This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (205) 975-1105
Stephen Mitchell, D.M.D., M.S. Director / Professor This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. SDB 606
Rama Kiran Chavali, B.D.S., M.S. Codirector / Associate Professor This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. SDB 604
The International Dental Program (IDP) offers non-US trained dentists the opportunity to earn a D.M.D. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. Following an intensive 6-month preparatory term, qualified students merge with traditional students to complete the final two years of the D.M.D. curriculum.
In the first term, students are introduced to the UAB patient care philosophy and dental techniques. Students who participate in this program will represent a great diversity of training, background, and experience levels. For this reason, some standardization is necessary. Students will spend time in preclinical training, classroom sessions, and small group seminars.
Qualified students are then integrated with traditional D3 students to complete the final two years of the D.M.D. curriculum which is spent primarily in clinical activities.
The major focus of the D3 year is on patient care. Students work in treatment teams providing comprehensive dental care. Rotations in community clinics, emergency care, endodontics, geriatrics, hospital dentistry, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontology, prosthodontics, & treatment planning ensure exposure to all aspects of dental care including advanced procedures and special patient populations. The evidence-based didactic curriculum is designed to offer companion courses to the clinical experiences.
The major focus of the final, D4, year is to prepare the student for the independent practice of dentistry. Comprehensive patient care and supplemental rotations continue. Additional optional experiences in community clinics with a focus on at-risk populations are offered. Didactic courses concentrate on advanced techniques and are predominantly given in seminar format.
Each candidate who successfully completes the program will receive the D.M.D. degree. This will qualify the student for licensure application in most regions of the United States.
Candidates may be invited to travel to UAB for an interview. This interview includes a preclinical exercise to evaluate hand skills in addition to a dental case to evaluate critical thinking skills. All items necessary for the exercise are provided for the candidate. The fee for this evaluation is $350. Additional materials will need to be provided directly to UAB if selected for an interview.
Jamaica-born Blake among the IDP students coming to UAB because of a love for dentistry
For the second time in her life, Michelle Blake has left her home country of Jamaica in order to pursue – as she puts it – her “love for dentistry.”
The first occasion occurred approximately 15 years ago, when there were no dental schools in Jamaica. So, Blake moved to Brazil, spent a year learning to speak Portuguese, and then earned both her dental degree and a master’s.
By the time Blake returned to her home country, the University of the West Indies in Kingston had recently established the Mona School of Dentistry. Blake obtained a position there as a lecturer and researcher focused on oral-health issues, and helped contribute to the growth and development of the new school.
Now Blake is seeking the opportunity to expand her dental horizons even further. In January, she will be one of the 24 students starting at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry as part of the International Dental Program, which offers non-U.S. trained dentists the opportunity to earn a D.M.D. degree.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (205) 975-1105
Stephen Mitchell, D.M.D., M.S. Director / Professor This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. SDB 606
Rama Kiran Chavali, B.D.S., M.S. Codirector / Associate Professor This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. SDB 604
For the second time in her life, Michelle Blake has left her home country of Jamaica in order to pursue – as she puts it – her “love for dentistry.”