White Coats On
Future Dentists Don White Coats, Embrace Mission to Serve Our Borderplex
Hunt School of Dental Medicine welcomes students from across Texas and the U.S. committed to multilingual care and community health
One by one, 59 new dental students stepped onto the stage and returned transformed, each wearing the white coat that marks the beginning of their profession.
The Hunt School of Dental Medicine celebrated its fifth white coat ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 23, at Texas Tech Health El Paso, marking the start of the Class of 2029’s professional journey. The event marked an academic milestone and a new beginning to eliminate oral health disparities in our community.
By the end of the ceremony, the sea of white coats symbolized a promise to the families of El Paso and our Borderplex — that care, respect and communication belong to everyone.
For Nievez Rodriguez, whose mother emigrated from Colombia to the United States, the moment carried the weight of family sacrifice and community need. Having witnessed her own community's struggles with dental care access, Rodriguez chose to stay here, in her hometown of El Paso, specifically to address these challenges.
“For me, the white coat is a special day,” said Rodriguez. “Perhaps even more important than graduation. It represents more than a personal milestone — it symbolizes a commitment not only to myself but also to my future patients.”
The White Coat as a Commitment
The ceremony highlighted a growing trend that sets Texas Tech Health El Paso apart: students from Texas and beyond choose the Hunt School of Dental Medicine for its focus on multilingual and patient-centric health care education.
Studies show that multilingual health care providers build stronger patient relationships, improve treatment compliance, and achieve higher patient satisfaction scores compared to encounters requiring interpreters or struggling with language barriers.
“The white coat has never been a finish line; it’s a promise,” said Richard C. Black, D.D.S., M.S., dean of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine. “When our students put it on, they accept the responsibility to listen first, communicate clearly and deliver excellent care — in any language — for El Pasoans most in need. That’s the standard of a Texas Tech Health El Paso dentist, and our Borderplex is where that promise becomes practice.”
Showing his continuing promise to incoming students is Ed Anderson, CEO of Diversified Interiors. For the fifth year in a row, he has inspired others to give by doubling support for white coat sponsorships through his matching funds. He has sponsored white coats for every student since the inception of the school and his motivation comes from seeing how special it was for his daughter when she first wore her white coat for her medical career.
Many generous white coat sponsors joined Anderson, showing their belief and trust in our future oral health care leaders. Thanks to their collective support, every white coat awarded to our students was sponsored by our gracious donors.
The international perspective proves equally compelling. Varshini Krishnan of Grapevine, Texas, speaks English and Kannada and chose Texas Tech Health El Paso after recognizing the parallel challenges faced by communities worldwide. Her parents immigrated from Tamil Nadu, India.
“I deeply appreciate that this school requires Spanish because I’m fascinated by the Borderplex culture. El Paso is not just Texas—it’s more than Texas,” she said.
Her background in medical anthropology and her multilingual abilities position her to address health inequities that often stem from communication barriers.
“In far too many communities, receiving quality dental care is a privilege,” said Krishnan. “Underserved populations continue to face barriers to access.”
Innovative Curriculum
While traditional dental schools delay patient care until the third year, El Pasoans understand that hands-on learning builds confidence — and better dentists. The Hunt School of Dental Medicine stands as one of the few dental schools in North America offering clinical experience in the first semester of study.
Research published in the National Institutes of Health database supports this approach. Studies found that dental students with early preclinical exposure demonstrated significantly higher academic performance. The early-exposure group also outperformed in communication skills (85% vs. 78%) and empathy assessments (83% vs. 75%), while reporting greater confidence levels.
The dental school’s innovative curriculum leverages these advantages through immediate patient interaction and progressive clinical training. The Hunt School of Dental Medicine is one of the few schools in the country and the only one in Texas where students see patients in their first semester, unlike most programs where this occurs much later.
It was this pioneering program that drew Sarah Kulhanek from her family's farm in Sealy, Texas, to El Paso.
Raised in a small agricultural community with a severe provider shortage, Kulhanek saw serving El Paso’s most vulnerable as preparation for tackling similar challenges in rural Texas. “Half of my family lives in a medically underserved area,” she explained. “I want to become a dentist who can help communities in ways that extend beyond dental work.”
Already in her third week, Kulhanek is well on her way to learning Spanish as a second language, while putting in over twenty hours per week working in a dental lab in preparation for her first patient encounter in November.
“It’s a little bit of a challenge,” she said, discussing the hours she’s putting in. But being immersed in the community helps when it comes to learning Spanish. “Whenever I’m out in the community, I find myself getting a better feel for it and gaining more confidence speaking it.”
Learning in the Community
Our Borderplex region offers unmatched opportunities for students to gain these vital skills in real-world environments.
This hands-on experience appealed to students like Jaden Tran of Houston, whose Vietnamese and Filipino heritage shaped his understanding of the immigrant experience, and whose Texas upbringing deepened his appreciation for underserved communities.
“I came to El Paso to make a difference,” Tran emphasized. “As a lifelong Texan, it will become vital in the next few years to speak Spanish, and I think moving to El Paso for dental school was the perfect avenue for me to do so.”
Building a Healthier Borderplex
As 59 students begin their journey, they bring the skills, cultural understanding, and linguistic abilities to advance our Borderplex health through compassionate, culturally competent care.
When the Class of 2029 graduates, they’ll join the first generation of dentists trained in and for our Borderplex. They’ll be health care heroes who speak our languages, understand our culture, and are committed to keeping El Paso smiling.
“I didn't move 750 miles not to work hard,” added Tran. “I moved here because I’m committed to the people here.”
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso serves 108 counties in West Texas and is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution dedicated to preparing the next generation of health care heroes. 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 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 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.