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Blending public health into dental education: A.T. Still university's D.M.D./M.P.H. program
Donald S Altman1, Shachi D Shantinath2, Marsha A Presley2
1Dr. Altman is Dean and Professor, A.T. Still University Arizona College of Graduate Health Studies and Director of Public Health, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health; Dr. Shantinath is Associate Professor of Public Health, A.T. Still University Arizona College of Graduate Health Studies and Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health; Dr. Presley is Academic Advisor, A.T. Still University Arizona College of Graduate Health Studies; and Ms. Turner is Sponsored Projects Coordinator, A.T. Still University Sponsored Programs. daltman@atsu.edu.
Abstract:
As dental education across the United States undergoes growth and change in an effort to improve access to dental care, one dental school, the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, established in 2003, designed its initial curriculum with innovation in mind. One of those innovations was the introduction of an online certificate in public health that can be used as the foundation for a Master's in Public Health (M.P.H.) degree with a dental emphasis, which students may complete concurrent with their dental education. This article discusses the educational intersection between dentistry and public health and describes how this dental school uses an online public health curriculum to accomplish this integration. It also presents the potential advantages and disadvantages of obtaining the M.P.H. degree concurrent with the dental school training.