Dr. Jeff Baggett, a general dentist in Edmund, Okla., was looking for new opportunities to use his skills as a speaker and that is when he learned about the ADA’s New and Emerging Speaker Stage program before last year’s Annual Session in Orlando.
The dental specialist decided to get out of his comfort zone and speak at the ADA meeting. Dr. Baggett has been speaking at The Pankey Institute since 1987, but I had never spoken at the ADA Annual Session. The fantastic performance on the inaugural New and Emerging Speaker Stage in 2010 landed him at spot in the 2011 Annual Session speaker lineup. He will present Occlusion in Everyday Dentistry and Occlusal Concepts and Pearls for Restorative Success at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in October.
A general dentist for the past 30 years and speaking has already opened up some other opportunities for him.
The other participant, Dr. Miguel Vidal, staff prosthodontist for the Massachusetts General Hospital Division of Dentistry, also had the opportunity to display his speaking skills on last year’s New and Emerging Speaker Stage. Dr Vidal didn’t want this fantastic opportunity to pass by him.
Dr. Vidal’s prior speaking experience included a variety of venues, from presentations at local study clubs to national meetings. This year, he will present Optimizing Esthetic Results for Trauma Patients at the ADA Annual Session in Las Vegas in October.
In 2010, the first year of the program, the Council on ADA Sessions chose 18 presenters from more than 140 submissions. The New and Emerging Speaker Stage offers up-and-coming professional educators the chance to present a one-hour lecture during Annual Session and to be seen by scouts from other dental meetings. Applicants have much to gain by being seen and lecturing on this known platform.