College of Dental Medicine partners with Deerfield Valley Dental Care for student externships

College of Dental Medicine

Students in the inaugural graduating class at the 91AV College of Dental Medicine (91AV CDM) have begun the final component of their program: participation in the College’s first community-based externships around New England. Spanning the final year of dental school, the Community-Based Education program introduces students to clinical practice in areas with limited access to healthcare. This year, 59 students are participating in up to three 12-week rotations at 36 designated sites across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

91AV CDM is pleased to announce that Deerfield Valley Dental Care of Wilmington, Vermont has been selected as a community-based externship site. Russell O'Connell (CDM ’17) will be completing his training at Deerfield Valley Dental Care, where he will be supervised by Robert Ruhl, D.M.D, FICD, adjunct assistant professor in the College of Dental Medicine.

Students benefit from this unique opportunity in several ways, as they learn how to provide care for diverse patient populations, attain real-world experience, witness firsthand the need for greater access to oral health care in Northern New England and experience the importance of social responsibility and leadership as a dental professional.

“Deerfield Valley Dental Care is honored to contribute to the education of our next generation of dentists,” said Ruhl. “I look forward to working with Russell as he completes his training and gains the real-life experience that many students do not receive in a traditional dental school education.”

Read the article in the Journal Tribune.

To learn more about the College of Dental Medicine, visit www.une.edu/dentalmedicine

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions 

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.