The 2022 ADEA Climate Study in US and Canadian Dental Schools and Allied Dental Programs: Methodological Considerations

ObjectivesFrom January 2020 to the end of August 2020, preliminary research gathered data about the need for and the feasibility of an ADEA-led joint Climate Study of dental schools and allied dental programs in the United States and Canada. Informed by these findings, the first ever ADEA-led joint Climate Study took place in 2022. The objectives of this manuscript were to describe the timeline of this climate study and provide information about its methodology, specifically about (a) who participated in this research, (b) what was assessed, (c) how the study was conducted, and (d) how the results were communicated.MethodsIn 2021, the consulting company Nonprofit HR, members of the ADEA Collaborative on Dental Education Climate Assessment and campus liaisons collaborated on designing the 2022 ADEA-led Climate Study.ResultsBetween January 1 and April 1, 2022, survey data were collected in the United States (N = 16,518), Canada (N = 1042), and Puerto Rico (N = 145) from 10,281 students, 2591 staff, 4026 faculty, 359 administrators, and 443 administrators with faculty positions in dental schools and allied dental programs. Social identity information about the respondents' gender identity, ethnicity/race, sexual orientation, and ability status was assessed. Survey questions focused on assessing respondents' perceptions/experiences with their own institutions' climate and the degree to which it was inclusive. The questionnaire collected information about their well-being, sense of belonging and cultural competence, their perceptions/experiences with harassment and discrimination, with their institutions' diversity, equity, and inclusion-related programming, activities, and leadership practices. Careful attention was given to how the data were collected and how the results were shared with the participating academic institutions and the dental education community at large.ConclusionsInstitution-specific results of this 2022 ADEA Climate Study were shared with the participating dental schools and allied dental programs to provide them with a better understanding of their own cultural climate. This special issue of the Journal of Dental Education provides dental educators with an overview of the results of this first ever ADEA-led Climate Study of U.S. and Canadian dental schools and allied dental programs.