COVID-19 vaccine doses began rolling out on campus at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, in partnership with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, during clinics held on January 30 and 31.
Several hundred students and employees of the healthcare programs on the campus, including those working on the frontlines in its dental clinics, received their first dose of the vaccine as allowed by local health guidelines.
“We are proud to have the Dugoni School family step up to help face and end this pandemic,” said Dr. Nader Nadershahi, dean of the Dugoni School. “We are committed to rapidly administering vaccines and will be prepared to support vaccinations for those in our community and beyond as more become available.”
The rollout was a collaboration involving many elements of Pacific’s healthcare programs, including the Dugoni School of Dentistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, and School of Health Sciences.
Pharmacy faculty, physician assistant program faculty, and dental school faculty and student volunteers were involved in the creation and launch of the vaccine distributions.
“I feel grateful and privileged to be vaccinated in a safe and convenient environment,” said Maggie Ma, a member of the Dugoni School class of 2022. “As a proud volunteer, I look forward to helping out with our vaccine clinic continuously in the future to expand its coverage.”
As additional vaccine supplies become available in February, the Dugoni School is hoping to open up appointments to the professional dental community and members of the wider public who qualify for vaccines.
Dentists and dental school faculty volunteers across the state are making an impact as healthcare workers get involved in vaccine rollouts, the school said. In early January, the California Department of Consumer Affairs issued a waiver allowing dentists to administer vaccines authorized by the FDA after completing a short sequence of training.
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