The StAMP Fund was established in September 2016 by the WSPD Board of Trustees to assist residents from WSPD residency programs to attend the AAPD congressional advocacy days currently referred to as the AAPD Pediatric Oral Health Advocacy Conference (AAPD-POHAC).

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) conducts a congressional advocacy conference in Washington D.C. annually which takes place during the month of March. The purpose of the POHAC is to give our student members the experience and opportunity to participate in strengthening the voice of dentistry on behalf of children’s oral health at the national level. Advocacy efforts placing oral health at the forefront for health policy deliberations are very important for all of us to support. AAPD-POHAC also serves to continue building Congressional relationships, which is a critical part of advocacy and grass roots efforts.

Since its inception the WSPD has successfully funded eight (8) StAMP recipients from UNLV, University of Washington, NYU Langone-Hawaii, and one resident per year from the California programs (UCSF, UCLA). This year we also funded travel and expenses for our Western District Leadership Intern. We continually welcome applicants from WSPD residency programs. A call for applications is announced annually to all WSPD Residency Program Directors in the fall and applications are due by December 1.

All interested candidates should submit early to take advantage of this great opportunity to learn and experience advocacy through mentorship from our distinguished leaders.

Contact: wspdodontoblast@gmail.com