Dentists and dental students came together in Washington, D.C., March 20-22 to discuss issues affecting the dental profession, network with students and practitioners from across the country, and meet with members of Congress. For many students like me, this was the first time attending an in-person Lobby Day.
This past April, as part of the ADA Dentist and Student Lobby Day in Washington D.C, 1,000 dentists and dental students went to Capitol Hill to lobby for the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA), legislation that would help children with congenital anomalies.
Marquette University incorporates the state legislative day into its core curriculum, and this year, all D2s and D3s attended the event. Students joined forces with the Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) to speak against the bill with one voice. Here are highlights from the 2019 legislative day.
I remember my first Advocacy Academy, hosted by the Arizona Dental Association (AzDA). I was nervous about participating in my first ASDA legislative event. I had never considered myself interested in politics before dental school; in fact, the topic made me uneasy. So why did I get up on a Saturday morning to come to this event?
Next week, hundreds of dental students and dentists will be participating in my favorite day: lobby day. This year will be exciting, as we have two pieces of legislation that have passed the House with overwhelming support, and it’s also the second year that ADA and ASDA have lobbied together on Capitol Hill. The beauty of this day is that regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or political persuasion, we unite as one “tooth party” to advocate for legislation that promotes oral health.
ADA Dentist and Student Lobby Day is just around the corner. Whether it will be your first time attending or you’ve participated before, you will experience a whirlwind of emotions, as will many of your ASDA colleagues. Knowing that your peers feel the same way is reassuring — but knowing that puppies feel the same is just plain adorable. Here are eight common emotions you’ll experience throughout Lobby Day, as illustrated by pups.
Lobby days are a fun and effective way to develop relationships with your congressional representatives. The goal of a lobby day is to inform politicians about the issues that affect the dental profession and the oral health of the greater community. Meeting with legislators during a lobby day will hopefully persuade them to vote in a certain way on active bills. But how do you plan a lobby day?
