Columbia University

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) was established in 1916 as the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, when the School became incorporated into Columbia University. The College’s mission has evolved into a tripartite commitment to education, patient care, and research.

The mission of the College of Dental Medicine is to train general dentists, dental specialists, and dental assistants in a setting that emphasizes comprehensive dental care delivery and stimulates professional growth; inspire, support, and promote faculty, pre- and postdoctoral student, and hospital resident participation in research to advance the professional knowledge base; and
provide comprehensive dental care for the underserved community of northern Manhattan.

Education Goals
The curriculum strives to prepare graduates who, in addition to becoming competent general dentists and dental specialists, are able to provide comprehensive care to all, including medically complex patients, and are prepared to function as integral members of a health care team. This is achieved by virtue of a strong foundation in the biomedical sciences as well as a curricular emphasis on the social, economic, and ethical aspects of the profession.
The College is committed to providing its students with a rich and diverse clinical education experience, by improving the oral health of and bringing clinical services to underserved and minority patients of northern Manhattan.
CDM provides an academic environment that encourages students to take advantage of the educational opportunities that the University offers in such diverse areas as public health, informatics, and biomedical research, thereby enriching the education of those who will enter the practice of dentistry and the dental specialties.

The education goals of the College of Dental Medicine are to
prepare students to become competent in general dentistry;
prepare students for careers in dentistry with a strong emphasis in the biomedical sciences;
prepare students with an understanding of the social, economic, and ethical aspects of the profession, as well as the historical foundations of dentistry; and support and strengthen advanced dental education programs in general dentistry, the dental specialties, and the dental sciences.

Research Goals
Research is the mechanism by which we expand our existing knowledge base. Dentistry has always been, and continues to be, an evolving health care discipline whose foundations are based on research. CDM is committed to inspire and support future dental educators who are committed to research as part of their professional lives; to foster and promote faculty, pre and postdoctoral student, and hospital resident participation in research; and to train students and residents in research methodology. This training will allow the future generations of practitioners to interpret new research findings in the literature and, when possible, to incorporate this information into the clinical practice of dentistry.

The research goals of the College of Dental Medicine are to
encourage and support all forms of academic research;
promote collaborative research activities between faculty at the College and faculty in the Health Sciences and the University;
promote pre- and postdoctoral students’ research training; and develop dental educators committed to research as part of their professional lives.

Patient Care Goals
The College is the largest primary and specialty oral health care provider in the northern Manhattan communities of Harlem and Washington Heights/Inwood. Both communities have been designated dental health professional manpower shortage areas by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Primary Care. Patient care is a primary College mission and the College strives to meet the needs of these underserved communities.

The patient care goals of the College of Dental Medicine are to view patient care as a primary College commitment and to deliver comprehensive and quality care while providing a rich, diverse clinical education experience to students; and bring clinical services to a wide range of underserved and minority patients in northern Manhattan.