In November of 2019, Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) established its first Green Team and Sustainability Committee, bringing together students, faculty, and staff who were committed to exploring ways to make impactful changes to the School’s environmental footprint. The committee came together as a result of a Harvard Worldwide Week presentation by Dr. Donna Hackley, instructor in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, which focused on the bi-directional relationship between environmental health and oral health through the lens of health equity. The committee focused on evaluating...

Smiles on the faces of patients and providers were still discernible even through layers of masks and PPE at Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s recent Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) event. The annual event, held each February during Children’s Dental Health Month, offers an opportunity for kids ages one to 17 to receive free dental care.

Stephanie, a mother who brought in four-year-old Ellie for her first appointment, watched as her daughter received care from dental students. “She was scared at first but now she’s all chatty. This is awesome!”... Read more about Give Kids a Smile Delivers Care at a Critical Time

In September, Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) announced its Dental Service would close at the end of the year due to financial pressures amplified by the pandemic. The Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) announced that it will re-open the former HUHS dental practice under the direction of HSDM. The School is the only graduate school of Harvard to offer direct patient care and already operates dental practices within the Harvard Dental Center in the Longwood Medical Area.

Beginning in February 2021, HSDM will open the practice...

In early March 2020, Harvard University and Harvard School of Dental Medicine began closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As the situation changed rapidly, the top priority remained the health, safety, and well-being of students, faculty and staff, on and off campus. 

The School began working on several contingency scenarios and taking decisive, informed action to limit the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring the continuity of teaching, research and patient care. These efforts involved rapidly moving to virtual learning, ramping down research labs,...