Michelle A. Robinson, D.M.D., M.A.
Dr. Michelle Robinson is a native New Yorker, graduating from
the Bedford-Stuyvesant Preparatory High
School in New York before receiving a baccalaureate degree in Biology from
Adelphi University, Long Island. Her decision to study dentistry was influenced
by a hospital internship that exposed her to clinical patient care and the
desire for a career that would allow her to treat patients. She remembers Dr.
Kenneth Chance as a role model and advisor during her years in dental school.
Following completion of her D.M.D. at the University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Dr. Robinson spent eight years in private
practice, then completed an M.A. in Medical Informatics at Columbia University.
She came to the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry (UAB
COD) in 2005 to implement and guide transition to the current clinic
information system. Dr. Robinson’s special interests include high-tech
approaches to patient health messages, technology to support improved access to
care and online education pedagogies. She is currently an Associate Professor
and Associate Dean for Health Information and Business Systems, which involves oversight
of all information technology initiatives and related duties for the school,
including specification and implementation of systems, patient information
systems, course information systems, AV and classroom technologies, networking,
imaging technologies, hardware and software support, clinic revenue analysis
and reporting. She is also a member of the technical advisory committees for
both medical and dental informatics. Dr. Robinson currently serves as the
Diversity and Affirmative Action Officer at UAB COD, where she has
responsibility for enforcement of policies related to equitable hiring and
employment.
She continues to mentor students as a faculty advisor for
both the SNDA and AAWD. Her insights with regards to mentoring current
students: “It requires a mixture of compassion, anticipation of their needs,
and tough love at times.”
Dr. Robinson is currently involved in a state-wide
recruitment effort with the Historically Black College and Universities in
Alabama for underrepresented minority student recruitment. She is also
Principal Investigator for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Summer Health
Professions Education Program (SHPEP) at UAB. Her work with AAWD is to lift the
profile of women in dental education and support career development. In 2011,
she launched a mentoring program for women in IT and serves on the UAB Campus
Women in Technology Mentoring Program.
Her advice to others seeking academic/leadership careers is
to “Be fearless with opportunities. Be willing to make a leap and then catch up.”