Table 2.

Case Study: East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine

MissionThe mission of the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine is to “develop leaders with a passion to care for the underserved and improve the health of North Carolina and the nation.” Its mission is driven by the dental care needs of North Carolina residents, which informs the admission strategy, dental curriculum, patient care, research and community engagement, and service activities.
Admission committee chargeThe Admissions Committee will recruit and admit diverse, academically qualified students, with particular emphasis on admitting students from rural areas, underrepresented groups, and disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to fulfilling the mission of the SoDM through service in communities across the state of North Carolina.
Community-based recruitment strategiesStarted in 2012, “Preparing Tomorrow’s Dentists” is a 2.5-day summer program open to current undergraduate students and post-bac students focused on enhancing student knowledge and awareness of dentistry as a profession with the goal of increasing the diversity of the North Carolina Dental Workforce. It is a joint endeavor between the East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, the Old North State Dental Society, and the North Carolina historically Black colleges and universities.
ECU School of Dental Medicine takes a “grow-your-own” approach, which informs their recruitment strategies as well as their community-based curriculum where matriculated students can learn clinical skills in community service-learning centers across North Carolina. Students have three 9-week rotations where they are working and living in communities of high dental need and serving patients in those areas.
OutcomesBecause of the alignment of its mission, admissions process, and curriculum, ECU School of Dental Medicine has been able to:

  • Matriculate dental students from 86 of North Carolina’s 100 counties

  • Steadily increase the proportion of students from historically underrepresented groups

  • Report that 90% of their alumni are practicing in North Carolina

  • ECU = East Carolina University; post-bac = post-baccalaureate; SoDM = School of Dental Medicine.