5 ways DCA is building power through community

The number of women in dentistry is growing, and Dental Care Alliance is seeking to amplify their voices. The DSO recently launched a new employee resource group (ERG): Women of DCA. The ERG has five different collectives to help women connect and grow.

Johanna (Tes) Tesoniero, DDS, chief dental officer and executive sponsor, spoke with Dental Bite about the new ERG and the need for more women leaders in dentistry.

—Interview by Carrie Pallardy, edited by Bianca Prieto

What first inspired Dental Care Alliance to launch the Women of DCA employee resource group? 

We have been affiliated with Women in DSO and inspired by Women in DSO. We wanted to bring that to DCA and offer those individuals that see themselves as female an opportunity to connect, to grow, to create community and to feel empowered and really magnify their voice.

Can you tell me more about the goals of the ERG? How are DCA dentists engaging so far?

This is not something just for our dentists. This is something for the whole team. About 86% of the people at DCA identify as female, and we're here to support them and their allies.

We've created five collectives and those collectives focus on different aspects of that community. 

We have a collective that's focused on professional growth, mentorship and coaching. We have a collective that is focused on service, really giving back to the community and creating opportunities to do that. There's a wellness collective; the first initiative that we're undertaking with the wellness collective is focusing on mammograms and breast health. Then, there's a culture collective that's more social. And lastly, we have a voice collective that's more about advocacy and elevating those voices.

The number of women who are working in dentistry is growing. How do you view the ongoing opportunities and challenges for women dentists?

I'm really, really excited about the fact that we have a lot more representation of women, not just in dentistry, but overall in health care. 

What I'm not seeing necessarily in the industry is that many women are going into leadership positions. It's not just about representation, it's about empowerment. It's about being able to elevate those voices so that they are also part of the decision-makers in the industry. 

Any advice for women who want to step into leadership roles in dentistry?

It's really important that we don't shortchange ourselves. Women tend to be very analytical. One study showed, for example, that a woman would typically not apply to a job if they were unable to check all the boxes, whereas men would still apply for those positions.

It is women who are shortchanging themselves, not being able to take that leap of faith, even if they don't exactly match all of the established requirements. That's one thing that I think women can do: not shortchange themselves.

Also, look for opportunities to mentor other women. We need to be sponsoring each other. We need to be lifting each other up. We need to be looking for opportunities to grow and to help others grow as well.

This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

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Dental Bite is curated and written by Carrie Pallardy and edited by Lesley McKenzie.