Moving Forward Committee

The UTHSC College of Dentistry embraces the values of fairness, representation, respect, and recognition in dental education. To provide the highest-quality care to all patients, healthcare professionals must be educated in environments that offer representation to everyone.

The Moving Forward Committee was created in 2018 to help the College of Dentistry achieve this goal. The committee is designed to enhance the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff. The committee recognizes that this begins with providing exposure to the dental profession, as well as resources and guidance, for socioeconomically and educationally disadvantaged students, who have yet to see a path to a career in dentistry. Our mission is to enrich the learning environment through the building of relationships that support our efforts to recruit, retain, and promote students, faculty, and staff in the field of dentistry.

Moving Forward Committee initiatives include:

Working with UTHSC’s Pre-Health Scholars to develop relationships with undergraduate students interested in dentistry
Launching a mentoring program for prospective students by working with pre-health advisers at undergraduate institutions
Funding on-campus experiences with dental students for competitive applicants
Creating student-led outreach opportunities to introduce young people to the dental profession
Establishing a stronger community of belonging for everyone at the UTHSC College of Dentistry.

All students, faculty, and staff are eligible to participate in Moving Forward Committee Programs.
The Moving Forward Committee welcomes and is grateful for the generous support of our College of Dentistry alumni.

Opportunities to show your support include:

Mentoring undergraduate students
Becoming a committee member
Donating to our programs

Email movingforwardcod@uthsc.edu for more information.
Visit the Office of Access and Compliance for more resources.

Pre-Health Scholars Program Make a Donation Faculty/Staff Payroll Deduction

Sub-Committees

Prepare Sub-Committee

Bright Smiles Mentoring Program

The Moving Forward Committee has developed a mentorship program partnering with local high school students in the Memphis area. This program was created to increase the number of Shelby County students enrolled in the dental and dental hygiene programs at UTHSC>

Mission

The mission of the Bright Smiles program is to meet the dental care needs in the Memphis area communities by increasing the number of Shelby County students in the field of dentistry and dental hygiene at UTHSC.

Through consistent mentoring from UTHSC dentistry students and exposure to UTHSC, Shelby County middle, and high school students can make an informed decision to attend UTHSC for dental or dental hygiene school. By increasing the number of dental and dental hygiene graduates at UTHSC, the lack of access to quality dental care decreases as a result of these graduates meeting the dental needs in our communities.

The Mentors

Current dental and dental hygiene students will mentor local middle and high school students who have expressed an interest in a career in dentistry. We believe when students have mentors and role models with whom they can identify they view the career as attainable.

Dentistry students will present monthly forums on topics that will include college preparation, the importance of discipline, dental careers, and test prep. There are also opportunities for Eleventh and Twelfth grade mentees to participate in an on-campus tour and hands-on lab exercise.

Participating as a Mentee

Students interested in becoming a mentee should contact Felisa Jackson at fjackso3@uthsc.edu

Recruit Sub-Committee

The College of Dentistry is committed to providing a healthy social environment for prospective students and staff in accordance with the University's core values.

Retain Sub-Committee

Connection is Important!
Research has shown that the beliefs, and outlooks within an academic space or campus climate and a sense of connection contribute to the retention of all students, faculty, & staff. The Retain sub-committee focuses on making this connection happen within every aspect of our college.

Interested in improving our community? Contact Nikki Dyer at ndyer1@uthsc.edu.

Committee Advisers

Tony Burns photo

Felisa Jackson RDH, BSDH
Committee Chair
Assistant Professor
901.448.9721
fjackso3@uthsc.edu

Nikki Dyer headshot

Nikki Dyer EdD, NCC
Assistant Professor
901.448.2642
ndyer1@uthsc.edu

Gruber

Albert Gruber, DMD
Assistant Professor,
Department of General Dentistry
agruber4@uthsc.edu