Texas Tech Dental School Gets $30K Grant for Community Health Projects

The Hunt School of Dental Medicine at Texas Tech Health El Paso has received a $30,000 grant from the ADEAGies Foundation to expand dental student engagement with local communities and expand research into oral health barriers, according to El Paso Matters.

The funding will support student research projects, bilingual oral health materials, and community workshops while allowing the dental school to evaluate the effectiveness of its outreach efforts. About 120 third- and fourth-year dental students will participate, alongside at least 15 faculty-mentored research projects and eight community-based practicum initiatives.

Faeq Quadri, assistant professor and director of research at the Hunt School of Dental Medicine, said the grant will strengthen two existing curriculum requirements: the Dental Community Practicum Program and the Dental Scholarly Activities and Research Program. Through the practicum program, students work on community initiatives to gain firsthand experience with oral health needs and barriers to accessing care. The research program pairs students with faculty mentors on projects to develop scientific reasoning and evidence-based decision-making skills.

"Here in the Borderplex, we see firsthand the challenges many families face in accessing oral healthcare," Quadri said, according to El Paso Matters. "At the same time, we see the incredible resilience, diversity and strengths of our communities."

Quadri emphasized that both programs are required for all dental students, not optional for select individuals. "At many institutions, experiences such as research and community-engaged learning are available only to select students," he said. "Here, we believe every future dentist should have the opportunity to develop these skills."

The dental school plans to measure the grant's impact by evaluating how community-based experiences shape students' understanding of oral health barriers, leadership skills, and commitment to service. The school will also assess how research participation strengthens critical thinking and scientific reasoning. Salma Elwazeer leads the practicum program while Quadri leads the research program. Community organizations and individuals working with students will provide feedback to help the school identify which efforts produce meaningful results and where improvements are needed.