Outreach & Engagement Programs and Scholars Database

Community outreach and services are a hallmark of the school; participation in community service is an educational requirement in the predoctoral program. Students, residents, and faculty participated in outreach events, including dental screenings at the South Park Inn Homeless Shelter and Hartford Boys & Girls Club. Special Smiles activities, including dental screenings, fluoride application, and mouthguard fabrication, resumed at CT Special Olympics events. Faculty-coordinated, student-led service trips were conducted in South Dakota, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Maine. The school continues to be the largest provider of dental services to traditionally underserved populations through the CT Department of Social Services’ HUSKY program. It continues partnering with the Department of Developmental Services and Veterans Affairs to care for its clients. A new affiliation agreement was developed between the School and the Hospital for Special Care to provide on-site dental services to residential patients at the HFSC; this activity will begin by the end of CY23. SOD Expanded engagement with CT Dept of Veterans Affairs and CT Dept. of Developmental Services to increase oral healthcare service delivery to veterans and individuals with i/dd, supported by philanthropic giving.

Contact: Steven Lepowsky

Email: steven.lepowsky@uconn.edu

Keywords: Dental, dental medicine, underserved populations, veterans,

Website: https://dentalmedicine.uconn.edu/student-life/