Ana G. Méndez University adds new Ph.D. in dental medicine in Puerto Rico
The Board of Postsecondary Institutions recently approved a new Ph.D. degree in Dental Medicine program, which will be offered at the Ana G. Méndez University’s Gurabo Campus, the school’s President José F. Méndez-Méndez confirmed.
The university’s new program will promote training in biomedical sciences and other disciplines related to the dental profession, emphasizing oral health as an integral component of the general health of the individual and the community.
In addition, Ph.D. applicants will be trained in dental science and the use of the latest dental technology advancements and equipment, inserting them in the era of digital dentistry, he said.
The degree is the first available at a private university, Universidad Ana G. Méndez, which is currently the largest in Puerto Rico, Méndez-Méndez said.
The curriculum concept positions the college on par with other advanced schools in and outside the United States. The program also has a community-oriented research and service component.
The program seeks to address the improvement of oral health in Puerto Rico and the need for professionals in the field of dental medicine, which has recently dwindled as dentists have left the island in pursuit of better opportunities elsewhere.
“We have rigorously followed the processes required by the licensing and accreditation agencies with the hope that we can begin to offer this doctoral program,” said Méndez-Méndez, adding that with the JIP’s certification, the college will continue pursuing other approvals from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the U.S. Department of Education and the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
Meanwhile, in January 2021, the School of Dental Medicine of the Gurabo Campus will start offering two associate degrees — in dental technology and in dental assistant with expanded duties — which also have the approval of the JIP and incorporate these latest advances in technology.
