Jeanne Craig Sinkford (born 1933) is an American dentist and academic administrator. She was the first female dean of an American dental school. She is a senior scholar in residence at the American Dental Education Association and a professor and dean emeritus at the dental school of Howard University.

Biography

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Sinkford was born in 1933, one of four sisters who all went on to attend college. She said that her parents, a grandfather, and her experiences at a Catholic middle school contributed to her disciplined upbringing. She attended Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., a school for high-achieving African Americans, where she was a member of the cadet corps.[1]

At the age of 16, Sinkford enrolled in college at Howard University, studying psychology and chemistry before pursuing dental school there. After graduating from dental school, Sinkford was a faculty member in prosthodontics, had a part-time dental practice, and earned a Ph.D. in physiology at Northwestern University. This made her the first female prosthodontist with a PhD degree.[2]

Later, she chaired the prosthodontics department at Howard,[1] and she completed a residency in pediatric dentistry in 1974-1975.[3] On July 1, 1975, Sinkford became the first female dean of an American dental school when she was appointed the dean of Howard University, School of Dentistry.[4] Sinkford remained dean until 1991. Sinkford then became associate executive director of the American Dental Education Association.[5] She established its Center for Equity and Diversity in 1998, and directed it for 17 years.[6]

In 2015, Sinkford received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Dental Association.[7] She is also a past recipient of the Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Denists and the International College of Dentists.[8]

Sinkford met her husband Stanley at Howard University. He became a cardiologist.[1] They had three children.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Jeanne C. Sinkford (1933–)". Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  2. ^ https://www.prosthodontics.org/assets/1/7/Women-In-Prosthodontics-PDF-SM.pdf
  3. ^ Gates, Paul E. (29 October 2007). "Dr. Jeanne C. Sinkford". Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 18 (5): 731–734. doi:10.1353/hpu.2007.0094. ISSN 1548-6869. PMID 17982201. S2CID 36404646.
  4. ^ "June 2002 CDA Journal - Feature Article, Copyright 2002 Journal of the California Dental Association". Cda.org. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  5. ^ Alvares, Olav (2009). "The Journal of Dental Education, 2000–09: A Decade of Change". Journal of Dental Education. 73 (2): 155–159. doi:10.1002/j.0022-0337.2009.73.2.tb04648.x. PMID 19234069. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  6. ^ "Access, Diversity and Inclusion: American Dental Education Association". 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "ADA Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Jeanne Sinkford". American Dental Association. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  8. ^ Smith, Jessie Carney (1996). Notable Black American Women, Book 2. VNR AG. pp. 598–601. ISBN 9780810391772. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  9. ^ "Aetna: African American History Calendar: 2004: Jeanne C. Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D.: Profile". www.aetna.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.