Update - Community -Having a Field Day

Having a Field Day
3/26/2007

Joe Field makes history at the ADEA Annual Session in New Orleans.
By Veronica Jauriqui

Doctoral dental junior Joseph Field made history at this year’s American Dental Education Association conference, becoming the first USC dental student to be named ADEA’s top student representative.


Joe Field

Field was elected vice-president of ADEA’s Council of Students at its annual meeting last month in New Orleans. In his role, he will serve on the board of directors for ADEA, the leading national organization for dental education, and will represent student interests as the organization plans and charts its progress for the coming year. He will also help shape ADEA’s policies on matters of significance to dental education, including licensure, curriculum reform and access to care issues.

The new position came as a surprise to none other than Field himself, who was not considering pursuing the position when his previous role as vice-chair to ADEA’s Council of Students ended in March. Field has been involved in ADEA leadership since his first year as a doctoral dental student when he served as a regional representative.

“It was something I never really planned on doing,” he says. “But after a lot of encouragement from other students, faculty, staff and people within ADEA asking me to seriously consider the position, I realized I might not ever have this opportunity again. So I thought I should take advantage of it.”

In addition to his new position, Field also serves as student director for USC’s AYUDA clinic, co-president for the USC chapter of Alpha Omega and president of the Student Research Group. He is on the ASB council, the school’s IV sedation team and is the new father of five-month-old Miles.

“It will be a busy year, there’s no question about that,” Field says.

Also named in leadership roles at the ADEA conference: first-year doctoral dental student Keldon Carroll was elected regional representative for the Pacific Region and Matthew MacGinnis, a second-year doctoral dental student, was named center group leader for educational policy and research.