ADA graduates last Leadership Institutes class
The last class of the ADA’s Leadership Institutes graduated in August, but the work of participants continues.
The Leadership Institutes were an evolution of the ADA Institute for Diversity in Leadership, decentralizing the ADA’s long-standing leadership development program based in Chicago to reach more dentists in the four regions representing all ADA districts. As part of the program, each participant put the leadership principles and training they received to practical use by selecting an issue or challenge in their community, organization or profession and developing and executing a plan to address it.
The Leadership Institutes were suspended as part of expense reductions approved by the ADA Board of Trustees in July in an ongoing effort to reduce deficit spending and return to a balanced budget. The ADA is working across its existing governance structure to examine duties and responsibilities so that objectives of discontinued programs are not forgotten.
Muhalab Al Sammarraie, D.D.S., one of the 2025 graduates, focused his project on strengthening the role of leadership in dental education and practice.
“I chose this because I believe leadership is not just a title but a skill set that dentists need early in their careers to serve patients, teams and communities effectively,” Dr. Al Sammarraie said.
As part of his project, he authored a New Dentist blog series on leadership, including pieces on mastering difficult conversations and speaking with clarity as a leader. Next up is a third installment on leading through uncertainty.
Dr. Al Sammarraie is also preparing an academic manuscript on emotional intelligence in dentistry that he hopes to publish in a dental journal next year.
“This is part of a long-term effort to build practical, evidence-based frameworks for leadership training in dentistry,” he said. “The Leadership Institutes may have ended, but the project continues to evolve as part of my broader commitment to developing future leaders in our profession.”
