Innovative new dental school to open

YAKIMA–Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) is receiving $12 million in grant funding from Delta Dental of Washington to help launch its new school of dental medicine, making it the second dental school in the state.

The innovative new dental school, expected to open to students in fall 2025, will be uniquely focused on training dental students committed to serving rural and other medically underserved communities which are increasingly experiencing a critical dental workforce shortage in Washington state and beyond, contributing to a disproportionate incidence of oral health issues.

According to a 2022 American Medical Association Journal of Ethics article, nationally most dentists are in urban areas, whereas only 14% of dentists practice in rural areas where 20% of the US population lives.

The dental school will train 36 dental students per year alongside PNWU health sciences students in preparation for working in collaborative and integrated healthcare environments, and which reflects the direct connection between oral and overall health. Following one year of on-campus training, PNWU will be the first dental school in the nation in which students will have three years of full-time immersive training at one of three federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) located in Tacoma, Tri-Cities and Yakima.

"Most dental disease is preventable, but you can't prevent oral health issues if you don't have access to care," said Delta Dental of Washington President & CEO Mark Mitchke. "As a mission-driven organization, Delta Dental of Washington is committed to growing the dental workforce particularly within communities of color and extending access to care for rural and underserved communities where we can make the biggest impact on improving our state's oral health."

The 30,0000-square-foot state-of-the-art dental school classroom and workspace building, to be named Delta Dental Equity Hall in recognition of the shared commitment of PNWU and Delta Dental of Washington to increase equitable access to dental care, will break ground at a ceremony at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24. The building will be adjacent to the MultiCare Learning Center which opened in early August. The public ceremony will feature a welcome from Fotinos S. Panagakos, DMD, PhD, Founding Dean of PNWU's School of Dental Medicine, and brief remarks from PNWU President Michael Lawler, PhD; PNWU Board Chair John Vornbrock; Delta Dental of Washington Chief Mission Officer Diane Oakes; and Washington State Dental Association President Nathan Russell, DDS.

"The school of dental medicine would not be a reality without the support and generosity of Delta Dental of Washington," said Dr. Panagakos. "Delta Dental Equity Hall will provide a state-of-the-art academic space for our program to train the next generation of primary care dentists focused on delivering care to the underserved in Washington, bringing oral health equity to those in need."

In addition to Delta Dental of Washington's landmark, PNWU's School of Dental Medicine has also received $5 million in state funding with additional support from Washington State Dental Association Foundation, Pierce County, foundations, and individual donors.

WSDA, State, Pierce County, Foundations and Individual Donors Provide Additional Funding to Help Address Critical Dental Workforce Shortage in Underserved Rural Communities