Happy Autumn! It is hard to believe the summer is over, the days are getting shorter, and the year will be turning anew before we know it! I hope you have enjoyed our quarterly newsletter. We enjoy putting it together and sharing our progress towards welcoming our first class in August 2025.
By the time you receive this, the SDM will have submitted its response to a set of follow-up questions from the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The team worked diligently over the past couple of months to pull together the content to provide the response. We anticipate a positive review and to hear soon regarding the on-site visit by the Commission.
I am excited to share that Ms. Lolinda Turner, formerly of Delta Dental of Washington, joined the SDM team as Director of Student Success and Engagement on July 1st. Ms. Turner will focus on expanding our outreach to high school and college students within Washington. She has also assumed responsibility for executing pathway programs with select colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest. Since arriving, Ms. Turner has dramatically impacted our recruitment efforts.
Continuing in the recruitment and admissions area, the SDM developed and implemented a pathway to admissions program for dental hygienists (both currently in school and out in practice). This pathway allows for dental hygiene education and practice experience to be considered when reviewing prerequisites. The pathway waives missing biomedical science courses instead of this education and training. The response has been very positive, with several dental hygienists and students expressing interest in the program. We expect several dental hygienists will be in the admissions cycle next year.
As we did last year, the SDM hosted the Yakima Valley Dental Society July meeting on campus. The conference featured an update on the SDM from Dr. Panagakos and an update on UW dental school from Dean Andre Ritter. Dean Ritter arrived in the afternoon and met with PNWU President Lawler, followed by a campus tour. Hosting Dr. Ritter was a pleasure, allowing us to continue discussing collaboration between our two schools.
On the construction front, the Dental Education Center will break ground in early October, with an anticipated completion in late Spring/early Summer. We are planning a ground-breaking ceremony in late October and will host an open house once the center is completed. We will send out information on both as details are developed.
In August, I was honored to represent the school and university as an invited panel speaker at the 2023 Association of Dental Education of Europe (ADEE) meeting. The panel discussed the latest oral health guidelines from the WHO. I was invited to share the development of the new dental school and our focus on community-based, integrated education. Interacting and networking with fellow European dental educators was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our new program.
Finally, it was such a pleasure attending the PNWU Homecoming Weekend on September 23rd. The event was capped off with the debut of the “Our Communities, Our Care” video. The in-depth video demonstrates the power of our mission through the voices of those turning PNWU’s vision into a reality. I highly recommend viewing it.
Thank you for your continued support of our program. I look forward to providing our final update of the year in December.
Be well,
Fotinos Panagakos