Opening WINDOWS for high school learners to see and explore dentistry and dental research careers

Posted on October 3, 2024, updated on December 20, 2024

  • Project Description

    PROJECT NARRATIVE The program, termed Walk IN Dental Oral Ways of Science (WINDOWS), builds upon our successes with recently funded undergraduate/postdoctoral research training programs, and is tailored to address the oral health disparities present throughout the state of Oregon. Through a variety of outreach activities, in class experiences, and research internships our program will further enlighten learners about dental, oral and craniofacial health and disease and bolster the competitiveness of our trainees as they pursue advanced education. The program will open the windows for students to see the many different possibilities for future careers in dentistry and dental, oral, and craniofacial research.

  • Abstract

    PROJECT SUMMARY The Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry (OHSU SOD) is launching a new initiative to promote oral healthcare careers among high school learners. Most high schoolers have extremely limited knowledge of the wide diversity of career paths in healthcare and may not have considered oral health as a viable track. Oregon has a low percentage of historically under-represented racial and ethnic groups (HURE) in professional and research careers. This proposal will take the first step to meet these needs by immersing and engaging high school learners, particularly from under-represented and diverse backgrounds, in pathways to careers in dentistry and dental, oral, and craniofacial research. We are seeking to raise awareness of and provide opportunities for oral health-related research internships and clinical experiences. Currently, there is no program in Oregon that provides such experiences, and as the only dental school in the state, OHSU SOD is uniquely qualified to deliver cutting-edge research and clinical care experiences to our high schoolers. A team of OHSU SOD faculty will provide an explorer’s program throughout the school year, a paid summer research experience, and touchpoint activities in the community and around the state to open the windows to learners to the careers in the oral health field. Our WINDOWS program will be a model to other schools across the country of a pathway program for high school learners integrating research with clinical dentistry and integrating oral health research with biomedical research.