Diversity at Penn Dental Medicine
The School of Dental Medicine welcomes students and faculty from very diverse backgrounds and from all over the world. Diversity is one of our core values, and as such, it is our mission to ensure that our students learn in an environment that respects diverse traditions and experiences. Our goal is to provide a welcoming and supportive community that allows our faculty, students, and staff to achieve. Our commitment to diversity is reflected in the Penn Dental Medicine Statement on Diversity, our Affirmative Action Report, our support programs for students and faculty, our curriculum, and the makeup of our student body:
- The Office of Multicultural Affairs and Inclusion oversees student support and mentorship programs and recruitment and retention initiatives that help to build diversity within Penn Dental Medicine’s academic community and foster a culture of inclusion, mutual trust, and respect.
- The Office of Faculty Diversity & Mentorship supports faculty development, recommends proactive strategies for increasing faculty diversity, and offers programs that enhance the climate and quality of academic life.
- Engaging in local and global communities is at the heart of the vibrant diversity that defines the Penn campus and is an integral part of the curriculum as well. Through the School’s Division of Community Oral Health, students and faculty provide much-needed oral health services to the community, while connecting with diverse segments of the public and coming to understand the impact of social, cultural, and economic forces on oral health care. These academically based service-learning programs provide students and faculty with the framework to complete community-based activities as an essential, required component of the curriculum. And through international externships, students expand their perspective of dental education and oral health care delivery in different cultures throughout the world.
- The Penn Dental Medicine student body includes students from throughout the country and around world – see class profiles of recent DMD classes and the many countries of origin among the foreign-trained dentists in our Program for Advanced Standing Students (PASS).