Korean American Dental Association

Happy New Year, everyone!

I am honored and excited to serve as the 30th president of The Korean American Dental Association.

Last year, Dr. Mindo Lee did a phenomenal job to bring about a paradigm shift in our organization! Not only was he able to meet the needs of the longstanding members but he was able to bring excitement and involvement of the younger generation of Korean American dentists and dental students. Dr. Lee was able to provide opportunities for more than 82 units of Continuing Education credits to our members, of which 60 units were at no additional cost. He successfully organized other multiple events to provide a platform where younger or newly graduated dentists and dental students were able to meet and connect with the seasoned dentists. Furthermore, KADA was represented in American Dental Association’s Presidents-Elect’s Conference (among the presidents of each state dental association) as well as ADA’s Diversity & Inclusion Conferences.

Due to the dedication of Dr. Lee and his board members, KADA has embraced the traditional values, culture, and intentions of our founding fathers along with the current need to bring new ideas and younger generation together as well as to improve diversity, inclusivity, and leadership in mainstream dentistry.
This year, the ADA has appointed KADA as one of the few organizations in the Task Force to Eliminate Barriers for Underrepresented Minorities in the Dental Profession. In addition, I have had meetings with Dr. George Shepley, the president of ADA and Dr. James Blake, the president of CDA to collaborate with KADA to better serve our community and promote oral health in Los Angeles, California, and the United States, as leaders of organized dentistry.

Internationally, KADA has signed a MOU with Korean Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Implantology to promote sharing of scientific learning. Furthermore, Korean Dental Association and Seoul Dental Associations have been supportive in our efforts by inviting us to Seoul International Dental Exhibition & Scientific Conference every year.

One of my most important goals for KADA this year is to foster new Korean American dentists and dental students to take ownership of our history-rich organization to make it the best contemporary dental organization for continuing education, mentorship, social fellowship, community service, and recognizable by mainstream dentistry. To help achieve these goals, I am fortunate to have the support of the members of the board, chairs & members of various committees, senior advisors, KADA Board of Trustees, many industry sponsors, and each & every members of KADA.

We are planning on having more quality Continuing Education courses, in addition to the “free” courses to fulfill California requirements for licensure, such as CPR, CA Dental Practice Act, OSHA Infection Control, and Opioid Prescribing. The Continuing Education Committee has been working already to offer the most contemporary and evidence-based dental education courses in live and remote formats. There will be two large academic sessions in addition to number of short courses, first one being a Summer Scientific Symposium and a Winter Scientific Symposium with an end of the year party!

KADA will also host many social events with all our members, corporate sponsors, other professional organizations like Korean American Graduate Medical Association, and alumni, students, and representatives from USC, UCLA, Loma Linda, and Western University Dental Schools.

Let’s make 2023 great!