The Dentist-Physician Program at Case
Dual-Degree – D.M.D., M.D. Program
The School of Dental Medicine and School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University together, wish to create a new, innovative, first-of-its-kind, dual-degree program.
The goal of this program is to create the dental health care practitioner of the future, a practitioner with a new skill set that crosses the fields of dentistry and primary care medicine. This new practitioner will be prepared for a broader scope of practice that will be helpful in addressing health promotion and disease prevention as well as access to care issues. The pioneer students in this program will redefine the role of the dental profession in health care delivery. These practitioners of the future will bring a much needed and broader approach to dental health care, linking oral health and general health for the benefit of the individual and the community.
This program encompasses a five-year course of study leading to the joint degrees of D.M.D. and M.D. Case is uniquely positioned to provide this type of integrative program at its health care campus where the Schools of Dental Medicine and Medicine are positioned side-by-side. In 1995, this close relationship facilitated the successful implementation of a joint program in Medicine and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. Building on this precedent of health care collaboration and innovation, Case anticipates the launch of this Dentist-Physician dual degree initiative in July 2007.