THE EVOLUTION OF OUR PROGRAM
The establishment of the Postgraduate Dental College in 2010 represented the founding of the university’s third school, the first since the launch of the Graduate School of Nursing in 1993. It also represented a bold venture for USU by adopting an alternative model of education that can best be described as academic sharing. Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, our initial graduating class consisted of 28 students in 2012. Today, we have over 180 enrolled students in 20 different programs, and we continue to grow through the affiliation of programs at additional teaching sites.
In 2016 we incorporated the 10 Air Force General Dentistry one-year certificate programs. By including these foundational one-year military programs, junior faculty and student dentists get university support that includes faculty appointments, faculty development training, and use of support services such as the Learning Resource Center. We have established consistency between the programs by using the USU Sakai Learning Management System across the tri-service programs, standardizing the platform for sharing curriculum documents, best practices, and accreditation preparation. The Army and Navy one-year certificate programs affiliated with the PDC in Academic year 2019-20.
The Future of the Program
Education and Training
We facilitate inter-service collaboration and program uniformity across the different service dental schools by providing essential and standardized electronic library services, research support, learning management system, and accreditation-required faculty development training.
Research and Scholarship
Our students conduct innovative research and scholarship relevant to the MHS, the DoD, and the broader public. Their research advances collaborative efforts with federal and non-federal entities as illustrated by current initiatives on Smokeless Tobacco Use in the U.S. Military (involving Murtha Cancer Center, Army and Air Force Postgraduate Dental Schools, National Cancer Institute) as well as projects dealing with pain management and smoking cessation (involving USU centers TSCOHS and DVCIPM, and WVU School of Dentistry).
Leadership and Service
We provide unique opportunities to augment affiliated military dental residency programs’ existing leadership training. We will continue to expand opportunities for interprofessional initiatives currently supported by our residents and faculty, such as Military Field Practicum 101, and continue to develop interconnectivity with main-campus leadership presentations through distance learning.