Fourth-year dental student Edgar Gomez has been selected as one of the UW Latino Center for Health’s (LCH) 15 recipients of the 2026 Phyllis Gutiérrez-Kenney Graduate Student Scholars Fellowship.
The LCH’s Fellowship program invests $40,000 annually into graduate student leaders who will respond to current and emerging health issues faced by the diverse Latinx/e communities in WA.
According to the LCH, this graduate student fellowship supports student scholars and also promotes a path towards collaborative, interdisciplinary efforts aimed at promoting the health and well-being of the Latinx/e community.
“Throughout my years working in healthcare, I have come to recognize the critical importance of preventive care,” said Gomez. “Taking a holistic approach as part of a patient’s care team has helped uncover additional factors that influence overall health. These factors often include food insecurity and limited access to health care, challenges that are especially prevalent within the Hispanic community.”
Gomez says he chose the UWSOD because of the School’s strong commitment to community involvement and service, which align closely with his goals of addressing health conditions through a comprehensive approach that integrates prevention, education and clinical care.
In his more than three years as a dental student, he has organized and participated in multiple outreach events that provided free screenings and oral health education for underserved adults.
“In my third year alone, I contributed countless hours of direct dental care, with a focus on reducing barriers that often prevent Hispanic patients from accessing care,” said Gomez. “These experiences continue to motivate me to pursue dentistry not only as a profession, but as a platform to educate, advocate, and expand access to care for my community.”
In the previous six years of the Fellowship’s existence, the LCH has supported and mentored 87 graduate student scholars and invested over $465,500 cumulatively with the match contribution of UW, Eastern Washington University, Washington State University and Heritage University as educational partners.
“This fellowship is about more than financial support. It is about opening doors for students who are often the first in their families to walk this path,” said Giselle Cárcamo Romero, the LCH’s community engagement specialist. “It is about mentorship, about building a statewide network of peers, and about ensuring that our healthcare workforce truly reflects the communities it serves.”
“This fellowship will make a significant difference in my life by allowing me to continue tackling barriers that the community faces,” said Gomez. “My primary motivation for pursuing dentistry remains rooted in increasing representation and expanding preventive care strategies, especially for the Hispanic community.”
Learn more about the LCH on their website.