ABOUT THE HARVARD SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE

The first university-based dental school in the country, Harvard Dental School was founded in 1867. It was also the first to be established in close affiliation with a medical school (Harvard Medical School) and to make the full scholarly and scientific resources of a university available to dental education.

In 1940, under President James B. Conant, the School was reorganized as Harvard School of Dental Medicine to place stronger emphasis on the biological basis of oral medicine and to institute multidisciplinary programs of dental research. A unique feature of the curriculum placed dental students in joint classes with medical students for two years of basic science and pathophysiology and for an introduction to clinical medicine on the wards of Harvard teaching hospitals and in community health centers.

In 1957, the School of Dental Medicine was awarded National Institute of Dental Research training grant funding and began to expand and enhance its postdoctoral educational programs, combining advanced clinical and biomedical research training for dentists planning careers in academic dentistry. Several postdoctoral programs were developed under the leadership of former dean, Dr. Paul Goldhaber. These include a four-year Doctor of Medical Sciences in Oral Biology program; a five and six-year Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/MD/General Surgery program; and a group of three and four-year, joint-degree programs combining advanced clinical training and research in health-care systems, health policy or biomedical sciences.