Collaborative event fosters networking at NorthPoint Health and Wellness

The School of Dentistry’s Alumni, Admissions and Outreach Collaborative (AAOC) held a networking event at NorthPoint Health and Wellness on Thursday, February 27.

A collaboration between the Office of Alumni Relations, the Office of Admissions and the Division of Community Outreach and Engagement, the AAOC brings together prospective students, students, alumni and providers to network, foster collaborations and learn from one another.

Michael Brooks, Jr, DDS ’13, dental director at NorthPoint Health and Wellness, hosted the February 27 event on the NorthPoint campus. The evening began with a tour of NorthPoint for members of the alumni and outreach teams, as well as representatives from the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, who served as sponsors for the event.

Brooks shared the center’s mind, body and community approach to health, evident in its motto, “partnering to create a healthy community.” With clinics dedicated to behavioral, medical and oral health, a fitness studio, an onsite daycare for clients’ children and a food shelf, Brooks explained, NorthPoint creates multiple points of connection that help visitors achieve their goals and maintain their health. The center also serves as an Outreach site for School of Dentistry students.

A brief program followed the tour, before individuals broke off in groups to engage in networking and get to know one another.

Representatives from each pillar of the AAOC shared their goals and how those in the room could help achieve them. “Our mission as a collaborative is to strengthen the oral health workforce in rural and underserved communities,” shared Noelle McComb Simonson, director of alumni relations. “You are all a part of that work that we’re aspiring to do.”

Susan Wold, MS, assistant director of admissions, shared opportunities for pre-dental students to get involved with the school, and how alumni and current students could encourage those opportunities. “It is so wonderful to look out and see all of these people with common goals,” she said. “From my perspective, we have the opportunity to do some wonderful recruitment here.”

Min Lee, MPP, community relations and outreach associate, shared information on the school’s Outreach program and how it works to impact health in rural Minnesota and throughout the state. “You know the field of dentistry can’t thrive unless we all connect and coordinate, unless we inspire the next generation of providers,” Lee reflected, encouraging participants to connect after the program. “Everyone in this room is ushering in that next generation. A lot of challenges pop up, things change, and you’ve got to lean on one another.”

Brooks then provided keynote remarks, sharing NorthPoint’s vision for a healthy community. “We try to be a bridge, bringing young people into the clinic to receive the care they need,” he said. “Partnership has been key in that work.”

Addressing the current and prospective students in the room, Brooks shared how their passion inspires him. “You all have a passion and a fire that was instilled in you, and you’re pursuing it,” he said. “As you go through your education, you start to see that passion turn into a wildfire: it spreads, and it becomes contagious. You start to pass your fire to others.”

Finally, Stephanie Albert, president, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation & Community Giving, shared her gratitude for the partnership. “I’m inspired to be in the room with all of you, knowing every single person in this room has a passion and a dedication to oral and overall health,” she shared. “It is our honor, our pleasure, to be here tonight and see the work, the wonder and the magic that is happening in the dental community.”