Faces of Diversity

From left, Mia Holmes, Dr. John Ritchie, Kimberly Truong, Rouglas Odor, Curtis Jackson, Jasmyne Fine, Jessica Whiteside, Mai Nguyen, Kathlene Zuniga and Andrew Minias.

Since its inception in 2008, the Summer Enrichment Program at LSUSD has resulted in 13 attendees gaining admission to dental schools, according to Dr. John Ritchie, program director. The students must apply for the summer program. Selections are based on grade point average, letters of recommendation and personal essays.

The six-week course is focused on preparing students for admission to dental school. The curriculum includes 125 hours of lecture, observation in clinic and hands-on experience. Twenty-eight faculty members and five dental students taught various components of the program. Nine students from seven universities participated in this year's program.

"The purpose of the program is twofold:  to diversify the dental workforce in Louisiana and to increase access to care in underserved areas," said Dr. Ritchie. "I believe we are going in the right direction. On July 19, six of our former summer program students started their first year of dental school at LSUSD."

A special note of appreciation to the following for their generous support of the summer program: Dr. John T. Nguyen, Members of the Louisiana Pelican Dental Association, Dr. Peter J. Dorsey, Dr. Joan T. Fisher-Ranel, Dr. Sharon Sims and Dr. Kevin Harris.