The College of Dentistry Celebrates Women’s History Month
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The month of March honors the strides and breakthroughs of women throughout history, as well as highlighting growth in certain career fields. The makeup of dental schools has changed significantly in the past ten years, and more women are graduating from dental school than ever.
In 1978, women made up only 11% of dental school graduates, according to the American Dental Association. Mainly due to demographic shifts in society and the workforce, such as the women’s liberation movement, women began to pursue higher education and join the workforce. Not only was the percentage of women in dental school growing, the number of women in leadership positions in dental education and professional organizations grew as well. The American Association of Women Dentists was established in 1921 and just celebrated 100 years of connecting and nurturing women dentists. As a national organization, the AAWD supports its members from dental school to retirement and is the only dues-based national organization specifically designed to represent female dentists on a national level.
In the past ten years, the number of female dentists has grown roughly 10%. In 2020, there were 34.5% female dentists as opposed to 24.1% in 2010, and the number keeps increasing. At UIC, the patterns are matching up with the makeup of dentists in the workforce. The College has come a long way since its first female graduate, Dr. Mae Tilton, of the Class of 1899. The College’s first majority female class was the Class of 2004, and since then, many of the DDS classes consist of a majority of female students. The DMD Class of 2022 enrollment for female students was 54% and the DMD Class of 2025 sits at 63%. The College’s DMD-AS Class of 2024 follows the same trend – 79% of the program’s students are female, up from 73% in the Class of 2023.
The College’s own female dental students, faculty, researchers and practitioners have contributed to the community and caliber of dental services offered at the College. Each one adds to our rich and diverse network of dental professionals and enhances the future of dentistry. Four women dentists who are associated with the College have been named Dental Products Report Magazine’s Top 25 Women in Dentistry – alumnae Dr. Dushanka V. Kleinman, ’73, and Dr. Sheri B. Doniger, ’83, faculty Dr. Luisa A. DiPietro, and former professor Dr. Antonia Kolokythas, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery ’04, MS Oral Sciences ’11.
Dr. Susan Rowan, executive associate dean, associate dean for clinical affairs, and clinical professor in the restorative dentistry department has been a part of that growth since she was a student at UIC, and can speak directly from her experience as a dental student to a dental professional and leader.
“I was proud to be one of approximately 30 women dental students in a class of 160 in 1984, and it is heartwarming to see the increase in the number of women interested in the profession.” said Dr. Rowan. “My career choice was one of the best decisions of my life.”
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“I was proud to be one of approximately 30 women dental students in a class of 160 in 1984, and it is heartwarming to see the increase in the number of women interested in the profession. My career choice was one of the best decisions of my life.”
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Second-year Orthodontics resident Dr. Pheba Abraham completed her DMD in 2020 and in her journey as a dental professional has found confidence as the key to success.
“If I could sum up my journey to provide a quote, it would be, “’Walk into the room with humility and confidence, like your ancestors opened the door,’” said Dr. Abraham.
Dr. Pheba Abraham Quote Heading link
“If I could sum up my journey to provide a quote, it would be, “’Walk into the room with humility and confidence, like your ancestors opened the door.'”
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The College celebrates the women who have paved the way for the next generation, and what’s even more exciting is the news that after 109 years we will have the first female interim dean, Dr. Susan Rowan.