5 lessons my running injury taught me

Chicago marathonIn 2010 I ran the Chicago Marathon. It was my second marathon and I shaved nearly 20 minutes off my previous time. I ran for the charity World Vision, which was a blast, and I was on top of the world. About a week after I finished, my runner’s high started to wear off and the hip pain started to settle in. Soon the pain was waking me up in the middle of the night. At the time, I had no idea that this was just the beginning of a very long road. Turns out, I had torn the labrum in my left hip but wouldn’t be properly diagnosed for nearly a year. The injury was devastating and even after several rounds of physical therapy, I find that my left side is weaker than my right. I haven’t run distance since. Here’s what I’ve learned from my injury and the years I spent recovering.

When a dentist kills a lion: a lesson on reputation management

Lion in Hwange NPBy now, you’ve undoubtedly heard about Dr. Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed Zimbabwe’s beloved lion, Cecil. If you’ve somehow missed this social media firestorm, catch up here.

I’m not going to talk about how what Palmer did was wrong and what type of punishment he deserves–that debate is playing out in full force on Twitter. What I want to talk about is that Palmer is a dentist. Assuming you haven’t lured a national treasure from his protected habitat to kill him, let’s explore some lessons we can take away from Palmer’s life-ruining mistake.

Win a copy of The ADA Practical Guide to Internet Marketing

J061_InternetMarketing_Web_ReadyPractice management and marketing is an area that we learn little about in dental school. When asking students from various schools, it seems that in general, many schools lack a curriculum that includes instruction in company/practice management, marketing, branding and financial management. Through my involvement in ASDA, I have learned the majority of what I know regarding management and marketing at ASDA conferences and workshops. The ADA Guide to Internet Marketing did a fantastic job at filling the gap and opening up the complex world of how the Internet can play into your management.

And the 2015 Gold Crown Award nominees are …

ASDANews-Jan15-hero-webOn behalf of ASDA’s Editorial Board, I’d like to thank all the authors and bloggers who contributed to ASDA in 2014. Thank you for your time, your ideas and your contribution to the organization. It’s because of volunteers like you that we are able to build a knowledge-base for dental students in the U.S. And it’s because of you that ASDA News was found to be members’ favorite ASDA publication in a 2014 readership survey!

ASDA’s Editorial Board sifted through all the articles and blog posts of 2014 to narrow down nominees for three Gold Crown Awards: Best News Article, Best Feature Article and Best Blog Post. Criteria included relevance, originality, research and presentation. For blog posts, number of visits, social shares and Facebook likes were also weighed in the decision. Here are the nominees for the 2015 Gold Crown Awards for best articles and blog post …

Future dentists head to Boston for ASDA’s Annual Session in February

GCA 2014

As you may already know, this blog is run by the American Student Dental Association. A little history lesson: ASDA is the largest student-run organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights, interests and welfare of dental students like you. Currently, there are 20,000+ dental student members and 1,800+ predental members. Each year, ASDA holds a national meeting called Annual Session. 2015 will mark ASDA’s 45th Annual Session!

If you are interested in networking with other future dentists, learning about professional issues and getting involved in organized dentistry, sign up to attend ASDA’s Annual Session at the Westin Boston Waterfront, Feb. 18-21, 2015.

charity

3 ways to give back during the holidays

charityThe past couple weeks, I’ve seen news stories pop up about dentists buying back Halloween candy from kids. There’s a Halloween Candy Buy Back program where dentists pay kids $1 per pound of candy they bring in and often give out toothbrushes and other oral hygiene supplies. They take the candy and donate it to an organization that ships it to U.S. troops overseas. We can only hope a few toothbrushes get shipped along with the candy! It’s a sweet program [pun intended] and a great way to get involved in your community.

There are plenty of ways to give back all year round–individually or as an ASDA chapter. But this time of year seems to warm people’s hearts and inspire more than the usual charity. If you’re looking for a way to give back this holiday season, here are three ideas on how to do so…

Leadership through self-help books

reading a book

I’m a big fan of self-help books. I’m not talking about “Golf For Dummies” but just good old nonfiction reads. Whether it’s financial or marital advice (“5 Love Languages” anyone?), I really believe that you can find answers to most your problems in books. Is a book as effective as a financial adviser, maybe not; but it’s a lot less expensive.

So whether or not you’re currently attending ASDA’s National Leadership Conference in Chicago this weekend, you can still gain a lot of leadership insights just from picking up some reading material. Yes, you’ll have to put down the study guides and textbooks for a minute, but the break from dentistry might do you some good.

Read on for a list of leadership reads that can set you on the path to success in dental school and beyond.