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A Message from the Dean The Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine is exceptional in many ways, but one of the areas of distinction of which I am most proud is our commitment to improving the oral health of our community. A growing body of research supports what I think we, as dentists, always knew: that oral health is inextricably linked to overall health. And yet, there are many people across the country for whom accessing high-quality oral healthcare is challenging, if not impossible. Our school plays a critical role in providing high-quality care to some of the most vulnerable segments of our population. Beyond the work we do in our patient treatment centers, our faculty, staff, and students spend countless hours volunteering at community outreach events around Boston, doing oral screenings and educating the population about how best to take care of their teeth. Faculty, students, and alumni travel internationally, conducting mission trips to bring oral healthcare to communities around the world that might not ever see a dentist otherwise. We recognize that our patients—in the words of alumna Christine Chiao SPH 15 DMD 19 PEDO 22 (see page 12)—may want to be treated by someone who looks like them and understands their background. So we are striving to ensure that our student body reflects the diversity of our city and our country while continually seeking to improve our curriculum to give students experience treating the most disadvantaged among us. In this issue’s cover story, we talked to GSDM alumni about why access to high-quality oral healthcare is so important, and what we—both as a dental school and as individuals—can do to improve equity of access. This issue also highlights some of the many ways we’re bridging gaps in the oral healthcare pipeline. I continue to be deeply grateful for the generosity and support of alumni for these efforts. If you’d like to learn more about this work and how you can get involved, contact Stacey McNamee at smcnamee@bu.edu. I look forward to seeing you at one of the alumni receptions we hold throughout the year—notably, at Yankee Dental in January 2024! And if you find yourself in Boston, please come visit us.
Sincerely, Cataldo W. Leone, DMD, DMedSc, FACD, FICD Dean and Spencer N. Frankl Professor in Dental Medicine
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