to support my home institution. In curriculum innovation work at my home institution, I have shared what I learned, and we are working to apply these best practices for dental education. In this regard, my time at Bristol has led to cross-pollination of best practices to support student learning and clinical practice.
My six-week experience at the University of Bristol was truly life changing. For someone like me (Black scholar focused on anti-racism and practicing in dentistry), opportunities like this rarely happen. I am grateful to have spent time reading, thinking, reflecting, building relationships, and collaborating with new colleagues on work that is so needed in oral health and academic dentistry. I loved staying at the Principal’s House, and everyone I interacted with in preparing for the visit and getting settled were warm, generous, and kind people. I also enjoyed being on a university campus (my home institution is a professional campus in the middle of West Baltimore). It was nice to have access to the Royal Fort Garden and to explore, even in the winter, the beauty of the campus. The university events that I attended, the conversations that I had with leading UK scholars and scientists, and the warm reception to my ideas have truly changed how I think about my professional work.
To say that I flew back to Baltimore rejuvenated is an understatement. In Bristol, I was able to reconnect to my professional and personal purpose, nurture my curiosity, pause and reflect on structural questions, expand my scholarly breadth and depth, and make new friends (across the university, not just at Bristol Dental School). I look forward to looking back in five or so years and seeing the fruits of all the seeds planted during my visit. I hope that my relationship with Bristol and the University of Bristol continues to grow.
