Click here to enlarge imageSteve: Gathering of Eagles has porcelain and titanium as its theme. With a world-class roster of speakers, participants will hear the most current thinking on creating beautiful esthetics on top of implants. Gerry Chiche, Avishai Sadan, Pascal and Michel Magne, and Urs Belser represent some of the boldest thinkers and innovators in dentistry today. They all continually push the envelope of what is possible and do it with grace and humility. Because the first two days of the meeting are organized into half-day blocks, the speakers will be able to develop their topics in much greater depth than traditional large meeting venues where each person gets 50 minutes. This format will allow a richness in the presentations, which gives our attendees much more to take home and put to use in their practices. We have posted in-depth descriptions of each of the presenters’ topics on the event Web site, www.pankeygatheringofeagles.com.
The final day of the meeting is a showcase of our own Pankey Scholars, a group of individuals who have fully integrated what they have learned at the Institute and have taken their work to very high levels. Six individuals will present for 25 minutes on a variety of topics related to our meeting theme, and Irwin Becker will close the meeting.
Kevin Henry: The Pankey Institute is a nonprofit organization that has always prided itself in education that is noncommercially biased. How are you handling commercial sponsorships for the Gathering of Eagles symposium?
Steve: In order to create a world-class event – and do it exceptionally well – we knew we needed a budget that would far outweigh what event tuition could support. We also knew that there are great companies out there who believe in what we do and have always wanted to support us. At the same time, we are committed to accepting commercial support for this event in the most ethical manner possible. Our speakers have all signed disclosure agreements which will be made public at the meeting. Our sponsors all understand our not-for-profit status and our longstanding belief that we must be free of commercial influence, and they are honoring that commitment. They will support the event financially, and in return they will have the opportunity to exhibit their products to 500 or more of the best dentists and dental educators in the world.
This is a change for the Institute and we are taking it very seriously, to the point that we are in the process of writing a position paper on the ethics of accepting commercial support. We believe that there is an achievable balance between accepting support and maintaining academic honesty, and that dentistry will benefit by actively seeking that balance.
Kevin Henry: What can we expect to happen in Miami Beach on November 5-8?
Steve: Our attendees can expect outstanding programming, great hospitality, and an enthusiastic welcome here in Miami. The venue is the Loews Miami Beach, right in the heart of South Beach where all the excitement of Miami is present. We encourage folks to come early and stay through the weekend so they can really enjoy the diversity and rhythm of the area. We will open the Institute for those who have never been here and would like to see our facility. We’ll have people available to help with local entertainment, restaurants, sightseeing, and activities, and, of course, you will be in the company of great dentists from around the world.
Kevin Henry: What has been the response to the Pankey Essentials course that began in November?
Steve: The response has far exceeded our expectations. Our visiting faculty have been wildly enthusiastic about how much better the new curriculum is and how much more quickly usable information is being presented for our participants. We have done a superior job of putting together workshops, lectures, and experiential exercises that are current, relevant, and fun. The response from our participants has been outstanding! In fact, the Essentials courses for the first quarter are completely full. We are confident that the new selection and arrangement of learning options will give dentists the tools they need to succeed in their practices.
Kevin Henry: What other new and different things can we anticipate from the Institute in the next year or so?
Steve: Right now, our developmental focus is on expanding our esthetics curriculum. Esthetics is a critically important piece of comprehensive care, and we will be adding two new courses in 2009. The faculty for these courses includes great people like Gerry Chiche, Tom Trinkner, Matt Roberts, Jim Fondriest, Susan Hollar, and J. A. Reynolds. Many of these excellent clinicians are also Accredited members of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry as well as being well versed in comprehensive care, occlusion, and function.
We will be looking at how to create a curriculum specific to implants and restorative dentistry for the general practitioner. Even though implants are an important part of complete care, there is still some mystery and uncertainty for many of us in general practice about how we can best serve our patients. My own experience of learning how to use implants was one of hit and miss, and I still find holes in my learning that I am trying to fill so that I can do my best for my patients. With the current trends in computerized diagnosis and treatment planning, there is a whole new arena to explore, and we plan to be on the cutting edge of helping dentists integrate into their practices. We hope to have those courses ready to go late in 2009.
We are continuing our Master’s series courses with Frank Spear and Pascal and Michel Magne, and they will be joined by others who are also incredibly gifted teachers and practitioners. As always, the Pankey Institute remains a place where dentists who wish to expand their knowledge in a safe, judgment-free, learning environment can come to rub shoulders with some of the best clinicians in the world. Perhaps the best part of Pankey learning is our visiting faculty, gifted practitioners who are in general practice and have the talent to help others achieve their own vision of excellence. Our learning community is truly wonderful and unique!