The mission | A message from the Dean
In MDent25, there were two goals focused on increasing engagement within our community. The first one stated, “develop and/or attend local/regional festivals to inform and promote oral healthcare,” and the second stated, “participate in community outreach programs that provide clinical care.” Access to care and health inequities sometimes require health providers to go where the people are, versus having the people come to us. Therefore, these goals are a critical element that facilitate the School of Dentistry going to where the people are.
The Division of Community Outreach and Engagement has been actively engaging our community. Open Streets is an initiative that transforms city streets into street fairs, and they occur in various locations throughout Minneapolis and the Twin Cities. Some of the goals of this initiative are to grow community connections, inspire healthy living and stir interest in local business. North Minneapolis hosted an Open Streets event in September. Dr. Jigna Mahapatra, Steve Kelly and six dental students performed oral examinations, preventative care and oral hygiene instruction in our mobile dental clinic. There were approximately thirty-three patients seen. As a bonus, Michael Brooks, Jr., DDS ’13, gave them a tour of the NorthPoint dental clinic that was nearby.
TeamSmile is the nation’s premier advocacy group that partners oral health professionals with professional athletic organizations to provide life-changing dental care to underserved children in our communities. In March, the Minnesota Twins partnered with TeamSmile and hosted an event at Target Field. Drs. Hastings, Aldrich, Henderson, Malterud, Lugo and thirty-two students attended this event. Sophie Chweya and Cecilia Lovinger served as Dental Student Coordinators. There is also an event planned at US Bank Stadium later this month, in collaboration with the Minnesota Vikings.
In addition to these two events, the Division of Community Outreach and Engagement has also participated in Senior Smiles, YouthLink Health Fair and Special Smiles. There are also repeated engagement efforts when these events are annual or have a repeat cadence. Our students and faculty are doing a fabulous job with community engagement and service. I know there are so many other events that I wasn’t able to mention, and we are grateful for all of them. Well done everyone!