School of Dentistry students volunteer at UTHealth Houston Cares Community Health Fair
Published: March 21, 2024 by Kyle Rogers
Dental and dental hygiene students were among 85 to volunteer to volunteer as UTHealth Houston Cares, an interprofessional, student-driven organization, held its 2024 Community Health Fair on March 9 at UT Physicians Multispecialty - Jensen.
School of Dentistry participants provided free dental screenings, fluoride application, and oral hygiene education to more than 80 participants at the event.
Dental student volunteers included fourth-year Haemin (Hailey) Kim and third-years Noah Manubay and Brandon Pham. Dental hygiene students included second-years Nghiep (Lucas) Ly, Haley Moquin, and Evelyn Salinas, and first-years Ivan Medellin and Amanda Pham. Assistant Professor Thomas Harrison DDS, MBA, coordinated the dental outreach participation.
“Having the opportunity to volunteer at the health fair reminds me why I chose this field in the first place,” said Kim, a fourth-year dental student. “It’s nice to see people in the community taking their first steps toward their own health.”
UTHealth Houston student and faculty volunteers also took vitals, provided vision and blood glucose tests, and distributed health and nutrition educational materials. In addition to screenings and health care information, the no-cost community event provided food to the first 24 families.
Ly, who aspires to make a difference by offering accessible, high-quality dental care to the community after graduation, enjoyed the collaborative effort to make a positive impact and noted the opportunity to learn from each other’s expertise.
“Participating in the UTHealth Houston Cares event was personally significant and fulfilling,” he said. “Being able to collaborate with students from different UTHealth Houston programs emphasized the importance of teamwork and interdisciplinary cooperation in addressing healthcare challenges.
“This experience reminded me why I entered dentistry in the first place — to empower and motivate patients to establish a strong foundation for their oral and overall health.”