The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Dentistry
University of North Carolina |
2006 Facts Primary Community Partners: Additional Community Partners: Project Contact Information |
The School of Dentistry has substantially increased its community education over the past two decades. Today, it provides high-quality comprehensive oral health care to all socioeconomic and cultural groups in the state and region.
The School’s Dentistry in Service to Communities (DISC) program currently places all senior dental students in community-based, non-private practice sites for 50 days of clinical education. These clinical externships occur in a variety of public, not-for-profit sites that include county health departments, American Indian reservations, community health centers, VA clinics, correctional institutions, institutions for those with mental illness or developmental disabilities, and geriatric dental facilities.
Project Accomplishments include:
- Expanded community-based, patient-centered clinical and experiential education to 50 required days in the senior year and hopes to reach a 60 day average for seniors in the Class of 2007.
- Increased the number of community clinical sites for student rotations.
- Strengthened and expanded the behavioral science curriculum consistent with the mission and goals of the Pipeline program. Programs include integrating distance learning, reflective and multimedia, and service learning components to better prepare students for community service.
- Developed a distance-learning reading elective course for students working in community sites.
- Expanded the existing Medical Education Development Program, an eight-week summer program for college juniors and seniors interested in pursuing a dental career.
- Expanded the Science Enrichment Preparation Program, which prepares minority and economically disadvantaged college sophomores and juniors for health-related graduate and professional training programs.
- Created a mentoring program for participants in summer enrichment programs that pairs summer students with current dental students.
- Created a joint URM/LI Recruitment Committee with the UNC School of Medicine.
- Collaborated with nonprofit initiatives to raise awareness of career options in dental dentistry for minority and disadvantaged high school and college students.
University of North Carolina
School of Dentistry
150 Old Dental Building
Manning Drive and Columbia Street, C.B. #7450
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7450
(919) 966-2788
Dean: Dr. John N. Williams
