Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,
School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) has combined
interdisciplinary education with helping Newark’s most underserved individuals in
a highly successful program funded by a $1.7 million federal grant. The Special
Populations Interprofessional Care Experience program (SPICE) allows dental
students to work with health professions’ students from other Rutgers schools
to provide health care at a clinic in downtown Newark.
At the Rutgers
FOCUS Wellness Center, run by the Rutgers School of Nursing, dental
students work with pharmacy and social work students. Funded with a five-year
grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration and now in its
third year, the program has proven to be a great success. In academic year
2017–18, 116 students participated and 74 individuals were treated, including
47 who were referred to RSDM’s dental clinics.
Nearly 90% of the students who
completed the program last academic year said they gained a new understanding
of the roles played by other health providers. Students from other disciplines
seemed to agree. RSDM Vice Dean Kim Fenesy, D.M.D., says, “I’ve gotten feedback
where they say, ‘I had no idea that’s what dentists do.’ Students from other
health professions now know the importance of dentistry to the overall health
of a patient.”
RSDM graduate Andrea Kohanchi,
who participated in the program in her third year, said she appreciated the
chance to learn about the health needs of city residents and help them get
proper treatment. “We’re hoping that more people who need dental care can get
it,” she says.
Contributed
by Carrie Stetler, Marketing and Communications Program Manager, RSDM
Published on July 11, 2018