Dental School Faculty Participate in UMKC Leadership Initiatives

Several dental school faculty members, including Prof. Tanya Mitchell, Dr. Kim Bray, Prof. Ashley Hobbs and Dr. Lorie Holt, were recognized for their participation in various UMKC programs.
Prof. Mitchell was recognized for her participation in UMKC’s Chair’s Forum Development Program which is a yearlong, cohort-based leadership development program for recently appointed department chairs at UMKC. This program aims to provide faculty leaders a valuable opportunity to learn about the qualities of effective leaders, develop a stronger awareness of their leadership skillset, gain a broader institutional perspective of the university and grapple with key issues faced by faculty in positions of leadership.
Dr. Bray, Dr. Holt and Prof. Hobbs were recognized for their part in the Peer Observation Pilot Program, which, following surveys from its first year, has proven to be “a valuable and meaningful endeavor for both observees and observers.” This program is designed to promote teaching development through creation of a collaborative partnership between the faculty member being observed (the Observee) and a trained Observer. Observees can choose to identify a specific area of focus for their observation or ask for a more generalized observation. For the pilot, the courses observed were offered in the traditional classroom format and included focused conversations between the trained Observer and Observee along with guided self-reflection activities.