Diversity Hub

UCSF volunteers partner with K-12 teachers to co-plan and co-teach a series of science lessons.

This year-long, structured program is designed for first time applicants who believe they need additional preparation in order to be competitive applicants and for previously unsuccessful applicants to dental school. The program are especially interested in individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, underserved communities and/or from groups traditionally underrepresented in the profession. The comprehensive program is designed to help participants become more competitive dental school applicants in a future admission cycle, and consists of the following key elements; (1) Mentoring and academic advising; (2) A full year of upper division science course work through the University of California, Berkeley Extension; (3) Assistance with the dental school application process; (4) Academic and learning skills development; (5) Intensive DAT review course; (6) Faculty mentoring; and (7) Interprofessional collaboration with the Medical and Pharmacy post-baccalaureate programs.

The program creates defined educational paths so that individuals can develop focused teaching skills and receive a certificate in recognition of achievement. The program is open to current and future faculty at UCSF and at affiliated institutions (i.e., residents, fellows, volunteer faculty). Participants complete specific sets of UCSF Educational Skills Workshops. Credit toward the certificate is given after demonstration of competence through assessments that are completed during each workshop. Currently, certificate tracks include: 1) General Teaching; 2) Clinical Teaching; 3) Simulation Teaching; 4) Interprofessional Teaching; 5) Teaching Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QI/PS); 6) Education Leadership.

A collaboration among faculty, residents, students, and volunteers, UCSF's Community Dental Clinic has been working to improve the health of San Francisco's homeless population for the past decade. The philosophy of the Community Dental Clinic is to motivate patients to seek healthcare and to prevent dental disease through education and preventive dentistry. CDC is guided by three mutually supportive sets of aspirations: (1) For the clients- to provide oral health education and treatment. To achieve a positive impact on the lives of our patients; (2) For the students- to create a setting in which students can learn, teach, and practice clinical skills while cultivating sensitivity and comfort in interactions with the underserved population; and (3) For the Community- To use the Dental Clinic as a forum for education and health care service. To promote advocacy for the needs of the homeless population. Ultimately, we hope this experience will broaden our vision and make us more able and compassionate health care providers for any population we choose to serve.