GSDM and University of Manchester Collaboration Official
On Friday, November 4, 2016, the International Elective Exchange Program between the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) and the University of Manchester School of Dentistry (UMSD), United Kingdom became official. In a signing ceremony attended by GSDM representatives Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter, Dr. Belinda Borrelli, Dr. Michelle Henshaw, and Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska, and University of Manchester representatives headed by UMSD Dean Paul Coulthard, Professors Anne-Marie Glenny, Kevin Seymour, Helen Worthington, Nick Grey, Iain Pretty, and Dr. Nick Silikas, the two schools formally entered into a partnership several years in the making. Also present for the Ceremony was Dr. Peter Clayton, Dean of the University of Manchester School of Medical Sciences (UMSMS).
“I believe that having a student exchange (research and educational) will not only help students gain new perspectives, but also foster collaborations between faculty who might not otherwise meet,” said Dr. Borrelli, a Visiting Professor at the University of Manchester. “The collaboration will also increase the international visibility of both schools, provide access to a wider pool of research grants and facilitate resource sharing, such as data sets and specimens.
This process began on March 13, 2015 during the 2015 joint Annual Session of the International and American Associations of Dental Research held in Boston. Dr. Borrelli introduced Dean Hutter to Professor Coulthard of the University of Manchester. During their initial encounter, they shared a mutual interest in a potential partnership between the two schools. Dean Hutter and Professor Borrelli then visited Manchester in October 2015 for a collaborative meeting where both schools shared their strengths and vision, and it became clear that both institutions shared common values as educational institutions and goals in research and education.
Following up on Dean Hutter and Dr. Borrelli’s visit, a cohort from the University of Manchester visited Boston and GSDM in January 2016. They were treated to a series of faculty presentations, meetings with Provost of the Medical Campus, Dr. Karen Antman, and Boston University Vice President and Associate Provost for Research, Dr. Gloria Waters, along with a tour of the Medical Campus and School. Upon conclusion, both sides agreed that with their shared values in education, patient care, research, and community service, developing an exchange program between the two universities would translate into a valuable experience for faculty and students and positively impact the mission of both schools.
“This truly is a historic moment in the history of both the University of Manchester and the BU Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine,” said Dean Hutter, “our students and faculty will have the opportunity of experiencing dental and oral health education and patient care along with research at each other’s universities and schools, while also sharing in the cultural diversities of our schools, our wonderful cities of Manchester and Boston, no less both the United States and the United Kingdom.”
The University of Manchester is the sixth International Elective Exchange Program at GSDM. It is, however, our first exchange partner not located in Asia. As a member of the Cochrane Collaboration, UMSD is a leader in evidence-based dentistry and as such has had a significant impact on shaping the dental profession. In the summer of 2017, four GSDM students and one faculty member, Dr. Henshaw, will go to Manchester as the first cohort in this new exchange program. In August, University of Manchester School of Dentistry students and a faculty member will visit GSDM.
“The addition of the University of Manchester as a new site for the student exchange broadens not only the School’s global footprint into another continent, but also provides our students with the opportunity to see a European-based dental education and health care delivery system,” said Dr. Henshaw.