The Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FKG UGM), welcomed a visit from Institut Kesehatan Helvetia (IKH) on Monday (14/1) to exchange knowledge and experiences in dental education. The event was attended by key officials from both institutions, including the Dean of FKG UGM, Prof. drg. Suryono, and the Rector of IKH, Dr. Ismail Efendy.
Held in the FKG UGM meeting room, the visit was also attended by the Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. drg. Rosa Amalia, and the Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, and Collaboration, drg. Trianna Wahyu Utami. Additionally, representatives from the Undergraduate Dentistry Program and the Dentistry Professional Program at FKG UGM participated in the event.
Rector of IKH, Dr. Ismail Efendy, stated that the Dentistry program at IKH is only two years old, and they wish to learn from FKG UGM’s extensive experience. “We would like to learn about governance, infrastructure, curriculum, and quality assurance at FKG UGM,” he said.
Dean Suryono warmly welcomed the IKH team and emphasized that FKG UGM is open to anyone with a mission to advance dental education in Indonesia. “We are happy to support anyone committed to improving the quality of dental education,” he added.
Furthermore, Dean Suryono encouraged IKH’s Faculty of Dentistry to join the Indonesian Association of Dental Faculties (AFDOKGI). He explained that membership in AFDOKGI offers numerous benefits, including the opportunity to establish professional networks with other dental faculties across Indonesia. This could open doors for collaboration and valuable knowledge exchange.
“Equally important, AFDOKGI serves as a platform to voice the interests of dental faculties in national policy-making, ensuring that the concerns of dental education institutions are heard by the government,” Suryono noted.
As the Head of the Dentistry Program at IKH, drg. Budi expressed his commitment to continuously improving the quality of the curriculum at IKH. “We want to ensure that our curriculum meets high educational standards,” he stated.
Responding to this, Prof. drg. Rosa Amalia explained that FKG UGM implements an outcome-based educationcurriculum. “To maintain curriculum quality, we conduct regular evaluations and monitoring, involving stakeholders and alumni in curriculum development,” she explained.
The discussions during the event covered various essential topics, including curriculum development, teaching methods, and collaboration between educational institutions. This visit is expected to strengthen the relationship between FKG UGM and IKH while contributing to the enhancement of dental education quality in Indonesia.
With a spirit of collaboration and knowledge-sharing, both institutions hope to continue working together to advance dental education, producing highly competent medical professionals ready to face future challenges.
Author and Photo: Fajar Budi H.
