Mission
The service mission of the Office of Educational Partnerships (OEP) is to improve the oral health and wellbeing of the people of our region through key partnerships and community engagement. The OEP team coordinates outreach programs that serve the needs of the community, especially for minority, disadvantaged, and vulnerable populations. Dental students may serve in oral health outreach activities or as mentors in programs to promote health professions for youth in traditionally under-represented communities. We aspire to collaborate on community engagements with potential to improve the oral health of underserved communities directly; and increase the number of health professionals, educators, and leaders within these communities in the long-term.
Goals
- To support dental student organizations efforts to plan, implement and maintain community service activities in oral health education and care.
- To develop community partnerships that provide students opportunities for responsible citizenship and leadership in our multicultural society.
- To serve as a UW School of Dentistry liaison in campus-wide service-learning and interprofessional activities.
- To support recruitment and retention of students from under-represented communities in the oral health sciences workforce and students committed to providing care to underserved communities.
Staff
Amy S Kim, DDS
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatric Dentistry
Interim Director, Office of Educational Partnerships
Dr. Kim is a general dentist, with expertise in dental education and research. Prior to joining the University of Washington, she managed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program (pacific northwest and central west regions) of NYU Langone Hospitals. She has an extensive clinical research background, having managed programs at the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research and the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr Kim has served as the Co-Director of the University of Washington’s Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional education (CHSIE), and Associate Director of Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE). Her commitment to service is evidenced by her grant work, as former Principal Investigator of Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) and Early Childhood Oral Health Training (EchoTrain).
Sarah Lynch
Program Manager
Sarah is originally from Virginia, and graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a degree in Psychology. Unsure what she wanted to next, she moved to the Seattle area as an AmeriCorps member to work in senior housing. After several years in social services, and public health, she is now program manager in OEP. When she is not in the office, she can be found curled up with a good book or out swing dancing on Capitol Hill.