Bulletin of Dental Education Article

The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry (UIC COD) has completed its transition to Epic Systems, joining the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health) on a unified electronic health record system and reinforcing the shared commitment to coordinated, patient-centered care.

The launch of Epic Wisdom—a specialized electronic health record (EHR) module created by Epic Systems for dental care, oral health management and dental practice workflows—promises to advance patient care, dental education and research at UIC COD, which performs about 350,000 treatments each year as the state’s largest provider of dental care.

“This college’s integration with UI Health Epic is one of the most significant changes in the history of our institution,” said Susan A. Rowan, D.D.S., M.S., FACD, FICD, Dean of UIC COD. “This implementation will provide a more streamlined, secure and efficient way to manage referrals and patient information while also unlocking enhanced student training and exciting new research.”

UIC Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Robert Barish, M.D., M.B.A., called the debut of Epic Wisdom “a transformational moment for UI Health and the UIC COD,” adding that bringing the college of dentistry into a unified EHR system advances the University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics’ continued pursuit of excellence in its care, education and research mission.

“This transition reflects the outstanding partnership and teamwork across many experts from our health system to lead us toward a stronger future for our patients, students, staff, providers and researchers,” said Dr. Barish.

Two Years in the Making

The UIC COD first began exploring a move onto the Epic system in 2024. Representatives from the college visited peer institutions using Epic Wisdom, attended Epic user group meetings and investigated the time, resources and costs necessary to complete the integration.

“As the health care world becomes increasingly complex, we wanted to be a part of the solution,” said Dean Rowan. “Using this technology will afford us a pathway to provide safer, better and more efficient care for the patients we serve.”

In September 2025, the UIC COD announced the Epic Transformation Project, billing the initiative as a major advancement in the college’s ability to serve patients, educate students and advance research. Over the next 12 months, stakeholders from the college and UI Health worked with Epic to facilitate the integration.

Improving Patient Care and Experience

In debuting Epic Wisdom and joining the UI Health Epic system, UIC COD and its clinics heighten its interaction with the vast UI Health enterprise. Being on a shared system improves and streamlines patient care, fosters collaboration and recognizes oral health’s role in patient well-being.

Dental providers, for instance, will now have timely access to comprehensive patient information, including medical history, medications, diagnoses, laboratory results, imaging and other relevant clinical data. Such enhanced connectivity will improve communication and coordination among dental, medical and surgical providers, facilitate more informed clinical decision-making and strengthen patient safety and quality of care.

“Historically, oral health care has been working in its own silo, but Epic puts dentistry at the table with other providers discussing a patient’s health and driving safe, high-quality care,” said Dean Rowan, adding that Epic Wisdom will also enhance the patient experience through more efficient communication and improved access to clinical information through Epic’s online patient portal called MyChart.

Supporting Dental Education and Research

Beyond its role in driving clinical collaboration and patient satisfaction, Epic Wisdom will also prepare the college of dentistry’s students for a post-graduate world embracing technology and team-based care at a rapid pace. Students will gain a greater understanding of overall patient health and learn how to work in integrated health care systems, said Dean Rowan.

Notably, the UIC COD is the first institution to implement Epic’s newly developed grading module, which reinforces UIC’s role as a national leader in dental education, clinical innovation and health informatics. In pioneering this implementation, the college will help shape a seamless connection between clinical training and competency assessment and help ensure the needs of dental education are built directly into the Epic platform.

The Epic integration effort also unlocks compelling research opportunities at a college with more than 40 full-time research faculty. UIC investigators, for example, will have access to large data sets—not just from UI Health Epic but the entire Epic universe—to open new lines of inquiry and discovery, from examining oral health’s relationship with other medical conditions to evaluating treatment modalities for specific categories of patients.

“Our dental researchers are excited by the prospect of undertaking more research and exploring new questions with access to significantly more data,” said Dean Rowan.

Courtesy of University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry