The UMKC School of Dentistry SNDA/HSDA (Student National Dental Association/Hispanic Student Dental Association) hosted its first ever Midwest Regional Meeting on October 11 and 12, 2019 in Kansas City. Current & prospective dental students from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado, and even Tennessee & California descended on Kansas City for a weekend filled with education, networking, and socializing. On Friday night, attendees met at the Crowne Plaza KC Downtown hotel to informally meet, eat, play some games, and get excited about the day ahead.

On Saturday, sessions were hosted at the UMKC School of Dentistry. Welcomes were given by Student Doctor Chanelle Roberts, Regions 4 & 6 Coordinator for the National SNDA Executive Board and by Deans Richie Bigham & Marsha Pyle. The first speaker for the day included Dr. Heather Hendricks DDS -Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics at Children’s Mercy Hospital who taught attendees about Nasoaveolar Molding. Next, Dr. Nate Thomas- Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at UMKC School of Medicine conducted a privilege walk and spoke on his Thomas Principles and how they come into play with minorities success in health professions. Dr. Derek Williams took our students on a walk down memory lane (3rd floor hallways) to reflect on the composite photos of classes of the past, and the changes that have happened over the years to increase diversity in the SOD. We ended the session with Dr. Sally Ellis-Fletcher- Associate Dean for Students at the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies who taught about Microaggressions and how to terminate them.

The weekend culminated with a dinner event at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the historic 18th and Vine District. Attendees had dinner catered by Jack Stacks BBQ with jazz music playing in the background, and enjoyed private access to the museum.

Sponsors for the weekend included Midwest Dental, Aspen Dental & Pacific Dental Services.

Enjoy photos from the events.