Austin Oral Surgery Seeks to Empower Women, Extinguish Human Trafficking and Ignite Hope

In honor of March, recognized throughout the U.S. as Women’s History Month, Austin Oral Surgery will host its sixth annual Lucy Hobbs Project – “where the future of dentistry meets a whole lot of girl power!” The event will be held on March 6, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Norris Center, located at 2525 W. Anderson Lane, Suite 365, Austin, 78757. Named for Lucy Hobbs Taylor – the first woman to earn a dental degree – the annual event was designed to empower and inspire women who work in dentistry and related areas.

“Our goal is to equip women for long-term success in our field,” said Renee Dixon, senior referral development manager at Austin Oral Surgery. “Like many industries, dentistry is changing fast. During the past decade, new tech, trends and expectations have emerged that have reshaped our profession in significant ways, and we want to empower women in dentistry to not just keep up with those changes, but to prepare for and reshape the future.”

One of the educational tracts will give attendees the opportunity to earn up to four continuing education credits. That tract is designed to teach attendees to correctly identify signs of human trafficking and how to safely act on their findings. According to the International Labour Organization, human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world, with more than 40 million victims, worldwide.

“There are several potential warning signs of human trafficking that can be found in the mouth, which means we’re in a unique position to help,” explained Dixon. “With the right training, dental professionals can correctly identify these warning signs and act on them in a way that doesn’t put their patients or themselves in further danger. This program can make a tremendous difference.”

The event will also raise funds and awareness for the local nonprofit Unbound Now Austin. The 501c3 organization, dedicated to extinguishing human trafficking and igniting hope, has eight service regions across Texas and Louisianna.

The Lucy Hobbs event also includes networking, shopping, a buffet, panel discussions and a keynote address. This year’s keynote will be delivered by Benco Dental Practice Solutions Ambassador Kay Huff, RDA, who will be exploring employee engagement – identifying the key ingredients for cultivating great leaders and enabling them to build successful dental teams that unlock their full potential.

“Employee engagement can make all the difference in keeping your employees long-term, reducing your need to recruit and hire,” noted Huff. “The big question is whether or not working in your practice is truly engaging for everyone, including you. Is it rewarding, fun, fulfilling? If not, who or what do you need to address to make a positive change and how do you best approach those tough conversations? These are some of the questions we’ll answer during the Lucy Hobbs Project.”