Aspen Dental Management Inc. Honored by American Society for Training and Development for Excellence in Professional Development

Members of the Training and Development team at Aspen Dental Management, Inc. received a CNY BEST Learning and Performance award from the American Society for Training and Development in recognition of excellence in learning and performance practices that link learning to strategic growth. Members of the ADMI team are as follows. Front, left to right: Robin Ivens, Operations Trainer; Carrie Clark, Manager, Operations Training; Lisa Brennan, Operations Trainer; David Sokolowski, Managing Director, Training and Development. Rear, left to right: Lenore O'Connor, Director, Operations Training; Mark Britz, Instructional Designer.

Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI) received a CNY BEST Learning and Performance award from the American Society for Training and Development in recognition of excellence in learning and performance practices that link learning to strategic growth.

ADMI’s Training and Development team was honored at the CNY BEST Awards Ceremony on June 10, 2010 for its Blended Learning Approach, a program based on the philosophy that today’s employees require ongoing support for learning, rather than single, exhaustive knowledge download. The team developed a series of e-learning modules using rapid e-learning tools, which were supplemented by written job-aids, SharePoint blogs and wikis to provide ongoing support and education. The program not only showed significant cost savings over traditional training delivery methods but also resulted in improved performance.

“Our training and development team fully believes that employees derive the greatest benefit from consistent, ongoing learning opportunities,” said David Sokolowski, managing director of training and development at ADMI. “Developing and implementing solid programs for clinicians and office staff in more than 245 Aspen Dental practices across 20 states is a huge challenge, so I’m incredibly proud of the team’s ingenuity in creating and implementing this award-winning initiative.”

ADMI has invested significantly in training in recent years; the company’s Practice Support Center in East Syracuse, which opened in 2006, houses a 90-seat auditorium to host regular, onsite training sessions. In 2009 alone, ADMI invested more than $6 million in support of professional development initiatives for 750 doctors, hygienists and office managers at the Support Center and in the field.

In addition to Sokolowski, members of the ADMI Training and Development team include Lenore O’Connor, director of operations training; Mark Britz, instructional designer; Carrie Clark, manager, operations training; Lisa Brennan, operations trainer; Robin Ivens, operations trainer; Mike Jimerson, director of laboratory performance improvement and Teresa Clonan, administrative assistant.

ABOUT ASPEN DENTAL & ADMI
With more than 245 locations in 20 states, Aspen Dental practices are committed to providing patients with affordable, high-quality dental care under the Aspen Dental brand. Aspen Dental practices are nationally accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and maintain an A+ rating with the BBB’s Reliability Report.

The Aspen Dental network of practices is supported by Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI), one of the largest and fastest-growing providers of integrated business services to dental practices in the U.S.

ADMI provides business expertise that allows dentists to focus on providing quality care to their patients. These services include training and professional development, benefits administration, marketing, insurance processing, procurement, facilities and equipment.

To learn more about careers at Aspen Dental, please visit www.aspendentaljobs.com. 

Oral Health America announces campaign

Oral Health America has announced launch of Fall for Smiles.

Fall for Smiles is a public messaging campaign conducted in collaboration with Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait, an initiative of the Dental Trade Alliance. The campaign begins in September 2010 to promote messages to consumers about the importance of self-care, good nutrition, regular dental visits, and tobacco avoidance in maintaining oral health.

During the campaign, OHA will announce the results of a public opinion survey on consumers’ beliefs about oral health. Sponsored by Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait and Plackers dental flossers, the survey of more than 1,000 adults and more than 1,000 children asked questions about oral care habits and perceptions.

Prior OHA surveys have shown that adults are unaware of the role that infectious bacteria play in tooth decay, and that time spent brushing teeth tends to diminish at nighttime and on weekends. This suggests that routines play a role in optimum oral care habits.

“The Fall for Smiles campaign is intended to bring the oral health community together to promote common messaging about what Americans can do to keep their mouths healthy,” said Beth Truett, president and CEO, Oral Health America.

“We are excited about the strong interest we have from the public and private sectors in a messaging campaign in the third quarter that reminds consumers about the importance of oral care routines as families are heading back to school and back to work.”

Fall for Smiles will include outreach to dental care providers through a participation booklet and kit created by Patterson Dental. The campaign will also dedicate a week to oral health issues faced by mature adults and older Americans, an initiative being sponsored by Aspen Dental. A “Tobacco Free Week” will focus on the oral health risks of tobacco use.

“Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait shares a common purpose with OHA’s Fall for Smiles campaign—to increase dental patient awareness,” said Gary Price, CEO, Dental Trade Alliance. “Our members are encouraged by the collaborative nature of this effort, and the multiple opportunities for outreach to patient populations and opinion leaders throughout the country.”

For more information, visit www.oralhealthamerica.org.

To read more about Oral Health America, go to Oral Health America.