Message from the Dean
We welcome you to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Woody L.
Hunt School of Dental Medicine (WLHSDM), where we provide a great opportunity for
students to become tomorrow’s leading health care providers. We will provide a base
of knowledge and experience to pursue successful careers in dentistry. These opportunities
will include providing oral health care to numerous populations, investigations in
biomedical research, leadership, ethics, behavioral sciences and professionalism,
along with community engagement. Our formula for success includes comprehensive interactive
coursework, sustained evidence-based learning and clinical experiences, and preparation
through scholarship and interprofessional teamwork while in school, so that students
are prepared for their professional futures.
We have merged throughout our curriculum some unique concepts. First is a tract of conversational and medical Spanish. For novice speakers, we help you feel more comfortable communicating with both patients and community partners. With mature skills, you explore various advanced bilingual opportunities. Second, you graduate with a community health certificate, having completed hours toward a Master of Public Health degree. Achieving this certificate positions you to better understand local health care topics, barriers, advocacy, and resolutions in your community. Third is a strong commitment to digital dentistry, integrating CAD/CAM electronic solutions to treat oral health care needs throughout your educational experience.
At the WLHSDM, we deliver oral health care in West Texas and along the southern border region, while providing a rich breadth of experiences, promoting health and expanding care. Our presence will open portals to oral care, increase interprofessional approach to health care concerns, support regional research, and provide role models and pathways to those seeking health related careers. As a collaborative institution, we provide an environment for direct academic and interpersonal exchange alongside medical, nursing, and graduate students, and health care providers. Such collaborations provide a framework that can continue after graduation and will make our students exceptional oral health care professionals, educators, and researchers.
Richard C. Black, D.D.S., M.S.
Rick and Ginger Francis Endowed Dean
Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso