Marita R Inglehart

Marita Rohr Inglehart is a psychologist, academic, and author. She is a Professor at the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the School of Dentistry, an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Psychology at the College of Literature, Arts and Sciences at the University of Michigan. Additionally, she also holds the position of Inaugural University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor at the University of Michigan.

Inglehart is most known for her work on dental education and behavioral sciences research in dentistry, primarily focusing on gaining a better understanding how psychosocial factors, especially diversity, equity and inclusion related factors affect oral health and oral health care. She has authored numerous books, including Reactions to Critical Life Events. A Social Psychological Analysis and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life, and over 150 peer-reviewed articles. In 2022, her interview was featured as a book chapter in Contemporary Pioneers in Human Learning and Development, written by H. Bembenutty.

Education Inglehart obtained a Vordiplom in Psychology in 1972 followed by a Diploma in Psychology in 1975 from the University of Mannheim. Later, she completed her Ph.D. in Psychology in 1978 and then her habilitation (Dr. phil. habil.) in 1983 from the same institution. and oral health care for patients from underserved backgrounds such as patients from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, patients with ability differences and patients from LGBTQ+ backgrounds. She developed the Motivational Communication Approach to patient education. She has authored numerous publications in the areas of dental education, preventive dentistry, and behavioral dentistry, spanning books, book chapters and over 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Dental education Inglehart's research on dental education has primarily focused on curriculum design, teaching methods, student learning outcomes, faculty development, and policy initiatives. Her early research investigated dental and dental hygiene students' perspectives, expertise, and dispositions concerning the provision of healthcare to individuals diagnosed with HIV infections/AIDS and offered valuable perspectives concerning the disparities observed in workplace encounters and perspectives between male and female dental faculty members. Focusing on dental and dental hygiene education for patients with special needs, she conducted a survey of US and Canadian dental schools Her 2015 national survey has highlighted the challenges associated with implementing interprofessional education IPE including coordinating schedules and managing curriculum overload and highlighted that while U.S. dental hygiene programs frequently collaborate with nursing and other allied health programs, their collaborations with dental schools are relatively less common. In 2021, her work examined the performance and attitudes of orthodontic residents in relation to different surgical simulation methods, establishing advanced simulation methods, specifically 3D and virtual reality (VR) as an effective alternative to traditional 2D orthognathic surgical simulation methods when used in conjunction with traditional records.

Oral health challenges in cancer patients Inglehart's 2003 collaborative study with Henson and others focused on preserving salivatory outputs in head and neck patients and proposed the utilization of three-dimensional treatment planning and conformational dose-delivery methods to minimize radiation exposure to the contralateral parotid glands while ensuring effective tumor dosing in patients with head and neck cancer. and revealed that women undergoing treatment with Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) after surviving breast cancer reported significantly poorer subjective periodontal health, subjective oral health, and oral health-related quality of life compared to women without a cancer diagnosis. In related research, she determined that practical clinical encounters were more effective than educational programs in oncology nurses' oral healthcare instruction for breast cancer patients, emphasizing the importance of improving oral health education among nurses.

Human behavior studies Inglehart's research on human behavior has examined the effects of emotional well-being on various aspects of life. In examining the influence of professional identities on scholastic attainment, her study found a connection between 'possible selves' and motivation. The cognitive/organizational facet established clear goals, while the energizing aspect provided the necessary persistence in pursuing those goals. In her book, Reactions to Critical Life Events: A Social Psychological Analysis, she offered a perspective on understanding people's reactions to significant life events and discussed the role of life philosophies and the practical implications for counseling based on the generalized principle of cognitive consistency. Moreover, her evaluation of the vascular theory of emotional efference (VTEE) has shed light on how facial muscular activity can impact arterial blood circulation to the brain, influencing emotional disposition.

Awards and honors 1986 - European Community, Research Award for Young Researchers 1995 - AADS Award for Best New Program in Dental Education 1998 - Ida Gray Award, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan 1998 - Diversity Narrative Award, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, 1999 - ADEA Award for Best New Program in Dental Education 2003 - ADEA Award for Best New Program in Dental Education 2009 - DENTSPLY/Harold Slavkin Oral Health Science Education Award from FNIDCR 2012 - Fellow, APS 2017 - Distinguished Mentor Award, University of Michigan – School of Dentistry 2019 - Harold R. Johnson Diversity Lifetime Achievement Service Award, University of Michigan 2019 - Carol Hollenshead Award, Center for the Education of Women (CEW) 2019 - Inaugural University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship, University of Michigan