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American Dental Education Association

Volume 3, No, 73, March 20, 2025
Congress Passes Funding Bill for FY 2025

 

The Congress passed and President Trump signed the H.R.1968, Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 which will fund federal government operations through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2025.

 

Continuing resolutions generally keep agency and program operations at the current rate and under the same terms and conditions as under current law. However, this new law contains provisions that will affect oral health and higher education.

 

The bill rescinds $280 million from the National Institutes of Health that funds its staff attendance at scientific conferences, improves privacy protections, ensures diverse populations are part of clinical trials and funds new opportunities for young researchers.

 

In the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) there is a cut of $890.8 million in unspecified HRSA-wide program support.

 

In the Department of Education, $202.3 million was cut from Higher Education accounts.

 

Specifics on these cuts will become known as they are implemented, and we will monitor and report on those disclosures when they occur.

 

Senate Committee Passes Nomination Hearing for FDA Commissioner

 

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a confirmation hearing for , M.D., M.P.H., for the position of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner.

 

Dr. Makary is a surgeon and public policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University. He has written for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, Unaccountable and The Price We Pay. Dr. Makary served in leadership positions at the World Health Organization Patient Safety Program and was elected, in 2018, to the National Academy of Medicine.

 

Makary emphasized his goals for the FDA, including advancing cures, meaningful treatments, diagnostics and rebuilding public trust. He praised President Donald Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for an opportunity to bring transparency and empower people to manage their health while committing to maintaining the FDA’s gold standard of science and common sense. When pressed by senators to clarify his stance on vaccines, he affirmed his support, stating that vaccines save lives and that preventable child deaths are a modern tragedy.

 

Dr. Makary’s nomination , by a 14-9 vote, out of committee. The nomination moves to the Senate floor for final approval.

 

Senate Committee Passes Nomination of NIH Director

 

The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee by a 12-11 vote, the nomination of , M.D., Ph.D., and Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

 

He holds an M.D. from Stanford School of Medicine and a Ph.D. from the Stanford School of Economics. His research focuses on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, with a particular emphasis on the role of government programs, biomedical innovation and economics.

 

Dr. Bhattachary testified before the Committee, criticizing the agency for fostering a culture that suppressed dissenting scientific views. He pledged to reform the NIH by encouraging open debate and protecting scientists, including early-career researchers, from retaliation for expressing differing perspectives. Dr. Bhattacharya, who was vocal against COVID-19 lockdowns, claimed he faced professional repercussions for his views and vowed to prevent similar treatment of others under his leadership.

 

Dr. Bhattacharya gained notoriety during the pandemic by co-authoring , which opposed widespread lockdowns and instead promoted achieving herd immunity by allowing low-risk individuals to be exposed while safeguarding vulnerable populations. Public health officials, including NIH leaders, condemned the declaration as reckless and unscientific, arguing it deviated from mainstream epidemiological consensus. Critics suggested that Dr. Bhattacharya's stance aligned more with political ideology than rigorous science, raising concerns about his suitability to lead the NIH.

 

In addition to his views on pandemic policies, Dr. Bhattacharya has criticized NIH’s grant funding process, claiming it favors established researchers at elite institutions while limiting opportunities for younger, innovative scientists. He argued that the agency’s bureaucracy hinders scientific progress and that reforms are needed to make funding more accessible and efficient. While his supporters believe these criticisms highlight the need for change, his detractors worry that his leadership could steer NIH away from evidence-based public health strategies.

 

Dr. Bhattacharya’s nomination moves to the Senate floor for final approval.

 

 

 
Multiple Dental Bills Pass First Chamber of Maryland General Assembly

 

Both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly have voted in favor of bills of interest to oral health and dentistry in recent weeks. Each of the summarized bills listed below has been sent to the opposite chamber for consideration:

  • expands the authorized courses of study an applicant may complete to qualify for an expanded function dental assistant (EFDA) certificate. Under the bill, a course of study for initial certification must include at least 35 hours of instruction consisting of both online and in-person instruction. The state’s Board of Dental Examiners (BDE) must also adopt regulations requiring continuing education that meet specified requirements, also clarifying the required number of hours for in-person instruction, online instruction and clinical, hands-on training. The BDE must reinstate an EFDA certificate that is expired only if the holder has completed the continuing education requirements, submitted a renewal application and paid the renewal fee set.
  • authorizes a licensed dental hygienist to practice under the general supervision of a licensed dentist in a school or school-based health center (SBHC) if the dental hygienist submits a statement of their intent to do so to the BDE. The bill also establishes a Maryland Collaborative to Improve Children’s Oral Health Through School-Based Programs to be staffed by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). The collaborative must submit an interim report to the Governor and the General Assembly of its findings and recommendations by Dec. 1, 2025, and a final report by Oct. 1, 2026.
  • requires, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, that each student enrolled in a public K-12 school submit a certificate of dental health on a schedule established by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The MDH must establish a Program for Student Dental Health, which must include:
    • 1) Standards for the periodic dental examinations of students;
    • 2) The creation of a certificate of health to be used by public schools;
    • 3) The creation of a standard form to be used by health care practitioners, parents and schools to certify a student’s dental health; and
    • 4) Information for students and parents on specified topics related to dental health.
    • MDH must implement the program on a schedule that allows each student to
      submit a certificate of dental health to the student’s public school beginning in the
      2027-2028 school year.
  • expands the scope of required training for individuals licensed or certified by a health occupations board to include implicit bias and structural racism. Applicants for the renewal of a license or certificate issued by a health occupations board must attest to completion of an approved implicit bias and structural racism training program the first time they renew their license or certificate after April 1, 2026. The Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Competency Program, in coordination with the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, must identify and approve implicit bias and structural racism training programs, as specified.
  • requires the BDE to issue a license to a dentist or dental hygienist licensed in another state within 15 business days after receiving the applicant’s completed application if the applicant otherwise meets the requirements for licensure. The bill also specifies the requirements a dental radiation technologist (DRT) authorized to practice in another state must meet to be quality for a DRT certificate from the BDE. If an applicant for a DRT certificate authorized to practice in another state meets the requirements for certification, the BDE must issue the certificate within 15 business days after receiving the completed application. The BDE may adopt regulations necessary to provide for the certification of individuals authorized to practice as a DRT in another state.

 

Iowa House Passes Bill That Would Establish Residency Minimums for Dental and Medical Schools

 

The Iowa House of Representatives that, if implemented, would require the state’s Board of Regents (BOR) to adopt a policy that requires at least 80% of students admitted to the University of Iowa College of Medicine and College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics to be Iowa residents or individuals who were enrolled at an Iowa postsecondary institution prior to application. Additionally, the University of Iowa, in collaboration with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), must submit an annual report to the General Assembly regarding the residency of graduates and medical residents in the year following their completion of education or training.

 

The bill has been sent to the Senate for consideration.

 

 

ADEA Advocacy in Action

This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.

 

Issues and Resources

  • ADEA on teledentistry
  • ADEA on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
  • ADEA policy regarding overprescription of antibiotics
  • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click .

The is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.

 

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA

ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer

 

Bridgette DeHart, J.D.

ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy

 

Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.

ADEA Senior Director of State Relations and Advocacy

 

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