In 2024, the Delta Dental Foundation (DDF) awarded the last round of Community Commitment Awards ($25,000 each) to dental students who committed to practicing in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) for at least one year immediately following graduation.
In Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, more than 4.2 million people live in a dental HPSA. In these areas, it can be especially challenging to find providers who accept Medicaid or offer other types of affordable options for people who are under or uninsured. As a result, many people have few options for care, which negatively impacts their oral and overall health.
After a full year of practice, the 2024 cohort checked in.
Thomas Tamburello, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine
Dr. Thomas Tamburello loves transforming someone’s smile and seeing their entire self-image change.
“I had a patient who had struggled for years with low confidence because of damage to their front teeth. I was able to restore their teeth and renew their confidence with genuine smiles and laughter they hadn’t had in years,” Tamburello says.
When entering college, Tamburello knew he wanted to pursue a career in health care. The ability to own your own business and the art aspect of dentistry ultimately led him to decide on dental school. He feels that being a dentist is somewhat like being an engineer and an architect.
“It’s a challenge to build stuff back up. I get to push my artistic abilities to make a tooth a tooth again,” Tamburello says.
For the past year, Tamburello has been pursuing a general practice dental residency at Summa Health, where he treats people of all ages from many racial and ethnic backgrounds. He believes this experience has better prepared him for the future, specifically through becoming more empathetic and learning how to approach and proceed with patients.
“They are very grateful for what you do. People haven’t come to the dentist for a variety of reasons— they’ve never had treatment, are too scared to go or their insurance isn’t accepted. Being able to see the difference they didn’t know was possible is very rewarding,” Tamburello says.
He also enjoys working with—and learning from—his colleagues.
“We have residents, attending dentists, specialists, and directors who are in the clinic. It’s been nice to be exposed to a variety of ideas and learn about procedures and materials that can better help our patients,” Tamburello says.
Calli Welker, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry
As a self-proclaimed extrovert, Dr. Calli Welker knew dentistry would be a good fit after she shadowed her dentist.
“I enjoyed that you get to build a relationship with people,” Welker says. “Other types of medicine you might get to see people yearly or once and never again.”
Currently, Welker treats pediatric patients at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Being close to so many other health professionals has been helpful in providing care to patients.
“As a dentist, I sometimes am the first to see patients. There’s been times where I find things and have to refer them to other specialties. There are a lot of problems that can be found through teeth. While it can be hard to see them get a difficult diagnosis, knowing that I was able to get them to the next step is huge,” Welker says.
She was first introduced to Nationwide during a third-year rotation. Because she was interested in caring for children, Welker signed up for a pediatric elective and was able to return to the clinic during her fourth year of dental school.
“I have a big heart for working with kids. I like to be the first person to start their dental journey and help educate them for a lifetime of good habits. Kids are brave and strong. We don’t give them enough credit,” Welker says.
Patricia Flores, Indiana University School of Dentistry
Having worked as a dental assistant, a dental hygienist and now a dentist, Dr. Patricia Flores knows she is in the right field. Her goal was always to apply for dental school, but life events put that dream on hold.
“Growing up, my dentist told me that I should be a dentist. I had heard that dentists were happier with their work-life balance, so I decided to see where dentistry would take me,” Flores says.
For Flores, having prior experience as a dental assistant and hygienist was invaluable. Although dental school was still difficult, she was already comfortable interacting with patients, and she was efficient with X-rays and cleanings.
She now practices at Ladd Dental Group in Wabash, Indiana, in the community where she grew up.
“During my rotation, I enjoyed the office staff, I felt like a part of the team, and like I was appreciated. It was important for me to work with people I shared a similar practice vision with. My family being close by helped make the decision even easier,” Flores says.
Knowing she wanted to work with underserved populations also helped guide Flores to Ladd. It’s not uncommon for people to travel significant distances to her clinic.
“I see a wide variety of patients, from pediatrics to geriatrics, and I’m working on expanding my skills so that I can better serve all of them,” Flores says.
Chemani Baxter, University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry
Dr. Chemani Baxter and her husband, Jelani Holliday, are a powerhouse couple in dentistry. They’ve both been awarded Community Commitment Awards for their work in public health dentistry.
“The award helped alleviate financial stress and gave me the opportunity to focus on my patients and craft. My husband and I both receiving the award made it even more special,” Baxter says.
Although they both grew up in Georgia, they didn’t meet until moving to Michigan. Now, they both work for My Community Dental Centers (MCDC). Baxter splits her time between the Coldwater and Battle Creek locations.
“MCDC has been a great fit. I got to see it firsthand with Dr. Holliday and experience how the people treated me. Before starting my job there, I was able to meet a lot of the staff,” says Baxter.
Baxter’s fascination with dentistry began as a child. She began shadowing at a clinic located in an HPSA and loved the experience and the impact she was able to make. She eventually worked there as a dental assistant and receptionist.
“When I was a child, I chipped a tooth. I loved how they were able to restore it. That experience got me hooked on becoming a dentist myself. Being able to work with my hands ensures that I am never bored,” Baxter says.
She loves the communities she works in now, especially because they seem motivated to learn and receptive to new ideas about oral health.
“I do a lot of education. My patients often don’t have much knowledge about dentistry, and a lot of them didn’t go to the dentist growing up. Once they learn more, they are driven to take better care of their oral health and want to inspire their children and grandchildren,” Baxter says.
Colleen Freund, University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Starting dental school during a pandemic wasn’t the only thing that made Dr. Colleen Freund’s journey unique. After working as a dental hygienist for eight years, Freund, with the support of her spouse, relocated to Ann Arbor to pursue dentistry.
While she enjoyed her time as a hygienist, Freund was always interested in going back to school—and her background in hygiene came in handy.
“I’m able to appreciate each job and position,” Freund says. “I had years of experience that helped me be comfortable with patients. It didn’t hurt that my hand skills were already there to a certain degree.”
Prior to dental school, Freund practiced dental hygiene in a variety of settings—corporate, pediatric, nursing home mobile units and more. Her extensive work history helped her understand what she wanted her dental career to look like. That’s why she took a position at Northwest Michigan Health Services Inc. (NMHSI), a federally qualified health center, at their Benzonia clinic.
“It wasn’t always my plan to go back to the area I grew up in. However, I knew I wanted to work in a HPSA. I was able to visit NMHSI during my fourth year of school and I knew it would be a great fit,” Freund says.
Because Freund is in an underserved area, she knows options for care are limited. That’s why she prides herself on trying to keep patients local and referring out as little as possible.
“I know how difficult it can be for patients to take time off work and arrange transportation too. I can’t do it all, but I am working to build my skills,” Freund says.
To learn more about the DDF’s new suite of scholarships and loan repayment opportunities, click here.