Organizations and Activities

Student and Professional Organizations

Membership and participation in student and professional organizations can enhance and support a student's program experience. A number of these are available for UofL students, including the following:

American Dental Education Association (ADEA)

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is the only organization whose primary objective is the educational process associated with dental and dental auxiliary education. Since ADEA is concerned about the environment in which the student exists and since the Council of Students (ADEA) is the only national forum in which students from all areas of dental education (predoctoral, postdoctoral, hygiene, assisting, and laboratory technology) can come together and share opinions, it is to the student’s benefit to participate in significant decision making processes which will affect that environment.

Regional meetings of the Council of Students provide an opportunity to review both local and regional concerns in addition to national issues. Significant impact on the ADEA Policy Statements has originated in regional meetings.

As a member of ADEA, the student has access to the Journal of Dental Education, a monthly publication containing updates on the national issues in dental education.

American Student Dental Association (ASDA)

The School of Dentistry has an American Student Dental Association chapter which was chartered April 14, 1967. The ASDA has as one of its primary functions, the introduction of future dentists into their responsibilities in the professions. The underlying philosophy and professional status of the parent organization, the American Dental Association, carries into ASDA.

Dental students are encouraged to join the American Student Dental Association. The annual student membership fee entitles the student to receive the monthly issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association and to attend local, state, and national meetings. Student members gain free participation in the Group Life Insurance Program which is sponsored by the ADA. Certificates issued provide coverage of $25,000 plus double indemnity for accidental death. Members of the ASDA are also eligible for the Professional Protector Plan which includes insurance coverage for student dental equipment plus professional liability. Following graduation, qualified student members are admitted to active and full membership in the American Dental Association, subject to ADA rules of membership and at a phased-in reduced dues structure.

American Association for Dental Research Student Research Group (ULSD-SRG)

The American Association for Dental Research sponsors student research groups at each dental school, including SRG meetings at each national AADR annual meeting. The ULSD-SRG welcomes student participation and membership. Students have the opportunity to participate actively in research activities and to present their findings locally, nationally, and internationally.

Louisville American Student Dental Association (LASDA)

The Louisville American Student Dental Association (LASDA) is the official student governing body of the school. The President of LASDA is the official representative of the School of Dentistry on the University Student Senate. LASDA is funded through the Student Government Association and the student activity fee.
LASDA exists to aid dental and dental auxiliary students throughout the course of their education. It sponsors numerous activities: academic, professional, and social. LASDA is composed of the executive officers and representatives from each of the classes of each of the programs of the dental school.

Student National Dental Association (SNDA)

The Student National Dental Association (SNDA) is the student component to the National Dental Association. It was formed by dental students at Meharry Medical College in 1970. It currently stands as the largest minority student organization in the United States. SNDA includes more than 56 colleges and universities across the country including a University of Louisville chapter. SNDA promotes increase in minority enrollment in dental schools and encourages a viable academic and social environment conducive to the mental and professional wellbeing of minority students. It strives to improve the delivery of dental health to all people with emphasis on minorities and the underserved. The SNDA educates and actively involves students of all races and ethnicities in the social, moral, and ethical obligations of the dental profession.
SNDA is also a community based association and works within the community with such programs as the YMCA Black Achievers impressions program and various other annual community programs which entail informing and educating children and adults about the importance of good oral hygiene. SNDA regional and national meetings are held annually to advance and refine the collective efforts of the organization.

Christian Medical & Dental Association (CMDA)

The Christian Medical & Dental Association exists to motivate, educate, and equip Christian physicians, dentists, and students to practice a morally and spiritually centered profession.

Hispanic Student Dental Association (HDA)

The Hispanic Student Dental Association (HDA) mission is to be the leading voice for Hispanic oral health, and to provide Service, Education, Advocacy, and Leadership (SEAL) for the elimination of oral health disparities in the Hispanic community.

The American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) provides support and education to women dentists. AAWD strives toward the mission of "becoming the recognized resource for connecting and enriching the lives of women dentists."

Asian American Dental Association (AADA) The purpose of the Asian American Dental Association (AADA) is to gather dental health care professionals and professional students together to provide quality dental services and education for Asians, Asian-Americans, and other individuals while building cultural awareness to the School of Dentistry and communities.

Student Professionalism and Ethics Association (SPEA)

The Louisville Chapter of the Student Professionalism and Ethics Association in Dentistry (SPEA) is a national, student driven association that was established to promote and support a student’s lifelong commitment to ethical behavior in order to benefit the patients they serve and further the dental profession. The objectives of the Association are to act as a support system for students in strengthening their personal and professional ethics values by: providing a resource for ethics education and development, fostering a non-punitive, open-forum environment for ethics communication, promoting awareness of ethics standards and related issues within dentistry, and collaborating with leadership of the dental profession to effectively advocate for our members.

The ULSD chapter of SPEA aims to accomplish these objectives by inviting dental colleges to speak, meetings to discuss relevant topics, and collaborating with the national organization.