News

 
September 10, 2017
 
The Chabot College Dental Hygiene Program in Hayward, CA, has partnered with the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry (UCSF SOD) in a collaborative effort to advance clinical and interdisciplinary care. Under the leadership of Brent Lin, D.M.D., Professor at UCSF SOD and recipient of a grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration, the Chabot College Dental Hygiene Program collaborated to develop and implement oral health training for the dental hygiene students.

The combined efforts by the Chabot College Dental Hygiene Program and the UCSF Oral Health Alliance (OHA) translate pediatric dental discoveries into interdisciplinary compassionate care for improved prevention, detection and treatment for dental patients.Over the course of a year, the dental hygiene students participated in a lecture series that emphasized pediatric dental care and community-based practice treatment of children with special needs. The collaboration between the Chabot College Dental Hygiene Program and the UCSF Oral Health Alliance has prepared the students to care for those in the underserved communities. Additionally, this collaboration is vital to Chabot College’s and UCSF SOD’s missions to advance precision dental and dental hygiene care and meet their mutual goals of “caring, healing, teaching and discovering.”

In addition to its partnership with UCSF SOD, the Chabot College Dental Hygiene Program has been an affiliate of the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation for the past six years. This program has reached over 2,000 children and screened over 3,500 people in the community. Its affiliation with the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation has also led Chabot College to collaborate with the California State, East Bay predental students. In April, the program hosted its Fourth Annual Give Kids a Smile Day. Faculty supervised dental hygiene students, who provided dental care to children in the community. Through these community service events, students are able to recognize the need for community dental care even within the immediate community in Hayward and the surrounding area. The goal is for Chabot College students to continue giving back to the community when they become practicing dental hygienists.

WEBINAR SERIES - HOT TOPICS IN HEALTH CARE FOR YOUTH
 
August 30, 2017
 
We are excited to invite you and/or your staff/colleagues to participate in any of the upcoming webinars in our Hot Topics in Health Care for Youth series. The webinars are being offered by the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment, and the Southeast PA Area Health Education Center, in collaboration with the Region III Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration and the Mid-Atlantic Training Collaborative for Health and Human Services (MATCHHS).
 
Registration links are listed below and described in the attached document (all webinars are 12:30-1:30pm EST):
 
 
Participation is FREE as are Continuing Education Credits (if applications are accepted).
 

August 29, 2017

Today, the Bureau released the 2018 Application and Program Guidance for the National Health Service Corps Students to Service (S2S) Loan Repayment Program (LRP). The application cycle will close on October 19, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The S2S LRP provides up to $120,000 in tax-free loan repayment to medical and dental students in their final year of school, which allows them to pursue their passion in primary care while working in rural, tribal and high-need communities throughout the nation. For a second year, dental students are included as an eligible discipline to address the oral health disparities that continue to be a concern in underserved areas.

·All students applying to the program must be a U.S. citizen or national and enrolled or accepted in an eligible medical or dental degree program at a U.S. accredited school.

· Award recipients incur a three-year service commitment at an NHSC-approved site located in a high-need (HPSA 14 or above) rural, tribal or urban community.

· With continued service through the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, a Students to Service award recipient could pay off all of their educational debt.

Please encourage potential applicants to visit the NHSC website to learn more. In light of our second year offering S2S program dental awards, I also encourage you to view this video highlighting “A Day in the Life of NHSC Dental Providers.” We appreciate your support in promoting the Students to Service Program!


 

Oral Health Alliance Team Leader receives UCSF Innovations Funding for Education Grant

March 1st, 2017

Ms. Jungsoo Kim, an Oral Health Alliance team leader and a UCSF second year dental student has been awarded a UCSF Innovation Award for Education. Ms. Kim received her award for the project proposal,"Developing an Online Module: Children's Oral Health for Primary Care Providers." She is a valued team member  and one of the leaders in the Oral Health Alliance team, and has been mentored by Brent Lin, DMD (pictured). JungSoo Kim is expected to receive her D.D.S. degree in 2019. As part of the Oral Health Alliance team, Ms. Kim is responsible for organizing its second annual Symposium which is scheduled for April 8th at Mission Bay's Rock Hall Auditorium, and for all outcome assessments in various projects. Prior to dental school, Ms. Kim worked as a Junior Professional Associate for four years at the World Bank in Washington, DC. Ms. Kim received her B.S. with high honors in Psychology from the University of Michigan in 2011.

 

Congratulations, Jungsoo! We are very proud of you!

 


Oral Health Alliance Fellow Wins Outstanding Achievement Award

January 3, 2016

On November 28th, 2016, The Oral Health Alliances’ Dental Hygiene Fellow, Ms. Maria Elena Simpson was awarded the Proctor and Gamble award for outstanding achievement by the Hispanic Dental Association. The Scholarship Committee of the HDA Foundation noted the following outstanding traits by Ms. Simpson: Commitment and dedication to improving the oral health of the Hispanic community, community service, leadership skills, and scholastic achievement.

Ms. Simpson is a California native who grew up in the cities of Los Altos and Mountain View. Her parents are working class Mexican immigrants who regularly worked several jobs to make ends meet. Despite her humble background, she is the first of her family (she has six siblings) to graduate from high school and college and her passion for education has never abated. Maria graduated from USF with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, she then graduated from the Dental Hygiene Program from Santa Rosa Junior College. But she wasn't finished yet, she went on to the School of Dentistry at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco where she earned a registered and licensed Dental Hygiene and Alternative Practice degree. She managed to accomplish all of her post-graduate education while raising a family and working full-time.

Ms. Simpson has been an OHA fellow since June 2016 when our director Dr. Brent Lin quickly recognized her talent and hard work as an asset to our program and our community. Congratulations Maria! We are all very proud of you.


Online Continuing Education Program

November 15, 2016

This one-hour program outlines opioid prescribing principles for general dentists and dental specialists, illustrated by a case study. This training covers the safe and competent use of opioids for managing acute moderate to severe dental pain.
 

New! An educational program for oral health care providers (dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants) who are interested in public health dentistry and community health care that offers ADA CERP recognized CE’s: Cultural Competency Program for Oral Health Providers
 
Sept. 7, 2016
 
 
  • Course 1 covers the fundamentals of CLAS, including an overview of oral health care disparities.
  • Course 2 covers specific strategies for providing CLAS in oral health practice and management, including how to increase your awareness of patient’s cultural beliefs and needs.
  • Course 3 covers culturally and linguistically appropriate communication, including barriers and facilitators to verbal, nonverbal, and written communication.

 


New!! Available For The Very First Time Ever To Dental Students!! S2S Loan Repayment Program!!

A New Loan Repayment Program!!

July, 20 2016

Opens August 16!

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service Loan Repayment Program (S2S) opens August 16, 2016.

New! Dental Students Eligible

Eligibility is open to medical (M.D. or D.O.) and dental students (D.D.S. or D.M.D.) in their final year of a U.S. accredited school who are planning to pursue a career in primary care, and are committed to working in underserved communities with limited access to care.

Benefits

Students to Service loan repayment award recipients receive up to $120,000 (tax free) for at least three years of full-time service at an approved NHSC site in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) of greatest need. Upon completion of residency for medical students (dental residency is encouraged but not required), recipients serve as primary care providers in an NHSC-approved site in a HPSA of greatest need.

Plan Ahead

The program is expected to be competitive. Please note that applicants who have federally-serviced loans will need to create a FSA ID before beginning the application process. [...]


Symposium takes aim at oral health disparities

July 11, 2016

By Michelle Manchir

San Francisco — More than 60 dental, medical, nursing, dental hygiene and community health professionals gathered here June 11 to address an ongoing oral health dilemma: disparities and access to care for children in underserved communities.
University of California, San Francisco’s first-ever Oral Health Alliance Symposium was one component of an initiative from the school funded by a five-year, $1.75 million grant Dr. Brent Lin received in 2015 from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The grant has Dr. Lin on a mission to develop and implement collaborative oral health training for primary health care trainees and prepare the workforce to care for those in underserved, rural and vulnerable populations. [...]


An inside look at rural dentistry

By Theresa Pablos, DrBicuspid.com assistant editor

June 29, 2016 -- If you've ever wondered what it's like to work in rural dentistry, you're not alone. A 2015 Canadian study found that there is a need to increase dental students' knowledge about what it's like to practice dentistry in rural communities.

To help shed light on the day-to-day practice of rural dentistry, DrBicuspid.com spoke with Remya Niranjan, DDS. Dr. Niranjan is a dentist at the Hilmar, CA, satellite office of Livingston Community Health, a nonprofit, federally qualified health center in California's Central Valley that focuses on whole-person wellness.

Dr. Remya Niranjan (left) and Karissa Moreno (right) helped lead the effort to bring a dental clinic to Hilmar that accepts dental Medicaid. [...]


How to repay your student loans

June 17, 2016 --Students pursuing a career in primary health care are eligible to receive funding for their education in exchange for practicing in rural, urban, and frontier communities with limited access to care, upon graduation and licensure.

The scholarship pays tuition, fees, other educational costs, and provides a living stipend in return for a commitment to work at least 2 years at an NHSC-approved site in a medically underserved community.

For each year of financial support (up to four years), the student agrees to serve one year (minimum two years) at an NHSC-approved site in a high-need urban, rural, or frontier community across the nation. Please visit the National Health Service Corp. website for more information.