Faculty Members Visit Dental School, Hospital in Brazil

Two faculty members from the UNC School of Dentistry’s Department of Dental Ecology visited the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (Centrinho)-University of São Paulo and the University of São Paulo-Bauru School of Dentistry recently. Both the hospital and dental school are located in Bauru, Brazil.

Dr. Luiz Pimenta, the department’s dental director of the UNC Craniofacial Center, presented a lecture on current craniofacial care management and an overview of the UNC center to hospital and university faculty and staff. Pimenta performed much of his professional training and teaching in Brazil prior to joining UNC.

Dr. Rick Mumford, director of the Dentistry in Service to Communities (DISC) extramural rotations program, met and worked with the Bauru School of Dentistry dean and faculty to formally implement an academic agreement allowing the exchange of dental students between the two schools of dentistry.

While at the Bauru School of Dentistry, Pimenta and Mumford participated in interviews and selections for dental students wanting to come to UNC in early 2011. Dental students from Brazil would initiate the exchange, with dental students from UNC going to Brazil during the summer of 2011.

The academic affiliation agreement between the University of São Paulo and UNC was completed by Dr. Ron Strauss, former chairman of the Department of Dental Ecology, in 2008. Strauss now serves as executive associate provost of the University. The agreement is university-wide and covers the exchange of faculty, teaching and research interests, as well.