Dr. Rickert has been long concerned about American Indians in the dental field as there were only about 450 American Indian and Alaskan Native dentists prcaticing in the United States in 2022. For parity with the general population, there should be three thousand.One contributing factor to the low number of American Indian dentists is a lack of role models. She noted that, “Never having seen an American Indian dentist, students do not imagine themselves as dentists.”
One way she hopes to change this is through a Coloring Book which features her story and likeness. The book was created in 2022 through a partnership with the Sindecuse Museum and has been dsiributed to thousands of young tribe members.
You can contact museum staff at dentalmuseum@umich.edu or (734) 763-0767 to receive copies of the coloring book.