Cultivating community excellence

An enduring partnership 

The School of Dentistry and NorthPoint first entered into a partnership for Community Outreach in the early 2000s. An essential part of the dental, dental therapy and dental hygiene curriculum, students in the last year of their programs participate in Outreach rotations through the Division of Community Outreach and Engagement.

Students spend a total of up to twelve weeks at one of the school’s 24 affiliate clinics in Minnesota, North and South Dakota. Outreach experiences help learners develop a broad understanding of their community and social responsibilities, treat a variety of patients and enhance their clinical skills. A total of 36 DDS learners rotate through NorthPoint each year in rotations lasting four to five weeks. In 2024, learners saw 2,634 patients, completing 3,877 procedures at NorthPoint alone. 

“At NorthPoint, our students get an immersive experience in a clinic that provides holistic services to patients in their community,” explained Angie Hastings, DMD, director of the Division of Community Outreach and Engagement. “NorthPoint offers community health and human services such as a food bank, a daycare, physical activity classes, primary care, behavioral health services and access to a pharmacy. This setting allows students to gain a deeper understanding of how colocation and integration of services improves health outcomes for individuals and for the community at large.” 

For his part, Brooks loves the opportunity he’s provided to guide future practitioners. “Outreach provides the students with a huge opportunity to grow and not only be competent in their craft, but comfortable in delivering these more complex procedures,” he said. “I enjoy having the students here, supporting them and seeing them grow.” 

Brooks likens the experience of welcoming fourth-year DDS students to his clinic to being given a block of clay. “I don’t know if anyone understands what a privilege it is to work with the students at that stage,” he explained. “A lot of people don’t know the work that goes into making clay—that’s the role of the school in the first three years. But I get to take that clay, and help shape and mold it. Sometimes, there’s a piece that could’ve been a good vase, but you can see that it needs to be a pitcher; you have to tear it down and build it up, in a way that feels comfortable for them.”

Brooks understands the privilege and the responsibility of mentoring the students that come to him— and he takes it seriously. It’s why he saves every thank-you note, card and reflection students give him when they complete their rotations. “I hold myself to high standards, and know that I might not know the impact I’m making on their lives,” he reflected. “They’ll go on to have a lot of life experiences, and then they’ll think back to this time.”

Collective community

In the nearly two decades that the School of Dentistry and NorthPoint have worked together, the two institutions have created a community together—one where each branch supports the other, and lessons learned flow freely between the two.

Though the rotation brings students with all kinds of perspectives and career goals, Brooks considers Outreach to serve as a recruitment tool. That was certainly the case for Lesley Tuomi, RDH, BSDH ’09. Tuomi did not complete her Outreach rotation at NorthPoint—but her experience prepared her for her current role as a dental hygienist there.

“Outreach experiences were my favorite part of school,” she recalled. “They truly opened my eyes to the huge dental needs faced by so many and also gave me an opportunity to refine my skills while gaining speed and confidence in the craft.”

Tuomi’s experiences at school and on Outreach impacted the way she sees her role as a hygienist. She recalled a patient who credited her with “finding the infection” causing rapid, significant decline in periodontal readings around a tooth. “While I didn’t think that what I had done was remarkable in any way, I realized that regardless of how simple a task may seem, when a job is done well and with care, even a minor observation can leave a great impact on another person.” An Outreach experience assisting a twenty-five year old patient with full mouth extractions “provided a tangible example of the importance of preventative care and solidified my decision to go into dental hygiene.”

Tuomi loves that her role allows her to work with learners from her alma mater, and she hopes it helps them to see the value in a public health role. “There are a lot of options available to students after graduation,” she said. “I see great value in using my skill set to provide care to those individuals who need it the most. Working with the students allows me the opportunity to show the next generation of dental professionals what’s available to them.”

Outreach experiences at NorthPoint have continued to shape the future of the School of Dentistry, too. Rachel Uppgaard, DDS ’12, Certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery ’16, assistant professor and Swift Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, was excited to go on her Outreach rotation at NorthPoint because it would be “a great opportunity to get more experience with extractions,” which was ideal for a learner who intended to pursue an oral and maxillofacial surgery residency.

Uppgaard saw great value in her Outreach rotation, inspired by her father’s work with underserved populations.

“Watching him go off to take care of those who didn’t have other options was a formative memory,” she recalled. “When it was my turn to volunteer, rotating through a site that serves the underserved was important to me. I continue to work to help students get volunteer opportunities at Outreach sites, and I will volunteer until I retire. It’s so important that our students learn to take care of a diverse population and appreciate the importance of serving those who don’t have the same opportunities that others have. Every human deserves health care and oral care, no matter what.”

Now that she works with students as an assistant professor, she enjoys witnessing the growth her students undergo during their Outreach rotations. “It’s always encouraging to see students when they are starting to learn oral surgical procedures, and then seeing them as they come back for more oral surgery opportunities after their rotations, when they are more capable and competent,” she said. “These
experiences not only help the students gain clinical skills, but they are critical to showing our students the diverse needs in the communities that surround us.”

And the impact that Outreach experiences at NorthPoint have on students is clear, too. Isaac Tadé, DDS ’25,  specifically requested that he be placed at NorthPoint for his Outreach rotation, after meeting Brooks and his wife,  Jessica, at an event at his alma mater, Augsburg University. 

Tadé first experienced NorthPoint when he shadowed Brooks. “Not only were all the employees welcoming and friendly, but I also appreciated the sense of social justice that the clinic prides itself on as a Federally Qualified Health Center, where anyone can receive care regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay,” he recalled. 

When he returned to NorthPoint as a dental student on Outreach, Tadé had the opportunity to treat those patients himself. “This challenged me to think beyond the operatory, considering the broader context of my patients’ lives and health,” he explained—not unlike what Brooks himself  experienced on his first day of Outreach, years before.  

“I became more culturally aware, and the rotation pushed me clinically. Every patient interaction was treated as a learning opportunity, and I left each day with new insights  to apply moving forward. It was so rewarding to provide care to the community at NorthPoint.” 

Today, Tadé is completing an Advanced Education in  General Dentistry residency in Hilo, Hawai’i, in a community clinic setting—putting the lessons he learned at NorthPoint to the test every day. 

“As I hone my skills in residency, I know that my time at NorthPoint has more than prepared me to take on challenging clinic cases, bring sensitivity to diverse cultures and learn from my patients each day,” he said. “Completing my rotation at NorthPoint only strengthened my commitment to working in community health settings.” 

That commitment to excellence in care, no matter where a student ends up after graduation, is exactly what Brooks hopes to accomplish with the partnership–and he loves every minute of it. 
“I’ve been so fortunate to engage with these young men  and women,” he said. “Having conversations and seeing  people make their dreams a reality—this was a childhood dream for a lot of young people, and to see it come to  fruition and be a part of that journey is amazing.”

Creating connections close to home

The School of Dentistry’s Alumni, Admissions and  Outreach Collaborative (AAOC) held a networking event at NorthPoint in February 2025.

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

Brooks provided 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.
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, before Brooks 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.” 

Leading through service

From a young age, Brooks witnessed the value of not just serving the community in a medical capacity, but investing in it. Growing up in  Key West, FL, he spent quite a bit of time in the children’s area of the hospital across from his elementary school, where his grandmother worked. There, he saw how one doctor  embraced his role in all aspects of his life.

“Dr. Covington was not just serving the community, but part of the community itself,” he recalled. “He would be at sporting events, birthday parties, wedding anniversaries. He was not just a doctor—he was engaged in the community.”

Brooks knew he wanted to take on that kind of role in his own career.

As he attended the School of Dentistry, Brooks continued  to have conversations about access and equity with  faculty and mentors. He never forgot the experience of Dr. Covington. As he began his role as a dentist at  NorthPoint, by his third patient, he knew he’d made the  right choice. The patient, a young Black boy, was struck when Brooks walked into the room. “He kept looking at his dad, then back at me, then back at his dad,” Brooks recalled. “Finally, he said, ‘Dad! The doctor looks just like me!’”

That moment solidified what Brooks had been working to accomplish his whole life: “I realized the impact I could have,” he said. “If you see it, you can believe it and you  can be it. That little boy saw me, and saw in himself the opportunity to be a doctor.”

Brooks felt that this class in particular would benefit from hearing his advice on embracing uncharted waters.

“I truly believe the last four or five years have pushed health care to new limits,” he explained. “The COVID-19 pandemic, murder of George Floyd and uncertainty of our economy has significantly impacted how health care is provided. This current graduating class had to endure a rapidly changing environment, and continue to develop proficiencies both in the classroom and in the clinical setting. I think we would have to combine the Great Depression of 1929-1930, the polio outbreak of 1944-1945 and the Civil Rights Movement of 1954-1968 together to fully create the environment these students have been in. My focus on ‘uncharted waters’ stresses the fact that these current students are entering an era filled with unknowns.”

Focusing on the health care provider as the captain of their team, Brooks shared three key ingredients to being a servant leader: flexibility, perseverance and listening. “The definition of a great leader is having the ability to get someone to do something they thought was unachievable,” he stressed in his speech.

Above all, Brooks hopes that the graduates heard from him the importance of being a servant leader. “In health care, you are a servant,” he said. “You are there to provide the highest quality of care, to connect with an individual or family and to get them to a better place.”

He also hoped to reach the family, friends and loved ones in the audience—and he’s confident that was a success. After the ceremony, the grandfather  of a graduate approached him. “He  said he’s been to a lot of these things. He has kids and grandkids who are  doctors,” Brooks recalled. “He said  the good speakers activate something in the graduates—but that the other attendees usually don’t get much out  of it. But he felt like he got something from my speech, too.”

Making an impact on the whole audience was rewarding for Brooks.  He loved the experience of providing remarks, and of witnessing the culmination of years of hard work for students with whom he’s worked personally at NorthPoint and as  a mentor. And he looks forward to seeing them make a  difference, too.

“I hope we continue to have a strong lineage of alumni who give back and inspire future generations of graduates to go out into this world, and do their best and be their best,”  he said.

This article initially appeared in the 2025 edition of Dentistry Magazine.