Bulletin of Dental Education Article

The Middlesex Community College (MCC) Dental Hygiene program remains committed to advancing equity, fostering a sense of belonging and providing high-quality oral health education. This mission is reflected through meaningful community partnerships, faculty accomplishments and initiatives that support both student success and public health.

Community Outreach

Through a longstanding collaboration with the International Institute of New England, MCC faculty and students provide comprehensive preventive care to refugee children arriving from Afghanistan, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in addition to other countries. This partnership promotes culturally responsive care while deepening students’ understanding of health disparities. For her leadership in this initiative, Maureen Silveria Strauss, M.S., CAGS, RDH, CDA, received the Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service.

The MCC program also participates in the Give Kids A Smile^® (GKAS) program, supported by Marian Ryan, J.D., Middlesex District Attorney, and the ADA Foundation. Both MCC faculty and students provide preventive sealants to children in Massachusetts’ Lowell Public Schools under the leadership of Elizabeth Stone, RDH, MCC Dental Hygiene Professor and Community Outreach Coordinator.

Additional outreach includes annual participation in regional health fairs, free preventive services for student veterans in partnership with MCC’s Veterans Resource Center, the use of LanguageLine Solutions translation services to ensure equitable communication with patients and faculty participation in Mission of Mercy with Mary Terkoski, D.D.S., and Nina Carresi, M.S.Ed., B.S.D.H., RDH, volunteering their clinical expertise to serve underserved communities.

Interprofessional Education at MCC

Interprofessional Education efforts continue to highlight MCC’s strong commitment to collaborative learning. Dental hygiene and nursing students meet monthly during their final semesters to share their community outreach experiences serving individuals with special needs. Nursing students present their community health projects to the dental hygiene cohort and dental hygiene students design patient-specific brochures, such as oral health resources for new mothers. This work earned both departments a 2023-2024 League Excellence Award by the League for Innovation in the Community College. The award was presented to MCC dental hygiene faculty Prof. Stone and Julie Breen, M.Ed., RDH, and Kerry Sorrentino, M.S.N., RN, CNE, from the MCC Nursing Program.

Faculty remain engaged in robust professional development, including training in multimodal teaching technologies that support in-person, synchronous remote and asynchronous learning. These efforts enhance instructional quality and assessment accuracy. Notably, MCC’s Leah MacPherson, RDH, MHP, received the Massachusetts Colleges Online Course of Distinction Award for her hybrid periodontology course. Professional development grounded in The Pedagogy of Real Talk further supports the creation of relationship-rich learning environments.

Student Support

Student support continues to expand through initiatives such as the newly established Maureen Silveria Strauss Dental Hygiene Scholarship and the availability of faculty-staffed open lab sessions providing individualized instruction and additional practice opportunities. MCC’s participation in the Massachusetts free community college initiative, through MassReconnect and MassEducate, has also reduced financial barriers, increased access and allowed students to focus more fully on academic and clinical success.

Capital improvements completed in 2020 strengthened clinical education through a modern sterilization center, 24 ADEC operatories, six digital radiology rooms, portable handheld radiograph units and full computer access at all student and instructor stations.

Faculty achievements have continued to reflect the department’s long-standing excellence. JoAnne Lamoureux, M.S., RDH, Nancy Baccari, M.A., RDH, and Donis Tatro, M.A., RDH, were awarded Emeritus status for their distinguished service to the college, and Dr. Terkoski was named an MCC MVP in 2023.

Through these initiatives, the MCC Dental Hygiene Program continues to enhance educational quality, expand community access to oral health care and strengthen a culture grounded in equity, service and professional excellence.

Courtesy of Christine Lombardo, M.S.Ed., RDH, Chair, Dental Hygiene Department, Middlesex Community College

Published on December 10, 2025