ATSU-MOSDOH announces CODA approval to increase class size
Posted: March 28, 2018
A.T. Still University President Craig Phelps, DO, ’84, is pleased to announce A.T. Still University-Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-MOSDOH) will increase its entering class size by 21 seats effective July 1, 2019.
The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) recently notified President Phelps it had adopted a resolution approving ATSU-MOSDOH’s request for a permanent increase in enrollment of 21 students per class, which will increase the class size from 42 to 63 students for the University’s predoctoral dental education program. The resolution further stated the dental school will maintain the program’s accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements,” which was announced Aug. 21, 2017.
“Expanding the School’s class size will assist with alleviating the shortage of dentists in underserved communities,” says President Phelps. “I congratulate ATSU-MOSDOH Dean Dwight E. McLeod, DDS, MS, and everyone involved with the vision, development, and continued success of ATSU-MOSDOH.”
“ATSU-MOSDOH is committed to its social mission of addressing the urgent, comprehensive dental needs of underserved St. Louisans at its Saint Louis Dental Center and Missourians through its integrated community service partnerships with 21 of the 29 community health centers in Missouri,” says Dean McLeod. “The additional 21 students per class will enable us to further advance our mission to reduce the disparity in access to oral healthcare regionally and statewide.”
ATSU-MOSDOH was founded in 2013 to address oral healthcare disparities in Missouri and across the nation. Dental students spend their first and second year studying basic sciences and principles of patient care in the classroom, along with dental simulation exercises, on the University’s Kirksville, Missouri campus. During their third and fourth years, dental students transition to a clinical environment and serve patients at the St. Louis Dental Education and Oral Health Center (St. Louis Dental Center), located at 1500 Park Ave., St. Louis, Missouri. The St. Louis Dental Center is operated in partnership with Affinia Healthcare.
“ATSU is grateful to Alan Freeman, MBA, FACHE, president and CEO, Affinia Healthcare, and his staff for their unwavering support of our students’ educational experience and management of clinical operations at the St. Louis Dental Center,” says President Phelps.
By graduating dentists who have an in-depth understanding of and a desire to serve populations in need, ATSU-MOSDOH will help increase access to and services for vulnerable populations. ATSU-MOSDOH graduates earn a doctor of dental medicine degree and a certificate in public health with a dental emphasis.