Four communities in West Virginia have new dentists this summer, thanks in part to scholarships from the West Virginia University Institute for Community and Rural Health.

The four – all members of the Class of 2015 of the WVU School of Dentistry—have committed to practice in an underserved area of West Virginia for at least two years.

“This is our fourth year of being able to fund scholarships for students to practice in currently underserved areas of our state,” said Larry Rhodes, M.D., director of rural programs at WVU’s Health Sciences Center. “It is wonderful to see how these funds can impact students’ ability to practice where they are needed most and provide quality health care to communities.”

The new dentists:
• Leah Berkhouse, D.D.S., is practicing at Bowen Dental Associates in Clay, W.Va. In her application for the scholarship, she wrote that being able to practice in rural West Virginia is a dream come true that will give her the opportunity to give back to an area that she loves and adores.
• Amy Governor, D.D.S., is joining the Ghareeb Dental Group in Poca, W.Va. She believes working in an underserved area will help her grow as a healthcare provider and will likely make her a better professional in the long run.
• Ariel Mooney, D.D.S., will practice at Minnie Hamilton Health Care in Calhoun County. “There is nothing more rewarding than helping the people of West Virginia,” she said.
• Gabrielle Schmid is joining her brother and fellow WVU Dentistry alum David Schmid, D.D.S., at the Healthy Smiles Community Oral Health Center in Martinsburg, W.Va., She is a proud West Virginian and looks forward to serving those truly in need.

The scholarship program provides dentists with $50,000 in financial assistance in exchange for their commitment to practice in a Dental Health Professions Shortage Area in West Virginia.

“Dental education is very expensive, and unfortunately many new dentists leave school with a large student loan debt,” said Tom Borgia, D.D.S., M.H.A., dean of the School of Dentistry. “By offsetting some of that debt, this program gives WVU dentists the opportunity to begin their professional careers in the area they want to serve – and where the patients urgently need new dentists.”

“As a land-grant institution, it is our charge to educate West Virginians and return them back to the Mountain State to care for generations of Mountaineers to come,” Dr. Borgia said. “We are extremely proud of the fact that more than 80 percent of the practicing dentists in the state are graduates of our School. This scholarship program is helping to continue that mission.”

-WVU-

bc/07/21/15

CONTACT: Bill Case, Director of Communications and Institutional Relations-HSC
304-293-8045, casew@wvuhealthcare.com
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