In March 2020, the world shutdown. The covid sabbatical was a great opportunity to engage dentistry in a novel way. I discovered ACT dental as Kirk and company were linked into the smartest minds in dentistry and through this collaboration, I felt new connections were made throughout the field.  There were discoveries to be made. One day a watched the impressive  4-5-6 lecture from Bill Robbins. I had seen Bill years before at the Kois Center and at national meetings and thought to myself, "why can’t I help incorporate his teachings into my wheelhouse?” After 40 years of dental practice, I saw an opportunity to grow in my ability to help my patients. I knew many of the pieces of the puzzle , but still did not have a cogent  system to employ these pieces into a coherent and complete dental analysis and treatment plan. Lo and behold, Bill connected with Jim Otten, and the pieces began to fall together. They formed a collaboration which they named GDE “ Global Dental Education” which was comprised of a group of dentists interested in significantly improving their skill sets in every aspect  science, clinical, and behavioral based dentistry. 

Our GDE family employed the top clinicians and dental scientists available to deliver live lectures on advanced topics. The beauty of GDE is that each participant has the opportunity to document cases and apply the acquired skills learned and to present these cases for the edification of the group. This is the ideal study club as the more experienced mentors interact with dentists at every skill level with the goal of letting each participant grow in their ability to apply advanced skills when treating patients. Dentistry is a lifelong learning profession. The learning ladder branches in many directions and each branch enhances our ability to serve patients in a more comprehensive manner. What Jim and Bill have done with GDE is provide each participant to climb the ladders to a successful practice as taught by the experts. These are not podium lectures, these are interactive learning events. I have found a rich vein of dental gold which has significantly improved my ability to help patients. I am grateful for this unique learning  experience.