Scholarships

Harvard School of Dental Medicine offers several endowed scholarships for postdoctoral (advanced graduate education) and predoctoral (DMD) students at the School. Each scholarship has its own purpose and criteria, and the amount may vary from year to year.

Below are the scholarships available through HSDM:

Advanced Graduate Education (Postdoctoral) Funds

Harvard University Presidential Scholarship (est. 2003)
The Presidential Scholarship provides financial support for individuals who are committed to public service pathways leading to careers in academic dentistry, research, leadership in public health or public policy, international health, or a commitment to under-served populations. Current students pursuing a DMSc degree or enrolled in the DMD program and intending to apply for a DMSc are eligible to receive the scholarship.

Delta Dental of Massachusetts Dean’s Scholarship in Oral Public Health and Epidemiology (est. 2005)
Provides one year of support for a postdoctoral dentist who is building a career in academia. The recipient of this scholarship must be conducting postdoctoral work in dental public health at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Preference is given to underrepresented minority students who are Massachusetts residents. For more information, please contact the Dental Public Health program.

James M. Dunning Teaching and Research Fund (est. 1977)
Scholarship established by friends of James M. Dunning, dean of HSDM from 1947 to 1952. To support a dental public health fellow (a dentist who is preparing for a career in dental public health). For more information, please contact the Dental Public Health program.

Harvard Scholarships in Advanced Dental Medicine (est. 2011)
Designed for U.S. citizens with dental degrees, preparing for academic careers in dental schools, dental research organizations and/or public service venues, the 4-5 year DMSc degree and Harvard Scholarships in Advanced Dental Medicine offer clinical scholars an exceptional opportunity to conduct oral-health related translational research. For more information please contact Dr. T Howard Howell. For more information, please contact Financial Aid.

Pelletier Family Fellowship in Prosthodontics (est. 2015)
Provides support or supplemental support for the direct and indirect expenses of a graduate of a U.S. dental school, postdoctoral student conducting work in the Advanced Graduate Education (AGE) specialty of prosthodontics.

Predoctoral (DMD) Funds

For more information about the DMD scholarships, please contact Financial Aid. Please be aware that all DMD scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need. There are no separate applications for these scholarships. Students will be considered based on the information provided during the financial aid application process.

Joanna Alford Bequest (est. 1785)
Toward “the education of those Students who are under low and indigent circumstances.”

Lawrence Wills Baker Memorial Fund (est. 1956)
Established in memory of Lawrence Wills Baker, DMD 1898, a professor of orthodontia. For “a student in the School of Dental Medicine who has shown aptitude and interest in the field of Orthodontics.”

Dr. James Bell Memorial Fund (est. 2001)
Bequest of Elizabeth May Bell in memory of her husband, Dr. James Bell, DMD 1916. To be used for financial aid for “worthy, needy students.”

Dwight M. Clapp Scholarship (est. 1926)
Established in memory of Dwight M. Clapp, DMD 1882, by his wife, Clara Josephine Clapp. For a male student at HSDM, born in Massachusetts, who demonstrates financial need and shows promise of professional excellence.

Dental School Alumni Scholarship Fund (est. 1937)
Established from a gift of the Class of 1912. No specific requirements.

Thomas Alexander Forsyth Scholarship Fund (est. 1929)
Bequest of Thomas Alexander Forsyth. This scholarship is for two male students at HSDM “who are desirous of becoming dentists…and to be given to the same two (2) young men until they have completed the course laid out” by the School.

Nathan and Phyllis Goodman Scholarship Fund (est. 2008)
Endowed scholarship in memory of Dr. Nathan Goodman, DMD ‘38, and in honor of Mrs. Phyllis Goodman. The Goodman Scholar is appointed by the dean of the School of Dental Medicine. The Scholarship awards financial aid “to a deserving student who embodies the spirit that Nathan Goodman embraced throughout his 65-year career in dentistry.” The recipient is a first-year student conducting predoctoral work toward a DMD degree. Preference is given to a student from an economically disadvantaged background. The scholarship is renewed annually as long as the recipient maintains satisfactory academic progress.

HSDM Endowed Scholarship Fund (est. 2013)
Income from the principal of the Scholarship fund is to be awarded as scholarships to students at HSDM to support or supplement support for the direct and indirect expenses of the recipients as determined by the financial aid policies of the School.

Frank Randall McCullagh Scholarship Fund (est. 1964)
Bequest of Frank R. McCullagh. To be used “to assist worthy and indigent students to finance themselves through their dental training.”

Dr. Leonard D. Nathan Scholarship Fund (est. 1967)
In honor of Dr. Leonard D. Nathan. No specific requirements.

Dr. Harry Sandler Memorial Scholarship Fund (est. 2002)
Bequest of Thelma N. Sandler, in memory of Dr. Harry Sandler, DMD ‘24, “to support a student [with financial need] at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine who is a member of the HSDM Chapter of Alpha Omega.”

School of Dental Medicine National Scholarship Fund (est. 1960)
Awards will continue through students’ four years of study at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, assuming satisfactory academic performance.

Masako and Seizaburo Sakamoto DMD Scholarship (est. 2014)
The Sakamoto Scholarship pays tribute to former faculty members and husband and wife collaborators Seizaburo Sakamoto, DDS, PhD and Masako Sakamoto, DDS, PhD, who studied connective tissue metabolism and bone reabsorption in an attempt to halt its pathological process. The recipient of the Masako and Seizaburo Sakamoto DMD Scholarship shall be a predoctoral student conducting work in research or toward a degree as a Doctor of Dental Medicine.

Eugene Hanes Smith Scholarship (est. 1920)
Established by the Harvard Dental Alumni Association in recognition of Dean Smith’s 25 years of service to the School. Awarded annually to “a worthy and meritorious student in the third or fourth year of the Dental School, who has been a student in regular standing during the first and second years.”

David Spinney Memorial Fund (est. 1969)
Established with gifts made in memory of Dr. David Spinney through the Harvard Dental Alumni Association “to be used for scholarships or loan.”

Peter E. Strauss Scholarship (est. 1922)
Bequest of Emily R. M. Strauss. No specific requirements.

Clarence B. Vaughan Scholarship Fund (est. 1965)
Bequest of Clarence B. Vaughan. Funds used “to aid worthy and desirable students in acquiring and completing their education in dental medicine.”

William J. Wenzel Scholarship Fund (est. 1990)
Bequest of William J. Wenzel, DMD 1930. No specific requirements.