SPOKANE, Wash. – The University of Washington has doubled the enrollment capacity at the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education to 64 students.
UW Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Tricia Serio visited Spokane, saying the RIDE program is a great opportunity for students to complete half of their dental school training in Eastern Washington, and Spokane in particular.
“It will serve 64 students. We’ve just doubled that number based on a wonderful investment from the state. They will spend double the time here,” said Serio.
As part of its two year training in Spokane, the students will spend five months doing clinical work in 57 regional offices across Central and Eastern Washington, serving patients in rural and underserved communities. UW projects that 80% of the students will stay working in those communities.
“There’s a simulation lab, where students, in their early years of training, can get high-tech training in how to conduct dental procedures before they start working with patients. As a public university, we want to serve the entire state of Washington. This is an opportunity for us to reach students in other parts of the state, as well as the communities that benefit from this oral health,” said Serio.
The University of Washington calls this a long-term commitment to improve access to health care in rural parts of the state.
In addition to the dental program, the University of Washington trains 60 students each year in its medical school in the same facility in Spokane as well, through a partnership aimed at improving health throughout the region with Gonzaga University.
