College Expands to OU-Tulsa Campus

College Extends Affordable and Accessible Dental Care in Eastern Oklahoma

Last summer, the college announced plans to expand its pre-doctoral program to the OU-Tulsa campus and build a new clinic within the OU Health Physicians Schusterman Center building. Construction of the 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art dental clinic began in fall 2021.

“The Tulsa expansion helps our college fulfill one of its primary roles in improving the oral health of Oklahomans by bringing dental services, at substantially reduced fees, into an area of our state with underserved oral health needs,” explained Paul M. Mullasseril, D.D.S., M.S., dean of the college.

Aggressive interventions are needed to elevate Oklahoma from the 49th slot currently held in national rankings for affordable dental care. Expected to open in June 2022, the clinic will provide comprehensive oral health services to patients of all ages. The Tulsa clinic, also referred to as the “tenth practice,” will be student-led under the supervision of college faculty in Tulsa. In the past five years, the college has provided dental and emergency care to more than 285,000 patients. Nearly onequarter of those patients travel from the northeastern part of the state, often as far as 200 miles, to receive care at the college, located on the OU Health Sciences Center campus in Oklahoma City. The time and expense of travel are significant burdens when seeking affordable dental care. With this ambitious initiative, the college has deepened its commitment to accomplish two primary goals: to bring affordable, high-quality health care more readily available in eastern Oklahoma; and to advance its educational mission to provide an exceptional dental education that prepares its graduates for successful clinical practice.

“The resources of the OU-Tulsa campus, in conjunction with a premier clinical environment, make the campus an ideal location for this clinical extension. Once completed, this project will allow patients to obtain dental care, along with other physician-provided health care services ranging from internal medicine to women’s health, to specialties like pediatric cardiology, at one convenient location.”

Joseph Harroz Jr. President, The University of Oklahoma

Expanding Our Educational Mission

The dental clinic in Tulsa creates greater opportunities for students pursuing professions in dentistry through the highly regarded programs of the OU College of Dentistry. Students will complete first- and second-year curriculum at the college’s Health Sciences Center location. Beginning in June 2022, students can apply to complete their third and fourth years in Tulsa.

As part of a strategic and comprehensive operations plan, the college is currently soliciting interest among matriculating students, assigning them to the Tulsa clinic at the end of the first year of their dental education. However, with the incoming class of 2027, prospective students will indicate their interest in assignment to the Tulsa clinic during the application process and be notified of selection by the college upon admission to the pre-doctoral program.

These are exciting opportunities that offer significant advantages to students as well as patients, in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa clinics. Together, these clinics help the college fulfill one of its primary roles: to improve the health of the community and surrounding area by bringing dental services, at substantially reduced fees, to underserved populations who might not otherwise have access to high-quality oral health care. “We are excited to welcome the OU College of Dentistry to our OU-Tulsa campus. Being able to offer dental services alongside the medical services we already provide through OU Health Physicians in Tulsa will greatly benefit our patients and community.”

James Sluss Jr. President, OU-Tulsa

5,000 square feet

Led by 12 dental students

In Gratitude to Delta Dental of Oklahoma

By Anne Harp University of Oklahoma Foundation

During a media event on Jan. 20, 2022, the University of Oklahoma announced a $2 million gift from Delta Dental of Oklahoma and Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation to the College of Dentistry to fund a dental clinic on the OU-Tulsa campus. The gift will help to underwrite the cost of construction of the clinic. In recognition of this transformational gift, the clinic will be named the OU College of Dentistry Delta Dental of Oklahoma Comprehensive Care Clinic.

“The OU College of Dentistry is incredibly grateful to Delta Dental of Oklahoma and its Foundation,” said Paul M. Mullasseril, D.D.S., M.S., dean of the college. “This transformational gift will not only help to build a state-of-theart dental clinic on the OU-Tulsa campus, it will also help our college fulfill its primary role of improving the oral health of Oklahomans and expanding access to high-quality dental care at a more affordable cost.”

For more than two decades, Delta Dental of Oklahoma and its foundation (DDOK) have been incredible partners to the college, working hand-in-hand with the College of Dentistry to support its mission of improving the oral health of Oklahomans and educating the dental professionals of tomorrow.

“As the state’s only not-for-profit dental benefits provider, Delta Dental of Oklahoma is proud to stand with the University of Oklahoma at the forefront of dental education and treatment,” said John Gladden, president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Oklahoma. “The OU College of Dentistry is an invaluable partner in helping Delta Dental of Oklahoma fulfill its not-for-profit mission to improve the oral health of all Oklahomans.”

The OU College of Dentistry is the state of Oklahoma’s only doctor of dental surgery program, and has trained more than 73% of Oklahoma’s currently practicing dentists. As part of their education, OU dental students and residents provide necessary oral health care to Oklahomans – an effort that has long been supported by Delta Dental of Oklahoma and its Foundation.

“The Delta Dental of Oklahoma Comprehensive Care Clinic will not only improve access to care for patients, but will also be a valuable training ground for future dental professionals for generations to come,” said Terrisa Singleton, Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation director.

With this gift, DDOK has generously given a cumulative amount of more than $8.1 million to the College of Dentistry over the past 20 years.

In 2013, DDOK pledged a $3.2 million gift – the largest single gift ever received by the College of Dentistry. This gift was part of the Legacy Project, a $20 million capital campaign – the largest private fundraising effort in the college’s history.

Additionally, this year marks not only the 20th year DDOK has funded dental scholarships at the college, but also marks the milestone of awarding $1 million in scholarships to dental students.

Further, DDOK provides significant support for the college’s Community-Based Dentistry Externship program, which offers students the opportunity to provide additional handson dental care to underserved communities throughout the state. DDOK also has funded more than $230,000 in student research and underwrites the cost of the college’s annual Scientific Day event.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, DDOK has provided more than $100,000 in emergency-care grant funding to bridge the gap between closed dental clinics and patients in need. The foundation also supplied the college with $100,000 in grants for PPE.

“Delta Dental of Oklahoma and its foundation have a wideranging influence on what the OU College of Dentistry is able to do, both in terms of patient care and education,” Dr. Mullasseril asserted. “We are very grateful for their partnership and continued support.”

Dr. Rieger Wood to Serve as Director for New Tulsa Clinic

In addition, the college has named Chalmers Rieger Wood III, D.D.S., to direct its new clinical operation in Tulsa.

A faculty member of the college since 2006, Dr. Wood was named clinical assistant professor in 2014, and currently serves as a group practice director in the Division of Comprehensive Care. He also served on the college’s COVID-19 Task Force, COVID-19 Re-engagement Committee, and strategic workgroups engaged in the planning and implementation of the forthcoming dental program expansion in Tulsa.

Dr. Wood earned his doctor of dental surgery degree at the College of Dentistry in 1981. The same year, he established a private dental practice in Tulsa, which he continues to own and operate. Dr. Wood also completed an advanced education in general education residency program at the College of Dentistry in 2015.

Service to the community and to the dental profession is important to Dr. Wood. He served as chair of the first Oklahoma Mission of Mercy (OkMOM), a free dental clinic offering treatment to underserved patients - the uninsured, underinsured or those who may not be able to access dental care. Dr. Wood is past president of the Oklahoma Dental Association and Tulsa County Dental Society, and currently serves American’s Dentists Care Foundation as president of its board of directors

His numerous honors and awards include the Pierre Fauchard Academy Distinguished Dentist Citation, the Oklahoma Dental Association President’s Leadership Award and Thomas Jefferson Citizenship Award.

“I am very grateful to have been selected to lead the expansion of the College of Dentistry in Tulsa. As a native of Tulsa, it is especially gratifying to bring the highquality dental services we provide at the college to northeastern Oklahoma. I am also excited to welcome the students who will live and learn here, and integrate them into the Tulsa community.”

Rieger Wood, D.D.S.

Student Perspective

Raised in Oologah, Oklahoma, Jack Koszykowski, Class of 2024, said the OU College of Dentistry was his first choice for a dental degree. Not only was he drawn by its reputation for superior dental education, but studying at OU would allow him to stay in his home state, where he intends to establish his own dental practice.

According to Koszykowski, dentistry is among the most noble of professions. He said he chose to pursue a career in dentistry because it represents the perfect combination of science, health and art. “I love to work with my hands - to create. Dentistry allows me to use my passions to restore health, function and aesthetics. Now at the halfway point to becoming a full-fledged dentist, that belief has only grown stronger.”

Koszykowski looks forward to working in the new state-ofthe-art clinic in Tulsa, which will replicate an actual dental practice and look less like an academic setting. It is a move he describes as bittersweet. “The dental class of 2024 has become my family and it’s a difficult step to take without most of my classmates. I fully expect working in Tulsa will be a great opportunity to advance my dental education.”

The ability to meet the oral health needs of an underserved population will benefit the community as well as the students, and Koszykowski is excited to be among the first students helping to launch this new initiative. “We will pave the way for future classes. I’m sure there will be challenges, but I’m confident of Dr. Wood’s leadership and the university’s support, to prepare me for a practice of my own and shape me into the best dentist I can be.”

Brady Culbertson, Class of 2023, followed a tradition in his family of business professionals, earning an undergraduate degree in entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University. It was during an internship that Culbertson realized sitting at a desk answering phones was not his idea of career fulfillment.

Contemplating the direction of his life, he recalled his experience as a high school student in braces, and his fascination with dentistry, its concepts and processes. “Being from a family of business professionals, I never thought of health care as a career option. However, through research I discovered that, three years into my entrepreneurship degree, I could complete that degree while also completing dental school prerequisites.”

A year later, during the application and interview process, it became clear that his lack of dental background and experience placed him at a disadvantage. “I began to apply for dental positions that would increase my chances during the next cycle to better position myself for acceptance in the OU dental program.” He successfully pursued a number of such opportunities that broadened his knowledge of the clinical and business practices of dentistry.

Originally from Frisco, Texas, Culbertson became engaged to a fellow student at OSU, making a long-term stay in Oklahoma significantly more appealing. As it happened, Culbertson’s future brother-in-law is a graduate of the OU College of Dentistry. “I knew that OU was the dental school for me.”

He said the OU College of Dentistry expansion is timely, aligning with population growth in the Tulsa area, and the advantages for dental education are substantial.

“As students, we’ll interact with a larger patient pool, hone our skills and graduate as confident and capable dental professionals. While growing our skills and knowledge, we are also able to offer our patients more affordable dental treatments of excellent quality.”

The college’s presence in Tulsa offers multiple benefits – the opportunity to improve dental health in an underserved population; gaining real-world experience in patient practice; refining and learning new skills; and the experience of pioneering a new venture.

“We will acquire a unique set of skills that we wouldn’t necessarily obtain at the well-established Oklahoma City campus. We also have a rare opportunity to learn from Dr. Wood, who has not only proven his outstanding dental skills and techniques, but who is also a successful entrepreneur,” Culbertson said. “My fiancé and I plan to start our life together in the Tulsa area, where I plan to establish my private practice. Completing my education in Tulsa allows us to begin this dream a year earlier than planned. It’s an honor to be part of this new and exhilarating initiative, with Dr. Wood to help guide me through this next year in Tulsa.”