Global and Community Health

Joseph L. Henry

Joseph L. Henry Oral Health Fellows Pursue Dynamic Goals in Public Health

November 13, 2020

Drs. Siobhian M. B. Sprott, and Shelly D. Taylor were recently awarded the Joseph L. Henry Oral Health Fellowship in Minority Health Policy for the 2020-2021 academic year. The Joseph L. Henry Oral Health Fellowship in Minority Health Policy, awarded each academic year, is an academic degree-granting program with the goal of preparing the next generation of leaders in minority health, health policy, and oral epidemiology. The program is named after Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s first African American full professor, Joseph L. Henry who also served as the School’s interim dean from...

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affordable care act image

New Study Reveals Effects of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansion on Dental Coverage

November 3, 2020

Dr. Hawazin W. Elani, assistant professor in the Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), and co-authors from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, examined how the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) expansion of Medicaid eligibility affected dental coverage and the use of oral health services among low-income adults, using data from the National Health Interview Survey. Their findings were published...

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Rural New Hampshire

HSDM Secures $3 Million Grant to Expand Dental Public Health in Rural Areas

June 25, 2020

Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology (OHPE) in collaboration with the Office of Global and Community Health (OGCH) was recently awarded a $3 million postdoctoral training grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce to address gaps in dental education and access to care in underserved and vulnerable populations in rural areas.

The five-year grant titled Catalyzing Oral Health Workforce for Rural and Vulnerable Populations will create the first and only Dental Public Health (DPH) Residency in the country with a dedicated rural track... Read more about HSDM Secures $3 Million Grant to Expand Dental Public Health in Rural Areas

Volunteers distribute much needed supplies to Kenyan villagers via the Towa Kitu Kidogo project, partly initiated by Ashiana Jivraj, DMD21. Photo credit: Towa Kitu Kidogo

Dental Students Combat COVID-19 Through Volunteerism and Action

June 24, 2020

As Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) students and residents learned that the academic year would take an unprecedented turn due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several jumped into action, finding different ways to turn the challenges presented by the pandemic into opportunities to help. Whether through community outreach, research, or care, they quickly honed in on ways to aid their local and global communities.... Read more about Dental Students Combat COVID-19 Through Volunteerism and Action

David Danesh, DMD20

Becoming the Leaders and Thinkers the World Needs

May 22, 2020

A reflection written by David Danesh, DMD20.

“When the world needs leaders, we will be among them; when the world needs solutions, we will help create them.” Reflecting on the class oath that we took with our Harvard Medical School colleagues during our White Coat Ceremony in August of 2016, this line resonates with me today. The knowledge we gained while receiving our education at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) will help us think about creative solutions to the challenges we face today, and new challenges we will ultimately face in the future. Amidst the COVID-...

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Kristin Sweeney, DMD20

Graduate Q&A with Kristin Sweeney, DMD20

May 21, 2020

Kristin Sweeney, a member of the graduating Class of 2020, reflects on her most memorable experiences at HSDM and how they influenced her choice in career path. An active volunteer in many aspects of the HSDM community, Sweeney served as a member of the Admissions committee, as a Vanderbilt Hall residence advisor, and as a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association. Sweeney also took a special interest in community outreach, volunteering her time with several...

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woman smoking

Weighing the Risk of Smoking During the COVID-19 Pandemic

April 10, 2020

Oral health experts at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry have taken a closer look at the risks associated with smoking, vaping, and tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic. They suggest that in addition to precautions such as social distancing and hand washing, another immediate step that individuals can take to reduce risk is to limit tobacco use.

“As the pandemic spreads at an alarming rate globally, emerging evidence suggests that patients who use these products are more susceptible to...

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Dr. Brittany Seymour at HSDM

Putting Public Health First: Coronavirus Q&A with Dr. Brittany Seymour

March 20, 2020

Dr. Brittany Seymour is associate professor and global health discipline director at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). With a background in oral and public health, and a concentration in global health and population, she focuses on interdisciplinary approaches for health improvement through prevention, policy, and health promotion. She also conducts research on how misinformation spreads online and impacts important public health programs. She recently shared her thoughts on the spread of the virus as well as the spread of misinformation.
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Student Ryan Lisann with patient Diego

HSDM Student Finds His Niche in Community Care

February 25, 2020

For Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) student Ryan Lisann, completing one of the last requirements of his four-year DMD program — a three-month externship at Charles River Community Health Center in Brighton — was an experience that will shape his career.

“I’m really passionate about education and wanting to work with kids, so getting to work in a community health setting and treating pediatric patients confirmed the path I want to take,” Lisann said.... Read more about HSDM Student Finds His Niche in Community Care

Photo of a woman with a bamboo toothbrush

Dentistry Aims to Go Green

December 11, 2019

During Harvard’s recent Worldwide Week, Donna Hackley, DMD, MA, an instructor in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology at HSDM, was featured on a panel of global and community health experts titled, “Climate Change, the Environment, and Oral Health.” Hackley spoke candidly about the bi-directional relationship between environmental health and oral health through the lens of health equity. Dentistry, as an industry, impacts our planet’s environmental health, which affects oral...

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Dr. Alec Eidelman in clinic

Dentists Voice Concerns About Vaping

October 21, 2019

Dentists are adding their voices to the growing chorus of health care professionals with concerns about e-cigarettes and vaping.

“There has been this uptick in use and attention toward vaping. A lot of the information targeting consumers promotes it as healthier than smoking cigarettes, but that’s misleading because it’s not without risks,” said Dr. Alec S. Eidelman, a research fellow with HSDM’s Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, and dentist with the Cambridge Health Alliance.

According to Eidelman, a common symptom he sees associated with vaping is...

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Rwanda grads

University of Rwanda Graduates First Class of Dentists

December 7, 2018

A jubilant crowd celebrated a victory in a soccer stadium in Huye, Rwanda, this past fall. The fanfare wasn’t for a soccer match, but rather for the commencement ceremony at the University of Rwanda — including its first-ever graduating class of dentists.

With a population of more than 12 million people and fewer than 40 registered dentists to serve them, adding 10 new graduates with bachelor’s degrees in dental surgery was a milestone for the future of the nation’s oral health.

Since 2011, Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) has been a leading partner in the...

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Leadership Forum panel

Leadership Forum Focuses on Changing the Health Care System Through Integration

October 15, 2018

Leaders in academia, business, and health care gathered for the third Leadership Forum, which was hosted by Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine in late September. The two-day event, held at the Joseph Martin Center in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area, offered a thought-provoking lineup of speakers and panels on the topic of “Achieving Quality and Value in Healthcare through Integration.”... Read more about Leadership Forum Focuses on Changing the Health Care System Through Integration

Erinne Kennedy

New MMSc Program Trains Future Leaders and Mentors in Dental Education

May 24, 2018

When Erinne Kennedy, MMSc2019, PD18 was growing up in Middleport, Ohio, she never imagined someone from her hometown of 2,500 people—let alone herself—would become the first of anything at Harvard. Kennedy recently became the first post-doctoral student in Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s MMSc in Dental Education Program.

“It’s...

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Brian Swann

Swann Receives Community Service Award for Oral Health Outreach with the Wampanoag

June 12, 2018

Dr. Brian J. Swann, assistant professor of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, was recently awarded a 2018 Dean's Community Service Award for his work with the Wampanoag Tribe Oral Health Relief Effort. Since 2013, Swann has led efforts to bring sustainable, comprehensive, family-centered oral health care to the underserved native population on Martha's Vineyard.... Read more about Swann Receives Community Service Award for Oral Health Outreach with the Wampanoag

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