University of Utah School of Dentistry Magazine Issue 01, 2025
Past, Present, & Future at the U of U School of Dentistry
pg 04
The Resilience of our Students, Staff, Faculty, & Residents during the COVID-19 Pandemic
pg 08
Alongside Community Partners, we Continue to Serve our Patients & the State of Utah
pg 10
pg 08
COVID-19 Response
Our COVID response ensured the health and safety of our students, staff, faculty, residents, and patients while still providing exceptional care.
pg 10 Clinical Expansion
Amidst this public health emergency, we took the opportunity to expand our clinical footprint across the state, enabling us to care for more Utahns.
pg 04
A Decade of Dentistry
When the School of Dentistry recognized its tenth year as an institution, it was an opportunity to look back at our impact on patients and students, and forward to a future of continued clinical and research excellence.
pg 16 Events & Outreach
Outreach is an important component in our school’s service mission. Alongside community partners, we are able to provide more resources to the communities we serve.
Dean’s Message
In 2022, the University of Utah School of Dentistry recognized the 10-year anniversary of the school’s founding. Our school has grown exponentially — and with it, the scope of what we wish to achieve, the services we seek to provide, and the breadth of knowledge our students carry into their dental careers. This incredible milestone would not have been possible without the generous support of Ray & Tye Noorda, dedicated engagement of our alumni, mission-driven faculty and staff, and trust of our patients.
In the past decade we have witnessed a modest Regional Dental Education Program (RDEP) grow into a full-fledged dental school, thanks to the vision and support of committed dental professionals, donors, academics, and lawmakers.
This school is special among dental schools. It has a mission focused on serving the community through a Medicaid model unique in the nation, and has the largest clinical network of any dental school. As we continue to grow into our potential, the School of Dentistry is being noticed nationally and internationally for its community-based and healthcare integration approach, superb education, as well as an incredible base for oral health research.
It has been an amazing evolution, and the best is yet to come.
Wyatt R. Hume, DDS, PhD Dean, School of Dentistry
University of Utah Health
By Emma Keddington
To serve the underserved.
To bring up a new generation of competent, caring dentists.
To help people understand the full impact of oral health on all aspects of medicine.
These are some of the pillars of the school, and what faculty members and students alike build on every single day.
The Beginning
For several years, while the idea of a dental school in Utah was merely a thought, Dr. Lynn Powell and Gordon Crabtree, U of U Hospital Chief Financial Officer, set aside money.
The Noorda family matched the funds and added 25 million dollars to the dental school fund – a donation encased by a promise to make sure this school will serve the underserved and help Utahns get the dental care they need.
“Together, we had about 50 million dollars. From the very beginning it was very clear that if we did a dental school…
we would have to get everyone’s permission,” Dr. Glen Hanson said. It’s important to note – Dr. Hanson was also a pioneer, working closely with Dr. Powell.
“The reason we were able to sell it is because we were able to say ‘it’s not going to cost you anything. We’re not asking for money.’”
With what Dr. Hanson calls very fortuitous timing, they got through “bureaucratic layers,” and the dental school was on its way to completion.
1980
egional Dental Education program (RDEP) provided ten students with their first year of professional dental training at the University of Utah alongside the University of Washington and Creighton University dental schools. 1983
General Practice Residency (GPR) established at the U of U Hospital under Dr. Jay A. Aldous.
The Middle
Like any new institution, there were growing pains. Dr. Lea Erickson, former Associate Dean for Education and Student Life, recalls the first few years at the dental school as hard. She said they were full of brainstorming on ways to make their dream dental school happen.
She was told: “We can do this like we’re planning a trip to Denver, or we can say we are going to the moon.” And so they planned to take the dental school to the moon.
Dr. Wyatt Hume took on the role as Dean a bit more than seven and a half years ago.
“There were some challenges at that time,” Dr. Hume said. “But, the things that appealed to me about the school were its commitment to service. The Noorda family insisted we focus on caring for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get care. I saw the potential for the school to do that extremely well.”
Dr. Hume says U of U Health also wanted the dental school to succeed. He recalls former head of U of U Health Dr. Vivian Lee saying that “if we improve oral health, we’ll get better outcomes of overall health, at lower cost.”
With this united commitment of service, and what Dr. Erickson chocks up to strong relationships, communication, and color-coded post notes, they made it work.
Faculty members became proud parents to ideas like the Pathways Program, which offers curriculum and opportunities for students to study specialized disciplines as general dentistry students.
Another invaluable idea that set this school on course to the moon was reinstitution of Medicaid for adults in Utah.
“Due to the foresight of some folks at the school, we worked politically over a five-year period to get adult dental Medicaid re-instituted for Utah. This was incredibly important for the school,” Dr. Hume said.
A whole book could be written on the process of Medicaid expansion, said Dr. Glen Hanson, who was at the head of this initiative.
To put it succinctly – by bringing Medicaid patients into the pool of the dental school, they were able to expand the school’s clinics, and get critical dental care to people who aren’t able to afford it.
U of U School of Dentistry (UUSOD) receives its initial accreditation from the American Dental Association. Under Dr. G. Lynn Powell’s leadership as honorary founding dean, the school’s inaugural class was welcomed a year later.
U of U Mobile Dental Clinic increases the school’s capability to reach underserved patients throughout the state.
Despite the COVID-19 public health emergency, the school expanded its clinical footprint across the state to eight locations offering comprehensive dental care from St. George to Ogden.
The Future
Clinical experience. Expanded research. Community dentistry. The future is bright at the University of Utah School of Dentistry, and everyone involved continues to work every day to bring the core pillars of the school to reality-today and into the future.
Ray & Tye Noorda Oral Health Sciences Building completes construction in Research Park and houses an 80-chair dental clinic.
Ray & Tye Noorda Oral Health Sciences building
The School of Dentistry breaks ground on its brand new building.
Ribbon-cutting of the Ray & Tye Noorda Oral Health Sciences building alongside honorary founding dean, Dr. Lynn Powell
School of Dentistry COVID-19
Response: ‘Never let a crisis go to waste’
By Emma Keddington
We immediately went into action to figure out a way to get our clinics up and running.
When it came to both initial and lasting response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Utah School of Dentistry kept this grounding motto, coined by Dean Wyatt Hume, in mind as they navigated the worldwide crisis.
When COVID hit, spring break was right around the corner.
“Everything shut down, we had a week before our students came back,” said Dr. James Keddington, Associate Dean for Education, “Little did we know the students wouldn’t come back immediately.”
He said the main priorities were to figure out how to switch to online classes and get their D4 students ready for graduation in six weeks, along with keeping the clinics running.
“We immediately went into action to figure out a way to get our clinics up and running, for the sake of our patients and our students,” said Nicole Vallieres, Associate Dean, Finance & Operations for the school. She said the first thing they did was put together a safety committee, led by Dr. Jeri Bullock, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs.
The team made the decision that the way to keep the whole operation going safely was to instate mandatory COVID testing.
“We also implemented strict PPE protocols, air filtration systems, social distancing, and increased sterilization of spaces,” Vallieres said.
One thing about COVID testing, however, is it requires funding and resources. With the constantly changing rules and requirements laid out as the pandemic continued, this core team had to figure out how to make sure testing could be permanent.
“We took on some of the costs ourselves, but most of the cost of testing supplies came from federal grants obtained by the University of Utah and through the state health department,” Vallieres said.
She continued, “Because of the commitment to COVID testing and PPE, the dental school was able to get up and running, likely before most other dental schools in the country.”
Testing became the practice to keep the clinics running as the pandemic stepped into Fall 2020, then Spring 2021, then Fall 2021.
“We were testing everybody. We knew that we were the safest place, probably in the state,” Dr. Keddington said.
With simulation lab mannequins carefully placed 10 feet apart, long work hours, constant
Clinical staff and students continued the use of personal protective equipment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s who we are. We’ve worn masks and goggles… gowns… protections… from the beginning of dentistry.
Dr. James Keddington
Associate Dean for Education
emailing and meeting through Zoom, the School of Dentistry was able to stay on its feet.
“It was a true team effort and everyone involved made significant contributions,” Dr. Bullock the head of the response team said. “Things were changing quickly so procedures and rules were always changing. Everyone had a positive attitude and understood the mission for safety.”
When in doubt, call a dentist
While the world adjusted to a new world of protective masks, the faculty and staff of the School of Dentistry utilized their career-long understanding of PPE.
“It’s who we are. We’ve worn masks and goggles… gowns… protections… from the beginning of dentistry,” Dr. Keddington said.
“We can adapt to anything,” Dr. Bullock said. “Our community is amazing and resilient.”
So, a crisis came. A crisis went. And ultimately, a crisis was learned from.
Dr. Keddington said of the lasting impacts: “One, we learned that presentations that are too long are really boring. Two, we recognized that we, as dentists, are used to working collaboratively, in teams, and intimately with patients and each other.”
a student at the School of Dentistry during the public health emergency, poses in personal protective equipment.
Dr. Carter Bruett,
Dr. Yuliya Petukhova, Class of 2020, gifted her classmates and the school itself this drawing of herself and her classmates, who were unable to gather physically during COVID-19 for the commencement ceremony.
Clinical Expansion
By Emma Keddington
The University of Utah School of Dentistry has a reputation among hopeful students, and that reputation is centered on its clinical program.
As former graduate Dr. Alex Clark says, “The school really recognizes that most everyone who graduates is going to be going into clinical dentistry. Most people are going to dental school to work on patients. The school did a great job of getting us into the clinic really early.”
Clinical expansion went hand-in-hand with the school’s work in expanding Medicaid to cover adult dental needs. Which, as Dr. Glen Hanson says, “a whole book could be written about. We can save that for another time.”
For now, it’s important to get to the core values of the school:
1. To fulfill the dental school’s goals of serving the underserved.
2. To educate future generations of competent, caring dental professionals.
3. To integrate medical care with dental care to provide the best health services to their patients.
Most people are going to dental school to work on patients.
Alex Clark,
DDS Adjunct Instructor, U of U School of Dentistry
Jesse Bissell treats patient in the dental clinic at the Ray & Tye Noorda Oral Health Sciences building.
The School of Dentistry’s mission has always been, first and foremost, to serve underserved communities and educate students each year. That’s the oxygen we breathe everyday.
Clinical expansion kicked off with Dr. AJ Smith’s efforts, after he saw the State was about to close several key community dental clinics.
“He had the vision to see their potential and see how much [their closure] would impact the community,” said Dr. Bullock, the school’s Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs.
Smith helped the school’s clinical expertise get to Rose Park, Ogden, and St. George to “fill the gaps in dental care” across the state, as Dr. Bullock said. When the school reached the South Main Clinic, Dr.
Bullock began focusing on a policy of integration. Integrating medical and dental care has its challenges.
As Associate Dean Vallieres says, this type of care isn’t necessarily made for a big profit. “The School of Dentistry’s mission has always been, first and foremost, to serve underserved communities and educate students each year. That’s the oxygen we breathe everyday.”
She added: “[When I started,] I had to throw everything I learned in MBA school out the window—the mission and the business reason for doing what we do aren’t the same.”
Dr. AJ Smith, who spearheaded the school’s efforts to expand its clinical footprint
The U of U Health School of Dentistry Rose Park Clinic eventually integrated with its neighboring primary care counterpart to become the Population Health Center.
Left: U of U School of Dentistry leadership, students, and staff attend attends a ceremony commemorating the fiveyear anniversary of the South Main Dental Clinic in August 2023.
Right: Dr. Wendy Hobson-Rohrer speaks at the South Main Dental Clinic to commemorate five years of providing integrated physical and oral health at the clinical location.
Ribbon-cutting of the Population Health Center in Rose Park, which integrates mental, physical, and oral health
Vallieres explains that the clinic utilizes funds from the Noorda family donation and other charity donations to ensure clinics can see as many patients as they can. That, combined with Dental Medicaid benefits and the role associated community dentists play (which another book could also be written about), has made the school’s clinical footprint across the state one of prominence.
Dental Clinics + Mobile Outreach Program
Ogden Clinic
Rose Park Clinic
University Hospital Clinic
South Main Clinic
Wakara Clinic/Noorda Oral Health Sciences Building
Liberty Clinic
Greenwood Clinic
St. George Clinic
Letter to the Alumni
Hello School of Dentistry, GPR, and adopted Alumni! It is amazing to look back over the last 10 years and see the development of the University of Utah School of Dentistry; it was not easy for many of us to be the pioneers of the dental school, paving the way for future Utah dental students.
Some of you remember taking classes in the Health Sciences Education Building before the Noorda Health Sciences Building was complete, and others had a chunk of their education at home through virtual learning. Each of you alumni was pivotal in the growth and advancement of the school and have shaped the curriculum for our current students through your feedback and contributions during your education.
I am proud to say that our school has gained a reputation of an elite dental school, producing dentists with far more clinical experience and interaction with medically complex patients than the normal dental school graduate. We have alumni all over the United States who have graduated from or are currently in prestigious residencies in each of the dental specialties. Things are going very well here on Wakara Way, and we have each of you to thank. Our patient care has a wide reach through the state, and our students are getting a superb education.
We have big dreams for the University of Utah School of Dentistry Alumni Association to keep up good relations with you all, and we will benefit from your creativity, so we appreciate any and all ideas and collaboration with you after you graduate. We have celebrated many milestones as a University and we would love to share our successes with you at alumni events during the year and through this new magazine. Being a dentist can sometimes feel isolating, but remember that you always have your University of Utah School of Dentistry alumni crew that you can lean on for support. Go Utes!
Dr. Madison Day, Class of 2019 UUSOD Alumni Association President
Many people face financial barriers that prevent them from accessing oral health care. The School of Dentistry’s Oral Health Assistance Program (OHAP) gives access to important oral care to patients who cannot afford it and do not qualify for Medicaid.
Every Gift Counts!
Events & Outreach
Each year, the School of Dentistry continues to establish a strong presence in communities across Utah as a valuable resource for oral health. Thanks to our dedicated staff, students, and faculty, along with state and local partners, the School of Dentistry is meeting those in need where they are.
Oral Health Assistance Program (OHAP)
A Special Thank You to Our Community Partners!
• Salt Lake Education Foundation
• Neurobehavioral Home
• First Step House
• Odyssey House
• South Main Clinic
• Huntsman Mental Health Institute
• Huntsman Cancer Institute
• Utah Department of Corrections
• Utah Oral Health Coalition
• Salt Lake County Health Department
• State of Utah Health and Human Services
Clockwise from far left: U of U mascot Swoop visits the School of Dentistry during its annual Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) event; a community dentist provides a free screening for GKAS patient; staff and faculty volunteers talk with community members at WestFest; SOD volunteers at Utah Pride Festival; Dr. Jeri Bullock and colleagues in southern Utah providing care to FLDS patients
• Junior League of Salt Lake
• Give Kids a Smile
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)
• Volunteers of America (VOA)
• Parole Access to Recovery (PATR)
• New Smiles for Vets
• Operation My Hometown
• Utah Department of Workforce Services
• Utah AIDS Foundation
• Asian Association of Utah
• Aspen Magdalene House
• Project Access
• Granite School District
• Alliance Community Services
• Area Health Education Center
• Utah Community Health Worker Association
• Take Care Utah
• Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness
Dentistry’s Future Rests in Research
By Geoffrey Fattah
In the early years of planning what kind of institution the University of Utah School of Dentistry would be, research was part of the plan. Having spent several years building the nation’s largest dental school clinical network, the School of Dentistry is poised to become a leader in research.
The school has the potential to become a real leader in research.”
Dr. Brenda Heaton Associate Dean of Research
“What is going to set us apart? What are we going to see in 100 years as part of the University of Utah’s history?” said Dr. Glen Hanson, Vice Dean.
Hanson likened the school’s vision to a three-legged stool:
• Educating excellent dentists through robust academics
• Creating a strong clinical network to serve the underserved in Utah’s communities
• Finding innovations in oral care through groundbreaking research
From 2015 to 2019, Hanson demonstrated the power of the school’s research potential when he published the Facilitating a Lifetime of Oral Health Sustainability for Substance Use Disorder Patients and Families (FLOSS) study which looked at how comprehensive dental care changed the lives of patients going through treatment for substance use disorder. What he found through the study was providing oral care for those going through treatment resulted
in drastic improvements in employment status, housing status, and abstinence from drug use.
“It was a very, very powerful testimonial as to how incredible that strategy was for dealing with this very difficult population in terms of their drug abuse; in terms of their mental health,” Dr. Hanson said. “It got a lot of attention both nationally and internationally.”
While other dental schools across the country run community clinics similar to the School of Dentistry, what makes it unique is the school’s association with Medicaid, Hanson said. In partnership with the Utah Legislature, the school became the administrator of dental care for Utah’s Medicaid patients. Over time, school clinics have expanded, and the school has built up a remarkable base of hundreds of private Medicaid Associate Providers across the state. This has increased access to comprehensive dental care for Utah’s Medicaid patients.
Ray & Tye Noorda Oral Health Sciences building in Research Park at the University of Utah
In addition, the school has integrated its patients’ electronic records into EPIC, that same system used by the University of Utah health system. This opens a unique opportunity to link a patient’s oral health to their overall health. The data generated from the school’s clinical network will be truly transformative.
“I have never, ever seen an opportunity like this. It’s just so obvious and it’s so needed. And the end results are so powerful,” Hanson said.
Dr. Annette Fleckenstein, Associate Dean of Faculty Development and a full-tenured research faculty member is not a dentist but rather her focus is on neuroscience.
“I’m interested in the neurochemistry. I’m interested in the circuitry. I’m interested in research that I think has the potential to help a lot of individuals,” she said. Both Fleckenstein and Hanson agree that the growing potential for using patient data at the School of Dentistry can look at how improving oral health could impact, or be impacted by, an incredibly wide variety of conditions, including diabetes, age-associated ailments, and mental health.
Fleckenstein and several dental students have partnered with Huntsman Mental Health in conducting such research.
“The school has the potential to become a real leader in research,” said Dr. Brenda Heaton, Associate Dean of Research. Heaton is an accomplished population oral health researcher who joined the school to lead research efforts. She said she was drawn to the School of Dentistry because of its great potential. “When we think of serving the underserved, the University of Utah has figured out how to effectively implement approaches that to date have only been talked about. One of those innovations is integrated care delivery models.”
The school now has several clinics in which dental, medical, and even behavioral health providers are working side by side to improve overall health of patients. Heaton says these clinical successes provide an unparalleled opportunity to show through research the importance of bringing dentistry and medicine together to improve a patient’s overall health.
The School of Dentistry’s unique model of providing holistic care to underserved communities also exposes dental students to new ways of approaching care while giving them an opportunity to work on research. “We’re training future dentists who are familiar and comfortable with integrated models of care. This is absolutely critical to achieving a paradigm shift in how we think about care, particularly for addressing the healthcare needs of underserved populations,” Heaton said.
For the future of research at the School of Dentistry, “the sky’s the limit,” Hanson said.
The sky’s the limit.
Dr.
Glen Hanson Vice Dean
Stairwell at the Ray & Tye Noorda Oral Health Sciences building
I wanted a say in my education and to take part in my education.
From Classmates to Colleagues
Photos by Noah Jurik
Dr. Juan Diaz de Leon has deep roots in the state of Utah, and after completing his dental education at UUSOD shortly after its founding, he entered the private practice arena alongside two of his former classmates: Dr. Alex Clark and Dr. Luis Franco. As a partner of two dental clinics in South Jordan, see what Dr. Diaz has to say about how his education and clinical experience at UUSOD contributed to his success.
Q Why did you want to become a dentist?
A I get asked that question a lot, and one answer is that I had a childhood trauma experience where my brother knocked out his front teeth one time, and that was like my first glimpse into the dental world. Seeing what [my brother] went through and seeing a dentist put it back together subconsciously stuck with me.
And being an immigrant, I always felt like I needed to have a profession to make it worth it for my parents to move to this country. I always saw this as a cool profession, and not necessarily in status, but that [dentists] do good for the community.
Q What made you choose general dentistry?
A When I first started school, everyone was like “I want to be an orthodontist,” or “I want to be an oral surgeon,” and I was thinking about surgery myself, but once I got into clinic and started doing procedures, I fell in love with the variety. I also really like the entrepreneurial side of dentistry.
Q The University of Utah School of Dentistry was a young school when you first applied, and there was only one class at the school when you started your D1 year. What was that experience like, and why did you choose to go to the U?
A When I interviewed at other schools, I’d hear phrases like “That’s how we’ve done things for 100 years,” and that’s not what I wanted. I wanted a say in my education and to take part in my education. And you see the results—who we ended up being was a lot to do with what we built.
For me, I saw it as an opportunity to establish a new organization and a new culture. I didn’t want to leave the state, either, so two strong opportunities presented themselves at the U. Once I started, it was just awesome to establish something from scratch.
Q How would you say Utah differs from other dental schools?
A The most obvious is clinical experience. I’ve had the opportunity now to interview and hire multiple associates, and for our class, nobody out there got the same clinical experience that we did. It’s a stark contrast. Students [at UUSOD] are still getting more hours, more experience, and more patients than most places.
And at first, a lot of it was like the Wild West, and we took advantage of that. I remember taking out wisdom teeth as a second-year dental student and having my attending say, “Hey, you can do this with the proper training, and this isn’t that difficult as long as you understand the scope of what you’re doing, and you’re responsible,” which was awesome for me.
What is it like working with former classmates or other alumni of the School of Dentistry?
A I think it speaks to the quality of people that came from my class. A crazy realization I had the other day is that we’ve all been in each other’s lives now for ten years. Thinking back to the first year in dental school and having this imposter syndrome doing the med school classes and the dental classes in the afternoon, I kept thinking ‘This is not what I thought it was going to be like,’ but I just remember becoming best friends with Dr. Heath Bateman, and we were so similar and just supported each other throughout school. So when the opportunity came up that he was unhappy at his office, it was the easiest decision to call him and be like, “Hey, come work with us.”
[Dr. Bateman] worked with us for about three years, and it was a lot like being in dental school again, but obviously with no attendings. We got to do what was best for our patients on our own.
I don’t think of my classmates as working for me, either. We work together to take care of our patients. It’s just awesome to work with these people that I’ve known for ten years now.
Juan
Dr.
Diaz de Leon Class of 2018
(l-r): Dr. Alex Clark and Dr. Luis Franco.
Dr. Diaz (pictured left) started Platinum Dental Care in South Jordan alongside his classmates Dr. Alex Clark and Dr. Luis Franco.
Alumni Spotlights
Shaylee Avery, DDS
Dr. Shaylee Avery graduated from the University of Utah School of Dentistry in 2021. For her, picking the UUSOD was an easy choice. Not only was it close to home, but after interviewing at other dental schools, she saw how outstanding and unique the UUSOD is. She could feel how the culture at the UUSOD is accepting and welcoming. Dr. Avery also loves the dynamic between faculty and students. “One really impressive aspect of the UUSOD is the commitment to its mission. This emphasis on culture is felt throughout the UUSOD and it sets it apart from other organizations and programs. It is a humanistic organization and I’m impressed leadership decided to go down that route. As a dentist, the frequency in which I see patients provides opportunities for me to enable them to address other aspects of their overall health they may
have been postponing. The links between oral disease and systemic disease are well studied, and dentists can provide a bridge for a patient to see the importance of medical care. In this way, dentists can intercept patients and encourage them to achieve overall health with their primary care provider.” At present, Dr. Avery is a crucial part of the UUSOD team. She is the Director of Clinician Clinics at the University of Utah School of Dentistry. Her role is to support two of the faculty dental clinics: Rose Park and Ogden. She provides support for the clinical faculty dentists that work at each site as well as providing patient care primarily at Rose Park and attending dental students once per week. Dr. Avery would like to see oral healthcare as a necessity rather than luxury many cannot afford.
Arman Farhadtouski, DDS
Dr. Arman Farhadtouski has been part of the UUSOD for over seven years in three different roles. He has been staff and student, and currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the UUSOD. A graduate of the class of 2022, Dr. Farhadtouski’s passions align with the school’s mission—providing care for Utah’s underserved populations. Many of his patients are lacking in health literacy and are often unaware of the resources they have access to. “Through dental care and patient education [my patients]
are empowered to make better decisions regarding their health. I really enjoy this part of my job as it makes me feel that I can make an impact in the lives of my patients.” It’s not only his patients who he has an impact on, but students as well. Through teaching, he is able to serve more than just patients—he is able to ensure that future dentists can offer a wide range of treatments, serving in Utah communities and beyond.
Mason Borsch, DDS
It wasn’t only small class sizes that enticed Dr. Mason Borsch to the UUSOD, it was the school’s emphasis on making positive changes in our communities. Graduating in 2021, Dr. Borsch completed a specialty non-categorical internship at the University of Tennessee Medical Center Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. His interest in oral maxillofacial surgery started when he was in an accident as a teenager, causing him to lose eight of his incisors. Right then and there, he knew that he too could make a difference. Dr. Borsch teaches general dentistry at the UUSOD but because of his additional training, he is able to provide support for oral
and maxillofacial surgery. Working with students is one of the best parts of his job. He, like many others, sees health equity as the future. “We all work in a system where countless medical dollars are spent treating dental conditions that could otherwise be treated very efficiently in the outpatient setting. Even in my hospital where dental specialists were available 24/7 there was wasted medical spending. I believe having dental providers integrated in the medical field will help reduce wasted medical spending, and more importantly improve patient outcomes and health related quality of life.”
Carter Bruett, DDS
Dr. Carter Bruett was born a University of Utah fan. As a fifth-generation Utah graduate, when he was applying to dental schools the idea of staying in state and working with top-tier faculty members like Dr. Bryan Trump was too appealing to pass up. From Dr. Trump’s first lecture on oral pathology, Dr. Bruett knew the UUSOD was where he wanted to go. Dr. Bruett graduated in 2021, and indeed went on to specialize in oral pathology. When he was a child, Dr. Bruett loved collecting things like trading cards, and to him, pathology feels similar. “Collecting knowledge to make a diagnosis and organizing the wide variety of diseases that can affect the human body is like collecting knickknacks. [Dr. Trump’s] lecture sparked a curiosity, and, throughout dental school,
it stuck with me—pathology is the most interesting thing in the world to me. It is a privilege to study this subject and even more to be able to translate my knowledge into patient care. Many times, an oral pathologist is the last in a long series of doctors’ visits for sick patients. Providing relief, reassurance, and guidance to them is incredibly rewarding. The specialty is a fun mishmash of medicine, dentistry, histology, and the biomedical sciences, and there isn’t anything else I’d rather do.” Dr. Bruett completed his residency in New York City at New York Presbyterian hospital in Queens. He returned to the UUSOD to join the faculty full-time, and as the Director for PreDental Pathway Programs. He’ll even get to work with his mentor and friend, Dr. Trump.
SERVIN G UTAH JOIN US
Dent i sts, conside r becoming a Med i caid Asso ciated Pr ovide r and help contribute to t he we ll being o f Ut ah r es i den ts.
By becoming a Medicaid Associated Pr ov ider, de nti st s receiv e the f ollo wi ng bene fit s:
-Pay me nt wit hin two weeks of billing
- Me dicaid pays th e entire fe e – no patient co-pays
-N o annual limits
- Fre e access to U of U School of Dentist ry CE courses
- Rural and urban fees includ e 20% incentive
From Classmates to Colleagues (Continued from page 21)
When I found out Dr. Alex Clark was looking for a place to work after being done with the military, it was the same thing. I reached out to her and said, “Come join us.”
With Dr. Frank, it was a little different, because he went to residency, but he reached out to see if there was room in our organization for an endodontist, and we’d been looking for one, but specialists are hard to find. And he’s the first specialist to become a partner in our organization.
I don’t think of my classmates as working for me, either. We work together to take care of our patients. It’s just awesome to work with these people that I’ve known for ten years now.
Were there any faculty members who were particularly helpful to you in your dental education and career?
A Dr. Gary Lowder was the first faculty member from the school who I met. He interviewed me when I applied, and he met my wife. Who he is as a person, and also what he teaches, is just great. Dr. Bryan Trump is just incredible. I keep in touch with him and send him cases, and our surgeons send him cases.
I don’t know how dentistry is taught in other places, but the way Dr. Mark Taylor presented it really spoke to me. I don’t get intimidated by any dental procedure, whether it’s a cosmetic case or something else. Dentistry is the
easy part of my job, and I feel like a lot of it is due to Drs. Taylor, Richards, Elggren, and Tennant. Dr. Cannon also helped me get rid of any fear of blood or mistakes or anything like that.
Q What advice do you have for incoming dental students?
A Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you do, you’re going to get overwhelmed so fast and ultimately what keeps me grounded is focusing on what’s important and looking at the person sitting in my chair and making sure that we take care of them. Everything else doesn’t really matter at that point.
WHY DO I GIVE?
Many people face financial barriers that prevent them from accessing oral health care. The School of Dentistry’s Oral Health Assistance Program (OHAP) gives patients access to vital oral care who otherwise cannot afford it and do not qualify for Medicaid.
“Mark and I donate to the School of Dentistry because we believe in the importance of oral health. We truly love supporting our community and the Mobile Dental Clinic as they serve the rural parts of our state.”
Kathie Miller Dentistry Advancement Board member and community philanthropist
Join Kathie and give the gift of a smile today!”
Without the generosity of Ray and Tye Noorda, or the entire Noorda family, the past, present, and future of the U of U School of Dentistry would not be what it is today.
