Development

The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry has been a big part of life for Geetha Damodaran, DDS ’95—in more ways than one. That relationship informed her decision to become a donor.
 

The School of Dentistry’s Division of Endodontics is investing in state-of-the-art equipment, and honoring valued members of the community along the way. 

Community is everything to Cynthia Duta-Llangari, DDS ’24. It has impacted every aspect of her life, from her memories of childhood to her decision to pursue dentistry—and it has informed every step of her way at the University of Minnesota.

The School of Dentistry celebrated a newly-renovated Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery clinic on June 22, inviting donors and alumni to see their impact first-hand.

A new effort from School of Dentistry Development is connecting dentistry students with their scholarship donors, building partnerships across generations of gophers.

Nearly seventy members of the President’s Club, alongside other notable donors, came together to celebrate the School of Dentistry and honor the ways donors make achievement possible. The School of Dentistry offered a special welcome to new President’s Club members Stephen Bejarano, DDS ’91 and Elizabeth Rydell Bejarano, DDS ’91.

Amy Full, DDS ’19, grew up in a cornfield. And today, she’s practicing dentistry in those same cornfields, fulfilling her lifelong dream to practice rural dentistry. Part of what made that dream possible was scholarship funding.

The School of Dentistry is proud to embark on a transformational fundraising campaign in support of our students. Learners to Leaders: The Drive for School of Dentistry Students, seeks to fuel the passion and potential of tomorrow’s oral health professionals by increasing the number of scholarships and awards we provide to our students.

The Student Summer Research Fellow Program at the University of Minnesota provides funding for incoming DDS students and students completing their first year of the program, who wish to spend the summer. Over a 10-week period, each student undertakes a structured research program. Fellows attend weekly training seminars, with an opportunity the following spring to prepare a written report and a poster for presentation at local and regional student research meetings. In the past, some of these students have attended national meetings such as the American Association for Dental Research.