Advanced Program in Dental Public Health
About the Program:
The Advanced Education Program in Dental Public Health is for students who possess both a Dental degree and a Public Health degree. Dental Public Health is the science and art of oral health promotion and disease prevention to improve the total health of communities.
The Advanced Education Program in Dental Public Health at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry in Dallas, TX is an innovative full-time 12-month program designed to prepare dentists for dental public health practice, as well as the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective community programs.
The goal of the Dental Public Health Program at the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry is to provide students with comprehensive knowledge and skills in the practice of dental public health (DPH).
Mission Statement
Our training program is tailored to meet each graduate student's career goals but also includes the acquisition of research skills, required didactic instruction, and field experiences including community-oriented inter-professional clinical care.
Objectives:
1. Education:
1.1 To ensure alignment with the American Board of Dental Public Health (ABDPH) standards and current public health priorities.
1.2 To apply core public health and dental public health knowledge and skills to real- world community settings through participation in supervised public health field experience.
1.3 To provide individualized study plans and structured ABDPH Qualifying Examination review sessions.
1.4 To provide mentored teaching experience in preventive dentistry or public health within pre-doctoral curriculum.
2. Patient Care:
2.1 To provide community-based dental services for a broad range of populations.
2.2 To promote growth in professional judgment, and ethical decision-making when providing oral health services in public health settings.
2.3 To build collaborations with interprofessional healthcare teams (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, or nutrition) to deliver comprehensive oral and general health services.
3. Research:
3.1 To provide skills in critically evaluating scientific literature and writing, or evidence-based reviews.
3.2 To design, conduct, and produce a written research project on a Dental Public Health topic, suitable for publication or presentation.
4. Service:
4.1 To engage in community-based oral health service initiatives and professional public health outreach activities.
4.2 To communicate public health findings and recommendations to both lay and professional audiences, and advocate for population-based oral health.
Scholarly and travel opportunities may also be available. In addition, this program is designed to fulfill the educational requirements of the American Board of Dental Public Health (ABDPH) examinations.
Each resident is required to:
- Develop an individual training plan with their mentor based on prior education and experiences.
- Complete coursework and training in population health, health literacy, and practice transformation.
- Participate in field experiences designed to improve students' understanding of communities.
- Complete at least one research or administrative project in accordance to ABDPH project report format.
- Take the written examination offered by the ABDPH prior to completing the program.
Graduate Students who successfully complete the program receive an Advanced Education in Dental Public Health Certificate. The College of Dentistry's Advanced Education Program in Dental Public Health is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
Admissions Requirements
- Degree: DDS or DMD or equivalent AND Public Health (MPH or equivalent degree)
- Exams: INDBE, TOEFL (if internationally trained)
- ADEA PASS Application (https://www.adea.org/PASSapp/applicants/)
- General Admission Requirements of the College Interview
For further information:
Tell us who you are and what questions you have by filling out a brief form here and someone from the DPH Program will reach out to you soon.
About the Program Director,
Peggy Timothé, DDS, MPH
Dr. Peggy Timothé, a native New Yorker, attended New York University as an undergraduate and for dental school. She completed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency program at the Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY. She received a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and completed the DPH residency at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. She is board-certified in the specialty of DPH and has extensive experience in academic and clinical dentistry, health policy, and research. Her expertise includes pre-doctoral curriculum development and improving dental care delivery models. Dr. Timothé is currently the program director of the Advanced Education Program in Dental Public Health at the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, Associate Professor, and has served as Principal Investigator on several state- and federally sponsored grants.