2009 Herbert W. Nickens Award

Jeanne C. Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D.
American Dental Education Association

When it comes to bridging gaps, Jeanne C. Sinkford has few rivals. By bringing people and their goals together, she has created strategic partnerships to address disparities in care. By forging new alliances, she has enabled numerous aspiring minority health professionals to realize their ambitions. And as the nation's first female dean of a U.S. dental school, she has trail-blazed new paths for female professionals. These are just a few of the crowning achievements in what has been a remarkable career dedicated to ensuring diversity in health care.

As associate executive director of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), Dr. Sinkford oversees the association's Center for Equity and Diversity. Working in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, she has coordinated grant programs for dental schools, which fund recruitment and retention of women and minority students and faculty and promote primary care, prevention, and public health through academic partnerships, mentorship, and community-based projects. In this role, she also has established numerous pipeline programs to develop health leadership among women and minorities.

During her 16-year tenure as dean of Howard University College of Dentistry—where she now serves as dean and professor emeritus—Dr. Sinkford developed numerous community outreach programs, such as the Gage-Eckington Elementary School Dental Clinic. Based at a public school near the Howard campus, the clinic provided comprehensive dental care to elementary school children and was expanded to one of Washington, D.C.'s underserved neighborhoods through Sinkford's association with The Links, Inc.

As someone who likes to view "the big picture," Dr. Sinkford's philosophy about educational opportunity is much like her approach to dentistry. Just as "oral health is directly related to systemic health," she believes pipeline programs are also directly linked to making dental care accessible for minority populations. With this in mind, Dr. Sinkford has worked tirelessly to promote women and minorities in dental education and practice by connecting other professions within the health care and educational communities. That she has given real "teeth" to these and other efforts is no surprise to the many who have worked with her, including ADEA Executive Director Richard Valachovic, D.M.D., who called Dr. Sinkford the "consummate coalition-builder."

A renowned administrator, educator, and dentist, Dr. Sinkford's expertise has been solicited for numerous national committees and councils in the government and nonprofit sectors. As a member of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Ad Hoc Advisory Panel, Dr. Sinkford interviewed the surviving study participants and advised federal policymakers on policies to protect human subjects in its research. Later, as a member of the Sullivan Commission, she contributed to its landmark report, "Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions," and today serves on the Sullivan Alliance to Transform America's Health Professions. Additionally, Dr. Sinkford is a member of the National Institutes of Health Advisory Committee for Women's Health. She also serves as an advisor to the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program, a national, six-week academic enrichment program co-directed by the AAMC and ADEA, and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for freshman and sophomore college students who want to become doctors or dentists.

Dr. Sinkford received her B.S. and D.D.S. degrees from Howard University and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University. She completed her residency training in pediatric dentistry at the Children's Hospital National Medical Center.

About the Herbert W. Nickens Award

The Herbert W. Nickens Award honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to promoting justice in medical education and health care and is named for a former vice president of the AAMC.

Find out more about the Herbert W. Nickens Award.