From leadership appointments to monetary donations, here are seven recent updates to know about five upcoming dental schools:
High Point (N.C.) University
High Point University received a $32 million donation from the Rick and Angie Workman Foundation for its new school of dental medicine, which will be named the Workman School of Dental Medicine. Rick Workman, DMD, is the founder of Effingham, Ill.-based Heartland Dental and High Point University's dental innovator in residence.
In March, High Point announced its dental school was one of four of its academic schools to share $100 million in philanthropic gifts the university had received in the last month.
The dental school will be North Carolina's first private dental school. The school plans to enroll its first class in fall 2023.
The University of Pikeville (Ky.)
The University of Pikeville was recently given a $25 million donation to establish a dental school. The gift was given by an anonymous donor and is the largest single donation the school has received in its 133-year history. The university said the College of Dentistry will increase access to dental services in the Appalachian region.
Daemen University (Amherst, N.Y.)
Daemen University said in April it is partnering with Todd Shatkin, DDS, to open a dental school that will alleviate a shortage of dental professionals in the area. The proposed Shatkin College of Dentistry would be the second dental school in the Buffalo Niagara region.
Dr. Shatkin, of Shatkin Dental Health in Amherst, plans to invest $6 million to $7 million into the new college, while Daemen University will cover operating costs and funnel $500,000 into upgrading its anatomy labs. Dr. Shatkin requested $394,000 in sales tax breaks from the Amherst Industrial Development Agency to go toward construction of the school.
Dr. Shatkin and the university have submitted an application for accreditation to the Commission on Dental Accreditation and the New York State Education Department. If accepted, the dental school will open in fall of 2023 and accept 40 students per year.
Lyon College (Batesville, Ark.)
Lyon College unveiled plans in April for a new dental school in Little Rock, Ark. The school will be part of the new Lyon College Institute of Health Sciences and would take in its inaugural class in 2024 or 2025, depending on approval from the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (Yakima, Wash.)
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences hired Fotinos Panagakos, DMD, in March to be the founding dean of its upcoming dental school. The school will be the second dental school in the state and will train dentists for rural and underserved communities. The dental school is still in development and is in the process of gaining accreditation and recruiting faculty, but the university plans to accept its first class of dental students in the fall of 2025.