The first new dental school in the state of New York in 50 years will open this fall, as the Touro College of Dental Medicine launches on the New York Medical College (NYMC) campus in Valhalla, NY. It joins the Touro School of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and NYMC.
“As New York State’s first new dental school in nearly half a century and the only dental school in the Hudson Valley, the Touro College of Dental Medicine at NYMC will fill a void in dental education and improve access to oral healthcare, particularly in underserved rural and urban communities throughout the region,” said Alan Kadish, MD, president of the Touro College and University System.
“The school will address the existing shortage of training options for dentists in New York State and create a pipeline for the next generation of dental professionals, while also seeing to the immediate needs of the community through its dental clinic,” said Kadish. “We look forward to welcoming our first class and the clinic’s first patients thereafter and to further strengthening the regional healthcare system for generations to come.”
The school will include a 4-year predoctoral program for students, a continuing education program for practicing dentists, and a 132-chair community dental clinic focused on providing affordable and quality treatment to underserved communities in the Hudson Valley and the Bronx. Anticipated enrollment is 110 students, with 440 students expected when the school is at full capacity.
Kadish also envisions opportunities for interdisciplinary training due to the school’s location on the NYMC campus. Research efforts will focus on reducing the cost of effective care, population outcomes-based research concentrated on interventions, and translational research that harnesses scientific discoveries to produce new devices and treatment options for patients.
“Students of the Touro College of Dental Medicine at NYMC will reap both the benefits of a new school, including state-of-the-art facilities and leading educational innovations, and those of an established institution, including NYMC’s expert faculty, longstanding and celebrated research program, and strong network of affiliated hospitals,” said Edward C. Halperin, MD, chancellor and CEO of the Touro College and University System.
Touro has appointed Jay P. Goldsmith, DMD, as the school’s founding dean. Previously, he was a professor, program director, and deputy chief with NYMC’s department of dental medicine. He also is a dentist and oral and maxillofacial surgeon with more than 50 years of experience, a Fellow of the American College of Dentists, founding Fellow of the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and past president of the New York Academy of Dentistry.
“Students of the Touro College of Dental Medicine at NYMC will enjoy the advantages of this extensive medical education network and enhanced interprofessional connections as they benefit from world-class faculty and facilities, as well as being part of a historic initiative in dental education,” said Goldsmith.
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