Dr. Bradford Towne Completes the 2013 ADEA/AAL Institute for Teaching and Learning
Dr. Bradford Towne, Clinical Assistant Professor of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Director of Quality Assurance and Ambulatory Operations for Boston Medical Center, completed the 2013 American Dental Education Association/AAL Institute for Teaching and Learning (ADEA/AAL ITL) in October. The ADEA/AAL ITL is a two-phase, 50-hour program for early career faculty and dentists who are transitioning from private practice to a career in academia. Dr. Towne was one of two faculty selected by the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons to attend the ADEA/AAL ITL.
The final phase of the ADEA/AAL ITL took place October 17–19 in Atlanta. In addition to far-ranging class-wide discussions about dental education, participants engaged in intensive small-group projects and individual development work.
Dr. Towne said, “The ADEA/AAL ITL course was an outstanding program for me. It offered me an opportunity to learn how to more effectively communicate my practice experience and knowledge to our students and residents. I was honored to have been selected by the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons to attend this very informative and educational program. I have implemented many of the suggestions provided during the program.”
The ADEA/AAL ITL curriculum provides participants with hands-on experience of key teacher tasks and helps them attain a higher level of excellence in evidence-based clinical and didactic modalities of dental education. Some of the topics covered include: instructional design and course planning, teaching in the classroom and the clinic, writing assessments, learning styles and critical thinking, mentorship, contemporary dental education models, and academic career planning. The six days of onsite classes were conducted in two phases approximately two months apart, supplemented by a distance learning module.
Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter extended his praise and support: “Congratulations to Dr. Towne on his achievement. Dr. Towne’s dedication to continuing education advances the mission of the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine to shape the future of the profession through scholarship, creating and disseminating new knowledge, developing and using innovative technologies and educational methodologies, and by promoting critical thinking and lifelong learning.”
In addition to his positions at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Dr. Towne also holds an appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
Dr. Towne received his DMD from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. After graduating from dental school, he served three years in the United States Army. He completed his residency training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1983, and then practiced in Vermont until 2011. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) and served on several AAOMS committees, was a member of the AAOMS House of Delegates, and served on the AAOMS Board of Trustees from 1997 through 2001. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.
Dr. Towne is Board Certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology. He is a member of various professional organizations and has been honored by being inducted as a Fellow of both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists.