University at Buffalo (UB)
STEER-Staff Program
Eligibility Criteria
STEER-Staff Mentors: Faculty and staff (administrative and allied health) who have been at UB SDM a minimum of 2 years.
STEER-Staff Fellows: Allied dental health professionals at UB SDM. Allied health staff may apply directly to the program. Alternatively, supervisors and chairs may nominate staff in their departments.
Fellowship Dates
STEER-Staff fellows and mentors participate in a six-month fellowship beginning in January 2024 and ending in June 2024.
Program Administration
The SDM Office of Faculty Affairs will work with inputs from STEER fellows to form mentoring pairs. Mentoring pairs will include the STEER fellow and one (1) primary mentor. The SDM Office of Faculty Affairs will administer all program components and evaluation methods.
Curriculum
STEER curriculum has been designed to support professional development of dental professionals. Participants will utilize tools to self-assess and develop career plans. Core curriculum will focus on the needs of the selected cohort and could include clinical practice, leadership, professional development, promotion and tenure, teaching, research and service.
Core curriculum will be delivered through the following activities:
- One-on-one mentor meetings: Bi-monthly closed meetings for fellows and their mentors to develop and follow a mentoring plan and review their career goals using individual development plans.
- Cohort meetings: Bi-monthly closed informal meetings for all fellows to discuss topics of importance to them. These meetings will be flexible, social gatherings for all fellows.
- Expert Insight Presentations: Bi-monthly closed presentations for fellows and their mentors delivered by expert guests who will present topics that will further the professional growth and development of STEER fellows.
- Faculty Advancement Seminars: Quarterly presentations open to the SDM community with topics from research, teaching, clinical care and service/professional development.
Program Components (example topics)
- Best practices in clinical care (discipline specific)
- Clinic efficiencies
- Digital technologies
- Infection and hazard control and quality assurance
- Teaching clinical skills
- Customer Service
- Interviewing
- Managing Teams
- Conflict Resolution
- De-Escalation
- Service commitments such as departmental, school-wide, university, community
- Health care disparities
- Public health
- Service learning
- Outreach
- AxiUm
- Billing Systems
- Software (ex. Microsoft Office Suites)
- Teaching and learning
- Presentations and public speaking
- Best practices in inclusive pedagogy
- Promotion and advancement
- Career and financial planning
- Time management
- Advocating and networking
- Leadership
- Administrative skills
- Work/life balance
The 2023-24 application period has closed.
The 2023-24 application period has closed.
Questions?
Please direct any questions to Dr. Debra Stamm at dstamm@buffalo.edu.
The STEER fellowship program was established by the SDM Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in collaboration with the UB Office for Inclusive Excellence and the UB SDM Faculty Affairs, as well as national and international experts. It is funded in part by the ADEAGies Foundation and the UB Office of Inclusive Excellence. Portions of this program have been adapted from resources from the Boston University School of Public Health Faculty Mentoring Program, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Bill and Karen Campbell Faculty Mentoring Program, the UNC School of Medicine Faculty Development Fellowship, and the Loyola University Medical Center’s MacNeal Faculty Development Fellowship.