ADA Foundation Establishes $175,000 in Scholarships for Minority Dental Students

Provides assistance for 10 students at five dental schools

CHICAGO, September 7, 2006—The ADA Foundation has announced the establishment of $175,000 in scholarship funds to help increase the number of minority dental students.

A total of 10 scholarships will be awarded to students at Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, Nashville, Tenn.; University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco; University of Illinois at Chicago School of Dentistry; University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry; and Howard University College of Dentistry, Washington, D.C. The schools, all part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Profession and Practice: Community-Based Dental Education , will award two scholarships each year over a four-year period. Individual schools will administer their scholarship awards.

Goals of the RWJF dental education project are to expand dental schools' capacity for recruiting and retaining more low-income and minority students, revise dental school curricula to include more public health and behavioral health coursework and better prepare students to serve vulnerable populations by providing up to 60 days of experience in communities of greatest need.

“We are excited about our role in helping to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in dental schools,” says Arthur A. Dugoni, D.D.S., president of the ADA Foundation and dean emeritus, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. “We believe our scholarship fund will help encourage more African-American, Hispanic and American Indian students to pursue a career as a dentist and ultimately impact the delivery of oral health care services in their chosen communities.”

The American Dental Association (ADA) is extremely pleased to collaborate with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in helping to open more dental educational opportunities for minority college students, says James B. Bramson, D.D.S., ADA executive director. “In addition to the inherent value of promoting greater diversity within the dental profession, these scholarships will serve as building blocks in helping broaden the access to oral health care services.”

About the ADA Foundation
The ADA Foundation is a catalyst for uniting people and organizations to make a difference through better oral health. Since 1991, the ADA Foundation has disbursed nearly $31 million dollars to support such charitable activities. In addition to funding grants for dental research, education, scholarships and access to care, the Foundation supports Charitable Assistance Programs such as relief grants to dentists and their dependents that are unable to support themselves due to injury, a medical condition or advanced age; and grants and loans to those who are victims of disasters. http://www.adafoundation.org

About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 155,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. JADA, a monthly journal, is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at www.ada.org

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