High Point University’s Workman School of Dental Medicine and Wake Forest University School of Medicine have signed a letter of intent to begin discussions on developing dental residency programs together.
Aligned with the educational and clinical objectives of both institutions, dental residency programs would provide post-doctoral training in a number of potential specialty areas, including general practice residency (hospital dentistry), pediatric dentistry, oral medicine, orofacial pain, and dental anesthesiology. HPU welcomes its inaugural class of 60 Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) students this fall.
While discussions are still in the early stages, leaders envision that the Workman School of Dental Medicine faculty would also hold faculty appointments within Wake Forest University School of Medicine and provide training to residents working at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
The opportunity is a continuation of a successful partnership that began in 2023, when HPU’s Workman School of Dental Medicine and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist initiated a collaboration to provide oral medicine oncology and orofacial pain services for patients receiving cancer treatment at the Hayworth Cancer Centerat Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center. This collaboration has been successful in expanding the spectrum of innovative services available to cancer patients.
“We are delighted to be taking this first step toward a promising partnership to educate the next generation of dental leaders and improve the health of our community and our nation,” said Dr. L. Ebony Boulware, dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and chief science officer of Advocate Health, of which the medical school is the academic core. “We look forward to further discussions as we work to expand our partnerships and continually elevate the training we provide at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.”
The next step is for both parties to advance talks about what a collaboration agreement for post-graduate dental residency programs would include.
“The academic and clinical partnership between the High Point University Workman School of Dental Medicine and Wake Forest University School of Medicine was envisioned to enhance access to care for patients with unmet and complex needs by delivering dentistry and medicine as one integrated unit,” said Dr. Muhammad Ali Shazib, dean of the Workman School of Dental Medicine. “Partnerships like these, which involve patient care, education, and research, serve as a catalyst for improved health care outcomes, elevated patient experiences, and a rich environment for innovation. This is a win for all those who need our care—patients, health care providers, educators, administrators, and researchers.”
Wake Forest University School of Medicine sponsors 25 residency programs and 87 fellowship programs, which train more than 700 residents and fellows each year.
About Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (www.wakehealth.edu) is a preeminent academic health system based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, which was created through the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health.
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s two main components are an integrated clinical system—anchored by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, an 885-bed tertiary-care hospital in Winston-Salem—that includes Atrium Health Levine Children’s Brenner Children’s Hospital, five community hospitals, more than 300 primary and specialty care locations and more than 2,700 physicians; and Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the academic core of Advocate Health and a recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research that includes Wake Forest Innovations, a commercialization enterprise focused on advancing health care through new medical technologies and biomedical discovery. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist employs more than 22,000 teammates, part of Advocate Health’s 155,000 teammates.
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist provided a record-setting $1.2 billion in community benefit in 2023, which includes unreimbursed care, financial assistance, education and research, and community health improvement. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
About High Point University
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.® HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with 6,040 undergraduate and graduate students. U.S. News & World Report has ranked HPU the No. 1 Best Regional College in the South for 12 consecutive years and the No. 1 Most Innovative Regional College in the South for nine consecutive years.
The Princeton Review named HPU in “The Best 389 Colleges: 2024 Edition” and among the “Best South” colleges by region list. HPU was also recognized among the Top 20 in the nation for Best-Run Colleges, Best Career Services, Most Beautiful Campus, Most Active Student Government, Best College Dorms, and Best Campus Food, as well as a Great School for Business/Finance Majors and a Great School for Communication Majors.
For 13 years in a row, HPU has been named a College of Distinction with special recognition for career development, business, and education programs. The university has 60 undergraduate majors, 66 undergraduate minors, and 18 graduate degree programs.
It is a member of the NCAA, Division I, and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the web at highpoint.edu.
