Community Dental Impact
$30,000 Grant Advances Community-Based Dental Education at Hunt School of Dental Medicine
ADEAGies Foundation support will help students address real-world oral health challenges through service and research
A $30,000 ADEAGies Foundation grant will give Hunt School of Dental Medicine students valuable experience working with community organizations to tackle real-world oral health challenges and conduct research that leads to better patient care.
The ADEAGies Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Dental Education Association. It’s named for William J. Gies, Ph.D., who helped shape the modern model of university-based dental education.
The grant will fund the project, “Strengthening the Future of Dental Education: Integrating Community-Based Learning and Experiential Research Training,” led by principal investigator Faeq Quadri, B.D.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., assistant professor and director of research at the dental school.
The project will bolster two hands-on educational programs Hunt School of Dental Medicine students are required to participate in: the Dental Community Practicum Program and the Dental Scholarly Activities and Research Program. The grant will support student research projects, presentations at national conferences, and the development of bilingual oral health materials and community workshops. It will also help the school measure the programs’ impact and share successful practices with dental schools nationwide.
“Through these efforts, students will strengthen their critical thinking, research, lifelong learning, leadership, and evidence-based decision-making skills. Their work will also help us understand and support oral health needs in underserved communities,” Dr. Quadri said.
“Here in the Borderplex, we see firsthand the challenges many families face in accessing oral healthcare,” Dr. Quadri said. “At the same time, we see the incredible resilience, diversity and strengths of our communities. As educators, we want our students to learn not only in classrooms and clinics, but also directly from the people and communities they will one day serve.”
The Hunt School of Dental Medicine’s unique curriculum allows students to engage in meaningful community-based projects and faculty-mentored research throughout their dental education. Salma Elwazeer, B.D.S., M.D.S., M.P.H., leads the Dental Community Practicum Program, and Dr. Quadri leads the Dental Scholarly Activities and Research Program. Together, the programs help students connect service, scholarship and patient care in ways that prepare them for the realities of modern dentistry.
The project will directly affect the educational experience of approximately 120 third- and fourth-year dental students during the grant period. It will also support at least 15 faculty-mentored student research projects and eight community-based practicum initiatives.
“At many institutions, experiences such as research and community-engaged learning are available only to select students,” Dr. Quadri said. “Here, we believe every future dentist should have the opportunity to develop these skills.”
The initiative will go beyond documenting the students’ completion of community projects. It will measure how their experiences influenced their understanding of barriers to oral healthcare, cultural competence, leadership and commitment to service.
Additionally, through the Dental Scholarly Activities and Research Program, the project will evaluate how research experiences strengthen critical thinking, scientific reasoning and evidence-based decision-making.
The school will collect feedback from the organizations and individuals who work with students. Their insights will reveal what benefits the community and how the school can improve its public health impact.
“At the end of the day, this project is about accountability and continuous improvement,” Dr. Quadri said. “We want to ensure that the time, energy and resources invested by our students, faculty, community partners and supporters translate into meaningful outcomes.”
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 healthcare professionals. Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.
Focusing on excellence in healthcare education, research, and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,600 professionals over the past decade. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.