Spokane is expanding its facilities and number of students this summer to train dentists primarily for work in rural areas.
The University of Washington School of Dentistry will lease space for a new oral health training center located in the UW-Gonzaga University Health Partnership Building, 840 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., to expand community initiatives in dental education programs.
Launched in 2008, the program is a partnership between the University of Washington School of Dentistry and Eastern Washington University to prepare future dentists to work in rural and underserved areas of the state where there is a shortage. The purpose is
This spring, the school received $2.5 million from Congress and a federal grant to expand the four-year program, doubling the number of students per grade from eight to 16, and 64 students when all classes are filled. , with space for a second year. In Spokane.
“This expansion allows us to do the entire preclinical portion of the program in Spokane for two years,” said Frank Roberts, a dentist and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Dentistry. spoke. Dean. He is also the director of the Seattle-based RIDE program.
There’s another reason why Spokane is key, he said: During the summer between their freshman and sophomore years, students spend time at rural clinics and federally funded health facilities across the state. Many of them are there to receive training in the Eastern Washington suburbs, he said. Some are also located in Colville, Yakima, Clarkston, Moses Lake, and Chewelah. He said that also includes integrating Spokane’s community health care.
Approximately 13,000 square feet of dental education space will feature a dental simulation lab, digital dentistry lab, classrooms, and offices on the fourth floor and is expected to be completed this summer. The 90,000-square-foot building will open in fall 2022 and will also house other health science programs, including medical students from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and the Gonzaga University Health Partnership.
The university leases the space from Emerald Initiatives, an affiliate of engineering and construction company McKinstry. Previously, area dental students studied in Spokane for a year at three locations in the University District, Roberts said.
While in Spokane, the students say they are taking basic science classes in conjunction with the School of Medicine. By their third year, they travel to Seattle for specialized training in areas such as orthodontics, periodontics, and oral surgery. Graduates receive the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery.
Roberts said the new site will also enable research into things like new digital technologies and new biocompatible materials used in fillings.
Mary Smith, a Spokane dentist and RIDE regional clinical director, said the freshman class will have 16 students instead of eight, and training here will last longer.
“That’s what the students really wanted from the program and wanted to stay in Spokane for a second year. They love it here,” Smith said. “Most of our students come from rural areas and prefer to attend schools in Spokane. The premise is that if you educate students in rural and underserved areas, they are more likely to stay. , 80% of our students are returning, including general dentists and specialists.”
