ANNUAL HEALTH CARE ISSUE

EXCEPTIONAL PARENT MAGAZINE CATCHES UP WITH DR. BARRY WALDMAN

BY RICK RADER, MD

It's no poetic statement to say we "caught up" with Dr. Barry Waldman. He is a spry, active and energetic professional, always on the move. It is estimated that most clinicians in their lifetime publish less than one article in a journal. Dr. Waldman has published over 1,000. While he has had his share of peer reviewed articles published in the most prestigious national and international journals, he has also concentrated on articles for non-clinicians. He has established a devoted audience of students, parents, teachers, administrators, advocates, public health researchers, individuals with disabilities, and policy makers.

He has a unique ability to demonstrate how "big data" can be understood and applied to creating strategies to improve the lives of members of the disability community. He thrives on exploring the nooks and crannies of healthcare disparities, often exposing vital features that are sometimes purposefully ignored, overlooked, or disregarded. It's no wonder that his followers are known as "Waldman's Warriors." They use his insights as battering rams to gain entrance into various healthcare enterprises. EP has been fortunate to have Dr. Waldman as its most prized contributor. – Rick Rader, MD, Editor in chief, EP Magazine

EP Magazine: Dr. Waldman, EP readers have been focused on your monthly articles for many years. How many articles have you published (including EP-featured articles and in other journals)?

Dr. Barry Waldman: Close to 1,200 articles, book chapters, including more than 400 related to the needs of youngsters and adults with disabilities – which in turn included more than 100 items in EP. Many of my colleagues added their experiences and knowledge to these publications.

EP: Can you provide us with a thumbnail of your career in dental education and dental advocacy for the special needs community?

BW: During my dental school experiences in the mid-1950s, individuals with disabilities "did not exist." They were kept hidden in institutions (mostly out of town) or in the back room of private homes; but with little to no formal educational experiences. We never learned how to provide for this patient population.

After two years in Navy, I was awarded a two-year scholarship from the Cerebral Palsy Association to train for two years as a pediatric dentist to provide care for youngsters with a wide range of special needs. This followed with a two-year degree in Public Health which awakened me to the wide range of needs in our communities.

I was then employed to develop a program from a hospital in the metropolitan Cleveland Ohio area, with private dentists and students from Western Reserve Dental School to provide dental care to individuals with special needs in their homes and nursing homes). My father applauded when I finally got my first real job. A three-year course at the University of Michigan for a doctoral degree in health system analysis rounded out my training as I began my half century of teaching, writing and attempting to advance training and experiences of soon-to-be dentists at Stony Brook University In New York.

In the early 1970s, dental schools were still not required to provide educational experiences for the care of individuals with special needs. I tried to advocate for changes but failed. The accrediting body for dental and dental hygiene schools refused for economic, personnel shortage, etc. reasons. I decided that honesty was not the best approach.

SO, I THEN LIED! I made up the  story that a national television, newspaper and magazine columnist (who truly had a son with Down syndrome) was going to go public that the Commission on Dental Accreditation wasn't permitting the preparation of students to care for individuals with special needs. IT WORKED! In one week, a new standard was issued which required dental and dental hygiene schools to provide training for the care individuals with special needs; the American Dental Association modified its Code of Ethics to ensure the needed care for this special population.

EP: Dr. Waldman, What advice would you give to those in the early stages of their clinical career in terms of having them publish articles. How should they get started?

BW: First of all; a career in dentistry has long been "advertised" as a career in medicine that is concentrated on the technical aspects of the field. Yes, that's true, but that is only one aspect of the profession. We provide care to people, all kinds of individuals, young and old, male and female, the healthy and not so healthy, and so on. It is both difficult and rewarding. But, have you ever noticed how often innovations are offered by the younger and new members of a field (who have not learned the "correct way" of performing some activity)?

These new ideas and technologies are where you can step in. Your first effort to tell (i.e. teach) your colleagues about your ideas do not have to be emblazoned in the Journal of American Dental or Medical Associations. Local journals and publications are more than excited by the material from young and new members of their profession. And then there is the excitement of seeing your words (and name) in print. I may have published almost 1,200 articles in my career, but I still have a special place in my memory bank for my first article in 1964.

EP: Walk us through the anatomy of a "Dr Waldman Article."

BW: Through my years of multiple college education (long before there were computers) I learned to read from books and to use verbal means of communication. So much of what I write has been initiated by the words of the proverbial "giants" upon whose shoulders I stand. I've attempted to interpret their ideas and thoughts from a new and innovative perspective. In addition, I have been most fortunate in the past decades to have joined with Dr. Steven Perlman, Global Clinical Director of the Special Smiles Program of Special Olympics, as well other members of the America Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry. Together we have sought to: 1) present our material in an upbeat and realistic manner, and 2) not judge the actions taken by those who spend a greater component of their lives caring for and raising youngster's with special needs. I've never forgotten the advice that I received in my early days of writing, "Never forget for whom you are writing."

EP: How have you seen the disability landscape change over the last 10, 20 (wheelchair) years?

BW: Parking spots with prominent wheelchair signs are giving way to signs with people racing while seated in a wheel chairs; highlighting the determination of individuals with disabilities. The "R" has been replaced by "people with…" School age children with intellectual and physical disabilities are now prominently included in general classroom settings. We see people of all ages with disabilities in our shopping malls when they were open (prior to the coronovirus-19). explosion). Not too long ago, I witnessed a Broadway show, where one of the leading actresses was sitting in a wheelchair, sang and interacted with the rest of the cast. A few days later, a television performance included a man and woman dancing a pas de deux with woman who was gently lifted in her wheelchair; it was just beautiful and special. Yes, the landscape has changed and improved. BUT many individuals with disabilities are unemployed or have lower incomes. Many are ridiculed for any number of reasons. Men and women with disabilities are physical abused; particularly women. We've come a long way – with an additional long way remaining.

EP: Looking back at your career what would you cite as the most rewarding aspects of it? Likewise, what was the most frustrating and disappointing?

BW: My early years of training in dental school during the mid1950s followed by providing care for patients with disabilities in their homes, was frustrated by the antiquity of equipment and limitations in available material to deliver needed care. But it was the smiles, hugs (and some kisses) from the homebound upon the completion of our work that made it all worthwhile.

However, when I joined the faculty (in 1970) at Stony Brook (actually, as the first faculty member of a brand-new school, I was the faculty); I learned how difficult it was to initiate change and introduce new ideas. Individuals with disabilities still had not been "discovered". Not only had regulations for accreditation of schools not included the preparation of students for the care of individuals with special needs, the blueprints for the construction of the building did not include the architectural needs for these patients. In fact, one of the dental school faculty members who was wheelchair bound, filed a complaint with a federal agency regarding the inadequacies. This stopped the construction of the entire Health Sciences Center, including the hospital, until needed modifications were made.

My greatest joy has been to see the results of my efforts to pre pare the next generation of students to provide for the care of children and adults with special needs – which unfortunately, had to be accomplished by lying.

EP: It's obvious that you have no plans to retire, at least for the immediate future. What can EP readers expect from Dr. Waldman in the next five years? What targets are in your crosshairs, where do you see your energies being best served on behalf of the disability community?

BW: Since I'm "only" 85 years of age, I believe that there is time for me to continue my efforts to ensure the care for individuals with disabilities. There is at least one item on my agenda. Thousands of dentists are still in practice, who graduated from dental schools prior the institution of requirements that their education should include the preparation for the care of patients with special needs. In many of the professions, there are requirements for mandatory continuing education requirements. Why not place course requirements to prepare these practitioners to care for youngsters and adults with needs? It should be noted that the American Dental Association's Code of Ethics specifically states that practitioners may not discriminate again individuals with disabilities. •