Touro University, a New York-based nonprofit education institution, will expand its dental medicine program to Albuquerque next year. This comes as New Mexico experiences severe shortages in dental professionals, especially in rural communities.
Almost 1 million New Mexicans live in areas that lack dental health professionals with 32 of our 33 counties designated as shortage areas.
Touro University has partnered with the Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute to invest $40 million in the new clinical facility, which will be in Albuquerque’s International district near Lovelace.
Dean Ronnie Myers said that by expanding its program to New Mexico Touro hopes to help serve both the underinsured and uninsured populations and provide an opportunity for students to stay and practice after graduation.
“And it’s a proven fact that where people train, they are more likely to set up roots to establish practices and take care of people,” said Myers.
The program is set up to rotate students around the state, preferably at federally qualified health centers that serve people regardless of ability to pay.
Myers said that 200 third- and fourth-year students from the New York-based college will come to Albuquerque in May to serve patients for two years.
Myers continued that the long term plan is to also provide new high paying jobs to New Mexicans to support the school and the students and their families, expand local interest in becoming part of the profession, and hiring faculty who currently practice in the state.
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