MISSION STATEMENT

From the Clinic Manual

Statement of Mission and Goals of the Case School of Dental Medicine

The mission of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine is to provide outstanding programs in oral health education, patient care, research and scholarship, and service that are of value to our constituents. We will accomplish this in an environment which fosters collegiality and professionalism, and that enables a diverse group of students to become competent practitioners of dentistry, and contribute to the health and well being of individuals and populations.

This mission will be achieved by pursuing the following goals:

EDUCATION

• Prepare students to become highly knowledgeable, clinically competent practitioners of general dentistry and dental specialties through the provision of curricula that integrate clinical, biomedical and behavioral sciences. Establish the foundations of caring, ethics, and professionalism throughout the learning process. This will be accomplished in an environment that fosters independent inquiry, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.

• Lead the profession in innovation in education.

PATIENT CARE

• Provide a broad range of high quality patient services as a principal means of furnishing clinical education opportunities for students. We will provide excellent care in an atmosphere that simulates the highest quality practice.

RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP

• Develop a focused research program to create new knowledge.

• Promote the role of the School of Dental Medicine as a scholarly and productive member of the university, health sciences, and dental communities.

• Establish a “culture of inquiry” as a foundation of our education and research programs.

SERVICE

• Extend institutional citizenship by providing school-based programs and outreach service and health education programs.

• Support the profession through service to, and leadership in, the dental professional communities, including partnering with others in continuing dental education.

VISION

This vision encompasses the pursuit of excellence in education, service, and research guided by shared values and mission, and carried out in an environment of collaboration, mutual respect and continual growth and development of faculty, staff, and students. The result of these activities will lead to the improvement of the human condition.

The Case School of Dental Medicine will be a renowned institution of learning, recognized for innovations in education, attracting the finest students from Ohio, the nation, and throughout the world. We will have experiential learning as a core component of our students’ education. We will continue to be known for our teaching methodology, among the most effective and time-efficient available anywhere in higher education. We will maintain a culture that supports students and learning and makes use of up to date technology to enhance our learning environment. Combining the expertise of our full-time faculty with that of master clinicians from the community, our educational program will produce dental practitioners who demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills of dentistry and who possess the capacity for critical thinking and managing information.

Our primary clinical focus will be the education of students through comprehensive patient care. The quality of care in our dental clinics will be widely recognized in the community. As a result of our expanded outreach programs, the School’s presence in Cleveland and in the state will be synonymous with service and caring for the underserved. Students will learn how to manage a practice, organize their activities, and care for patients in a manner analogous to the best professional practice.

We will be an asset to our community as a center of excellence in continuing education. We will make the professional imperative of continuing education relevant, convenient and time efficient for the practicing community. Characterized by a joint and mutually beneficial effort between the practicing professional and the school, our continuing education program will be a model for the profession.

We will have a culture of inquiry. In our focused research areas, we will be at the “cutting edge” of our profession through an innovative health research program. This program will build a research infrastructure that enhances research skills of current faculty and students, recruiting research-credentialed faculty, establish an institution-wide support group for new investigators, and initiated research mentor groups involving primary clinicians in basic and clinical research. We will establish strong interdisciplinary collaboration with other schools in the university and elsewhere in the world. We will be recognized as a leader in education research.

We will design an organizational structure and develop the resources necessary to achieve our vision of excellence in education, service, and research. We will be fiscally responsible in balancing our aspirations and resources. We will continue the pursuit of excellence in fundraising by strengthening our capacities to identify, cultivate, and solicit support from those who share our vision of the future. We will have a network to continually expand the number of people who share that vision.

National visibility and wide representation in related organization will enable us to predict and mold our future.

CORE VALUES

At Case School of Dental Medicine, we vigorously pursue our mission and shared vision guided by our commitment to the following values:

Excellence

• Striving to achieve the highest standards of performance

Integrity and Professionalism

• Adhering to ethical principles in all activities and relationships

Scholarship

• Pursuing, developing, applying, and disseminating new knowledge and skills

Patient-Centered Care

• Providing quality comprehensive care and service to each patient

Innovation

• Taking reasonable risks in innovating new ways of addressing opportunities and challenges

Collaboration

• Working with others in a spirit of mutual trust, respect, and collegiality

Diversity

• Acknowledging the enrichment of our environment through the diverse backgrounds and views of students, faculty, staff and patients

Stewardship

• Utilizing all human, material, and financial resources efficiently and wisely