This new program from Valleywise Health hospital will focus on advanced education in general dentistry to offer oral health care to a diverse, underserved patient base.
Arizona Hospital and community health center Valleywise Health has announced an initiative to launch an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program. This program, which will be developed with funding awarded from the Health Resources and Services Administration, is designed to train dental residents to provide oral health care for ethnically and racially diverse patients.
The program will also train residents in practice management, while supplementing this training with further education on serving these communities in the oral health care space, according to dental director at Valleywise Health Christopher Brendemuhl, DMD.
“The AEGD program is a natural extension of the Valleywise Health mission to improve community health,” Dr Brendemuhl said in a press release from the company. “Not only will the grant help us expand the availability of dental services for some our most vulnerable populations across the Valley but will also help us train the next generation of residents that are inclusive providers, public-health minded and lifelong learners.”
The program aims to meet 4 specific goals: to deliver patient focused multidisciplinary care, to act as a team-based care model, to apply community service principles, and to apply critical decision making for best clinical outcomes.
Recruitment for the AEGD program begins in the Fall of 2022.