Supreme Chapter         Volume XXXIX         October 2004

A Culturally Conscious Approach to Addressing Disparities in Oral Health: 
Emerging Models of Practice.

Presented by Melissa Welch, MD, MPH
March 7, 2004
Seattle, Washington

The changing demographics and economics of our growing multicultural world and the long-standing disparities in the health status of people from culturally and ethnically diverse population, has challenged all healthcare professionals to consider cultural competence a priority. 

Through the caring of these culturally and ethnically diverse clients, most healthcare professionals are now becoming more aware of their traditional healing practices. However, most healthcare professionals still know little about traditional healing practices involving the mouth. 

In addition, the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in America (2000) states that “despite the dramatic improvements in oral health, ethnically and culturally diverse populations do not have access to dental services and oral healthcare.” 

Omicron Kappa Upsilon, along with the National Dental Hygiene Honor Society Sigma Phi Alpha, sponsored a symposium at the 2004 ADEA Annual Session in Seattle, featuring Melissa Welch, MD, MPH, as a platform to explore these crucial themes. It is the intent of this presentation to provide oral healthcare professionals with a framework for rendering culturally conscious and responsive care. 

Dr. Melissa Welch's teaching interests and clinical experiences center on issues of diversity and cross-cultural medicine. She has served as a member of the Chancellor's Steering Committee on Diversity at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Her testimonial to the Chancellor's Committee on Diversity led to comprehensive training in diversity awareness to a core group of faculty and department chairs at UCSF.

In l995, Dr. Welch received a University Teaching Award to develop curricula in diversity and cross-cultural medicine for residents in the UCSF primary care and internal medicine residency training programs. In l996, she received a UC Regent's Diversity Initiative grant to support the ongoing development of diversity training across all the UCSF health professional schools. She is a Board member of the California Task Force for Culturally and Linguistically Competent Physicians and Dentists for FY2000-2002.   Her l998/99 training guide, "Enhancing Awareness and Improving Cultural Competence in Health Care: A Partnership Guide for Teaching Diversity and Cross-cultural Competence in Health Professional Training" has been distributed both locally and nationally.

She is the Principal and Founder of Perspectives of Differences Diversity Training and Consultation Services for Health Professionals (PODS DT) and offers a specialized "Training of Trainer’s Workshop" and Guide for health professionals seeking to introduce diversity curricula into clinical and academic settings.  Additionally, she provides guidance to health care systems on ways to structure health care service systems to bridge gaps in services for culturally diverse, under-served and uninsured health care consumers.

Dr. Welch is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF and a graduate of Harvard Medical School.  She currently works as the Medical Director for the Health Plan of San Mateo, a county-organized, Medi-Cal, managed care plan serving underserved populations of all ethnic/cultural backgrounds.

She is a certified diversity trainer and is committed to improving the awareness and appreciation of diversity in health professional training and to the systematic implementation of required diversity training throughout medical education. Dr. Welch lectures, conducts training for students, residents, and faculty, and consults on diversity and clinical program development in medicine, locally and nationally.