VCU SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
the rest of the team needed to align their tools and resources to effectively serve the school ’ s mission .
Realising technology is everywhere and driving many of the priorities of the school and the future of the profession , they immersed themselves in the subject matter in order to better understand their stakeholders ’ needs , opportunities and challenges , and provide solutions .
“ I always say that this school lives at the intersection of education , health care and research ,” said Idleman . “ We educate future healthcare professionals , we treat patients , we perform leading-edge research and we build life-long relationships . That ' s very exciting . Technology is transforming each one of those areas , and our technology team is helping to drive that transformation .”
Dentistry has undergone a digital revolution in recent decades . For example , three-dimensional imaging with intraoral scanners is quickly replacing plaster moulds of teeth , and cone-beam computed tomography allows practitioners to understand their patient ’ s anatomy and dental needs more than conventional two-dimensional x-rays . However , this technology also creates immense amounts of data and requires careful integration with other systems essential to clinical operations .
In order to graduate dentists at the forefront of their profession , VCU School of Dentistry must be at the leading-edge of dentistry . The team tries to put itself in the shoes of the school ’ s dental , dental hygiene and advanced education students .
“ Our students need to understand technology and effortlessly interact with it to be successful here and in their future careers ,” said Talley . “ We have multiple units within the IT team that work with those
students and our faculty members to make sure we understand their needs and can provide a clean and successful experience .”
The combination of serving more than 500 patients a day plus supporting the educational needs of students and faculty make for a fast-paced and constantly evolving work environment with complex technical demands .
“ The key is aligning the knowledge and skills on our team with the operations of the school and clinics in a thoughtful and proactive way ,” said Canaday . “ We not only need to understand the goals , objectives and vision of the school ’ s administration and clinical directors , but we also need to maintain excellent relationships with the many vendors that supply and help us maintain the technology that the school relies upon .”
120 May 2023