Pamela Zarkowski, BSDH, MPH, JD, serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs at University of Detroit Mercy, where she is also a professor in the School of Dentistry, Department of Patient Management. Zarkowski lectures on multiple subjects, including topics related to cultural diversity, and has published extensively in the areas of legal and ethical issues for the health professions. She is also a Dimensions of Dental Hygiene Editorial Advisory Board member. Zarkowski can be reached at: zarkowp1@udmercy.edu.
Oral health professionals are charged with encouraging open communication with patients, and understanding their perception of health and disease, as influenced by traditional beliefs.