Community Care + DMD Education = A Win-Win
Serving patients in the communities where they live, work, and go to school is an increasingly significant part of the mission of Penn Dental Medicine. Through its Division of Community Oral Health, led by Dr. Joan Gluch, Penn Dental Medicine increases access to care and high-quality dental care services to our neighbors in Philadelphia through four community care programs in Philadelphia: Mercy LIFE, PennSmiles at Schools/Community Health Centers, Puentes de Salud, and PHMC Public Health Campus on Cedar. In addition, Penn Dental Medicine provides care to individuals with disabilities at a care center within the Langhorne, Pa. campus of Woods Services.
These efforts have the crucial benefit of providing Penn Dental Medicine students with invaluable opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills in community-based dental care. Students learn about their role in society in improving health at the population level, while gaining insight to their patients’ lived experiences and providing much-needed dental care. Many prospective students choose Penn Dental Medicine because of our robust offering of experiential community-based courses, and especially the strength of our community-based clinical activities at Penn Dental Medicine community sites that emphasize cultural competence, health literacy, health promotion, ethics, behavior management, and practice management.
Dr. Leonard Jensen serves as Penn’s Primary Care Leader/Dental Director to lead the faculty and staff working at the community care dental sites. Dental students provide care one day per week for a calendar year beginning in January of their third year and continuing through December of their fourth year.
Faculty and residents within the School’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry program provide dental care within the Woods Services care center.
Community Care Programs
- Mercy LIFE »
- PennSmiles at Schools/Community Health Centers »
- Puentes de Salud »
- Penn Dental Medicine at Woods Mikey Faulkner Dental Care Center »
- Penn Dental Medicine at PHMC Public Health Campus on Cedar »
Support Community Outreach Programs
To make a gift or to learn more on how to support community outreach programs, contact:
Elizabeth Ketterlinus
Vice Dean, Institutional Advancement
240 S. 40th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-898-3328
ekett@dental.upenn.edu
