frequently asked questions
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Who are the Global Dental Ambassadors (GDA)?
GDA members are volunteers who are committed to exchanging knowledge, experiences, and culture among oral health professionals on a global scale. Volunteers self-subsidize the costs for travel, lodging, excursions, meals, and incidentals to participate on the GDA collaborations around the world.
GDA members are volunteers who are committed to exchanging knowledge, experiences, and culture among oral health professionals on a global scale. Volunteers self-subsidize the costs for travel, lodging, excursions, meals, and incidentals to participate on the GDA collaborations around the world.
How did GDA begin?
The idea of GDA was developed by Dr. David Okuji, who is interested in the international collaboration of oral health professionals. Dr. Okuji had worked internationally early in his career and learned that non-U.S. oral health professionals had a variety of perspectives on oral health issues, which did not necessarily align with the U.S. trained dentists. Over recent years, Dr. Okuji has met a large number of oral health leaders throughout the world and inquired of these global oral health leaders if they saw value in developing international collaborations for academic exchange. These leaders responded with a resounding "Yes", and thus, GDA was born.
The idea of GDA was developed by Dr. David Okuji, who is interested in the international collaboration of oral health professionals. Dr. Okuji had worked internationally early in his career and learned that non-U.S. oral health professionals had a variety of perspectives on oral health issues, which did not necessarily align with the U.S. trained dentists. Over recent years, Dr. Okuji has met a large number of oral health leaders throughout the world and inquired of these global oral health leaders if they saw value in developing international collaborations for academic exchange. These leaders responded with a resounding "Yes", and thus, GDA was born.
Who sponsors the GDA trips?
GDA is a grass-roots organization driven by volunteers and was conceived by Dr. David Okuji, a pediatric dentist and educator with the NYU Lutheran-Department of Dental Medicine, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and the NYU College of Dentistry. It is important to note that none of these educational institutions sponsor the trip and that the GDA trips are strictly comprised of and subsidized by volunteers.
GDA is a grass-roots organization driven by volunteers and was conceived by Dr. David Okuji, a pediatric dentist and educator with the NYU Lutheran-Department of Dental Medicine, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and the NYU College of Dentistry. It is important to note that none of these educational institutions sponsor the trip and that the GDA trips are strictly comprised of and subsidized by volunteers.
What is GDA?
GDA is a group of like-minded volunteers who wish to participate on academic mission trips around the world and share a common goal to exchange knowledge, experiences, and culture among oral health professionals. The basic concept is that GDA will impact more lives around the world through the sharing of information amongst the global oral health professionals who will treat patients over a long clinical career.
GDA is a group of like-minded volunteers who wish to participate on academic mission trips around the world and share a common goal to exchange knowledge, experiences, and culture among oral health professionals. The basic concept is that GDA will impact more lives around the world through the sharing of information amongst the global oral health professionals who will treat patients over a long clinical career.
Is there funding available to support the volunteers?
There are no outside funds to support the volunteers. However, GDA attempts to arrange the granting of continuing dental education credit for volunteers for each trip. It is suggested that volunteers consult with their tax professionals to determine if the costs for the trip are tax deductible as continuing education or charitable contributions.
There are no outside funds to support the volunteers. However, GDA attempts to arrange the granting of continuing dental education credit for volunteers for each trip. It is suggested that volunteers consult with their tax professionals to determine if the costs for the trip are tax deductible as continuing education or charitable contributions.
What are the duties and responsibilities for volunteers?
The general duties and responsibilities for volunteers are listed below.
The general duties and responsibilities for volunteers are listed below.
- Participate on phone conferences for planning meetings
- Read and exchange informational posts on the team's Google Group communication platform
- Develop and present material for lectures and small-group seminar sessions (e.g., PowerPoint presentations, case studies, literature review reading lists)
- Self-subsidize travel, lodging, excursions, meals, and incidental expenses
- Complete multiple pre- and post-trip online surveys
- GDA utilizes the "train-the-trainer" philosophy and hopes that volunteers will agree to lead future trips, with administrative support from GDA
Do volunteers need passports and visas?
Volunteers are responsible for and will need to follow U.S. and host-country regulations for international travel. An excellent resource is the U.S. Department of State website on U.S. passports and international travel link.
Volunteers are responsible for and will need to follow U.S. and host-country regulations for international travel. An excellent resource is the U.S. Department of State website on U.S. passports and international travel link.