CDA Executive Director Greg Hill, CDA President Dr. Michael Varley, and CU School of Dental Medicine faculty member Dr. Ken Peters accept the ADEAGies Foundation Award for Vision.
The ADEAGeis Foundation selected the Colorado Dental Association as the 2017 recipient of its Gies Award for Vision—Public or Private Partner for its successful efforts to expand licensure options for graduating dental students.
Dr. Michael Varley, CDA president; Greg Hill, CDA executive director; and Dr. Ken Peters, clinical assistant professor of the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the CU School of Dental Medicine, attended the March 20 award ceremony in Long Beach, Calif. Dr. Peters accepted the award on behalf of the association because of his role in leading the committee that fought for—and won—expanding recognized pathways for dental students to complete licensure requirements using non-patient-based exam options.
The changes went into effect during the 2014 sunset review of the Dental Practice Act. Through rule and policy revisions, Colorado now accepts most credible existing examination methods for licensure, including any U.S. clinical licensure exams, the Canadian OSCE exam, and the PGY-1 and portfolio models that resulted in initial licensure in another state.
This award recognizes Colorado’s innovation and leading status among states in addressing ethical concerns related to live patient examinations, as well as providing Colorado students more options for licensure portability.