Family HealthCare named Clinical Training Site of Excellence
The University’s Office of Academic Clinical Affairs recently named outreach site Family HealthCare as a 2025 Clinical Training Site of Excellence. According to the office, the site has “demonstrated considerable flexibility in accommodating learners who require temporary absences for residency interviews, research presentations, and similar professional commitments. Their willingness to arrange short-term student rotations reflects a meaningful investment in learners' long-term career development.”
Jackie Nord, DDS ’08, leads student rotations for the Moorhead-Fargo-based organization. She described the recent recognition as an “absolute honor,” adding that it serves as an example of how different organizations from across the area can work together to collaborate on a project that is truly a win-win.”
In addition to the clinic’s commitment to top-quality patient care, Nord points to an unparalleled student experience that provides the opportunity for in-depth training. “Our student-to-dentist ratio is 1:3, which is something a traditional setting could never do,” she said. For participating students, she said she hopes to provide “a break from Moos Tower for a few weeks, so they can take a breath and enjoy doing dentistry.”
Along with the rest of her team, she’s worked hard to follow through on that goal. “All our dentists strive to make the students’ time with Family HealthCare a positive experience,” she said. “We balance work with fun and lightheartedness, yet we encourage students to think critically and collaboratively. We love showing off the work-life balance of a public health career and the joy of treating patients who truly appreciate our help.”
One University student who will soon experience this unique culture is Laith Alishaqi, DDS ’27, who is currently applying to residency programs for oral surgery. He has a special connection to Family HealthCare, since it was the clinic his family used after moving to Fargo from Iraq in 2010, when he was 11 years old. “Regular dental visits were not part of the culture there, so I had never visited the dentist before we immigrated,” he said. “I didn’t even know what a dentist was, but I guess that was a good thing, since I didn’t have preconceived notions that dentists were scary.”
Alishaqi described that, even back then, he realized the clinic was well-run, and he felt taken care of by hygienists and dentists. “I realized that there’s an immediate satisfaction for patients and for dentists themselves,” he said. “What pushed me toward dentistry is the way that this blend of science and art has the capacity to change lives.” Alishaqi’s rotation will be at the Moorhead Clinic, which is the very one he and his family used to visit.
A particular Family HealthCare activity that received special recognition from the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs was the Veterans’ Day community clinic focused on free dental extractions. “We decided to get the students involved in the activity last fall,” Nord said. “I’m a veteran myself, and I’m aware of the lack of veteran dental services, along with the mental health crisis that many veterans face. When students participate in an event like this, it shows them how easy it could be to emulate or participate in something similar when they are practicing.”
As she considers her own goals and achievements for this program, Nord said that her primary goal is to show students how fulfilling a career in public health can be. “It may not be their chosen career now, but they may want to revisit it at some point,” she said. “There was, and probably still is, a stigma attached to public health. But our facility is beautiful, our staff is top notch, and our materials and equipment are what you would see in private practice. We also like to showcase our little corner of the world. It might be a few degrees colder than the Twin Cities, but our hearts are warm, and moving to Northern Minnesota or North Dakota actually offers opportunities for all kinds of practices and loan repayment options.”