DDS, Students

Class of 2007 Pledges to Serve

On March 26, 2004, the DDS class of 2007 participated in the annual White Coat Ceremony marking the beginning of the clinical treatment phase of their education. During the ceremony the class expressed concern about access to care issues facing many North Carolinians and announced an action plan entitled “A Commitment to Serve” to begin addressing this important health care issue. The “A Commitment to Serve” pledge was signed by the entire class and promises the following: “As access to dental health becomes an increasing concern for dentists and their patients, we, the graduating class of the UNC School of Dentistry in the year of 2007, pledge to commit as dental professionals a minimum of 4 hours each month to the underserved population in a method most conducive to that community.” The pledge was presented to Dean John Stamm during the ceremony from the class pledge founder, Jennifer Sattenfield. Dean Stamm proudly accepted the pledge and vowed to present it somewhere in the school to show its population the commitment of the class. “A Commitment to Serve” will be featured in an upcoming issue of ADA News and the North Carolina Gazette.