Opening WINDOWS for high school learners to see and explore dentistry and dental research careers

The Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry (OHSU SOD) is launching a new initiative to promote oral healthcare careers among high school learners. Most high schoolers have extremely limited knowledge of dental and dental research career paths in healthcare and may not have considered oral health as a viable track. Oregon especially has a need for oral health care providers in rural areas. This proposal will take the first step to meet these needs by immersing and engaging high school scholars locally and from around Oregon and Washington, in pathways to careers in dentistry and dental, oral, and craniofacial research. We are seeking to raise awareness of and provide opportunities for oral health-related research internships and clinical experiences. There is currently no program in Oregon and the surrounding region that provides such experiences, and as the only dental school in the state, OHSU SOD is uniquely qualified to deliver cutting-edge research and clinical care experiences to our high schooler scholars. A team of OHSU SOD faculty will provide an explorer’s program throughout the school year, a paid summer research experience, and touchpoint activities such as preview days and outreach activities around the state to open the windows to learners to the careers in the oral health field. Our WINDOWS program will be a model to other schools across the country of a pathway program for high school learners integrating research with clinical dentistry and integrating oral health research with biomedical research.