Oral health education is uniquely positioned in this moment to bridge pathways for greater access to health for all. This is the moment where the potential surrounding health equity, social justice and groundbreaking technologies meet the ideals trailblazers in our community have been working toward for over 100 years. We are here to bridge our legacy with the profound impact of our profession today, moving forward as an inclusive community of creativity, collaboration and indomitable hope.
Todd V. Ester, D.D.S., M.A., Chair of the ADEA Board of Directors and Clinical Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Well-Being and People at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, knows first-hand about Bridging Pathways. As a first-generation college graduate born and raised in Detroit, MI, Dr. Ester understands the impact dentistry can have on one’s family and community. A modern-day trailblazer, Dr. Ester is a connector and mentor who, with compassion and purpose, has led many across the bridge into our great dental education community.
ADEA members are advancing access to greater health care every day. Whether spearheading a dental education-wide climate assessment in the United States and Canada; expanding access to oral health care services in our communities; partnering with global organizations to advance research and health equity; leading interprofessional initiatives among the academic professions and practice; ensuring tangible progress around faculty and leadership diversity, recruitment and retention; or developing sustainable models that will empower the next generation of oral health innovators, ADEA members are meeting this moment.
When he was growing up, Dr. Ester remembers looking across the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Canada, realizing the endless possibilities provided by that single pathway. He understood the multicultural confluence, historic progress and innovation born of the shared waters of the Detroit River (Rivière du Détroit).
It is in this very spirt of collaboration, innovation and our unwavering commitment to better health for all that we welcome the oral health community throughout North America and around the globe to join us for Bridging Pathways, Advancing Access―the 2026 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition―on March 21-24, 2026, in modern and multicultural Montréal, Canada.