Borderplex Dental Pioneer
Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Dr. Richard Black Honored for Training Next Generation of Texas Dentists
El Paso's most influential dental educator honored for pioneering West Texas and Borderplex health education
For 39 years, El Paso dentist Richard C. Black, D.D.S., M.S., served his community with compassionate care. Now, as founding dean of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine, he’s leading the effort to train the next generation of oral health care providers for our Borderplex region.
The Junior Achievement of the Desert Southwest acknowledged his dedication by inducting Dr. Black into its 2025 Business Hall of Fame on Oct. 29, 2025. The recognition underscores what El Pasoans have seen firsthand: their hometown is now training dentists who will stay and serve Texas and our Borderplex residents for decades to come.
A native El Pasoan, Dr. Black spent nearly four decades building his private practice. His deep roots in the community informed his vision when he was appointed founding dean in 2018.
For our Borderplex area, the recognition confirms the region’s rise as a center for oral health education.
“Dr. Black has accomplished more than just founding a dental school,” said Wendy Woodall, D.D.S., MAGD, executive associate dean of the dental school. “He has built a pathway of professionals committed to serving our region—dentists who speak our languages, understand our communities, and are dedicated to remaining here. That’s the kind of leadership that takes action instead of waiting for things to happen.”
The Junior Achievement award celebrates individuals like Dr. Black who’ve made lasting contributions through innovation, leadership and civic engagement. He established a dental school producing students fluent in medical Spanish, trained in digital dentistry, and dedicated to serving underserved communities across West Texas and the border region.
In 2018, when Dr. Black was appointed as the Rick and Ginger Francis Endowed Dean of the dental school, he envisioned a program where bilingual communication and community health go hand in hand.
“When I came back to El Paso, I saw a gap—we were training dentists for other regions, not for our own,” said Dr. Black. “That’s changed. Now students graduate fluent in the languages our patients speak and trained to understand the specific challenges our communities face. That’s local medicine, tailored for our Borderplex and Texas.”
Eighteen percent of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine’s inaugural Class of 2025 are from El Paso, reflecting the school’s commitment to “growing our own” health care workforce.
Of the 40 graduates who received their Doctor of Dental Medicine degrees in May 2025, 12 will remain in our Borderplex region to begin their dental careers, while 17 will practice across West Texas.
These new dentists trained alongside doctors and nurses, learning how oral health connects to the whole patient. That interprofessional approach, Dr. Black believes, will help them understand the health challenges El Paso communities face and how to address them.
Recognition of Dr. Black's work goes beyond Texas. This year, Incisal Edge magazine named him one of its 32 Most Influential People in Dentistry — an annual honor highlighting thought leaders shaping the profession's future.
But for Dr. Black, the true measure of success isn't national recognition but whether students graduate from the school ready to serve.
The Junior Achievement Hall of Fame honor places Dr. Black alongside other El Paso leaders being recognized this year, including fellow honoree Kelly Tomblin, president and CEO of El Paso Electric. In doing so, it affirms what El Pasoans know: The dental school was built here, by people committed to this place, for the communities that call it home.
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso serves 108 counties in West Texas and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of health care heroes. Established as an independent university in 2013, it’s a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.
Focusing on excellence in health care education, research and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,600 professionals since 2013, including its first cohort of dental graduates in May 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.