The Seattle Study Club is an “overnight success” that took Dr. Michael Cohen 15 years to develop and perfect. Based on a model he created and continues to use in his own practice, today the Seattle Study Club consists of over 215 active and energetic specialists across the United States, Canada and Australia, all with their own affiliated study clubs. These doctors and the members of their clubs are dedicated to the advancement of team treatment planning and total case management as the ultimate tool for achieving ideal comprehensive care.

They have also committed themselves to excellence in their profession, and in the management of their practices. Together with Dr. Cohen, these practitioners constitute the Seattle Study Club network.

So, what does the SSC stand for? What is it about? Learning. Growth. Striving to improve. Honesty. In­tegrity. Sincerity. Self-evaluation. Personal challenge. Eschewing complacency for action. The SSC operates itself under these guidelines and sets the standard for each of its components and their operations.

The SSC has raised the bar on dental continuing education throughout the English-speaking world and beyond. No longer is it acceptable to sit in a dark room, doodle on a handout while awaiting a number to submit for credits. SSC continuing education requires active participa tion, risk, involvement, contribution and shedding egos at the door. The greatest contribution is the SSC’s em phasis on collaboration between generalists and spe cialists. No longer is it acceptable to simply use a study club as a self-serving referral network.

The SSC not only provides an opportunity for collaborative treatment planning and care, it also creates a safe environment for members to learn in these environments. From this, everyone benefits: the specialists, the generalists, the patients and the dental community as a whole.