Dean Mark Wolff to Join June 1 Roundtable Discussion on Penn’s Service to Veterans

Dean Mark Wolff

Philadelphia – In honor of Memorial Day, Penn Dental Medicine’s Dean, Dr. Mark S. Wolff, will join Deans and Vice Deans from Penn’s other health schools and the Director of Philadelphia’s Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in a dialogue on Joining Forces at Penn, a program to support Veterans and their families. The virtual event will be held Wednesday, June 1, from 4 – 5 pm (Join here >> ).

In a roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Rosemary C. Polomano, Associate Dean for Practice at Penn Nursing, participants will share their visions and perspectives on how to expand Penn’s participation in Joining Forces, an initiative launched by the White House to support military veterans and their families, including caregivers and family survivors. Driven by Veterans’ experiences, the initiative includes three areas of focus — health and well-being, employment and entrepreneurship, and military-child education.

“I am thrilled to be part of Penn’s discussion on how we can continue to strengthen our support of Veterans and their families,” says Dean Wolff. “At Penn Dental Medicine, we have made our outreach to Veterans a priority and continue to work to ensure they know they can find a dental care home here.”

In February 2022, Penn Dental Medicine established a partnership with the VETSmile program, developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Care and Payment Innovation (CCPI). VETSmile collaborates with community dental care partners to advance continuous and comprehensive oral health care services for VA-enrolled Veterans who are ineligible to receive VA dental care services. Penn Dental Medicine is the fourth dental care provider to collaborate with the VETSmile program, with the CCPI working to expand its partnership with institutions nationwide.

Veterans referred through the VETSmile program (who can call 215-746-4665 or 215-898-4064 for an appointment), as well as Veterans who come to the School on their own (who can call 215-573-VETS [8387] for an appointment), receive an initial 20-30% discount followed by a sliding scale fee schedule.

Penn Dental Medicine has been building its outreach to Veterans over the past several years, holding a Veterans Fair annually in conjunction with Veterans Day that includes free oral screenings and assistance in getting the dental care they need at the School.