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The Domestic Access to Care Grant from the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) Foundation for Endodontics and Specialized Dental Partners, was awarded to a dynamic team in the Department of Endodontics at the School of Dentistry. , associate professor and director of the Advanced Education Program in Endodontics, and Zackery James, DMD, a recent graduate from the endodontics residency program, applied for and received this impactful grant.

With the aid of this grant, the endodontics faculty and residents have established a partnership with the San Antonio Christian Dental Clinic (), for an annual day of endodontic services at UT Dentistry for the residents from . This initiative will allow the department to care for the underserved community in San Antonio.

“The Domestic Access to Care Grant facilitates a new experience for our [endodontic] residents and engages them in community service. This, in my opinion, must be a core value that all clinicians must possess. I am thrilled to be able to collaborate with Haven for Hope to offer root canal procedures to patients who would otherwise be unable to afford treatment,” said Ruparel.

(From left to right) Zackery James, DMD and Nikita B. Ruparel, DDS, PhD, MS, associate professor and director of the Advanced Education Program in Endodontics.

The School of Dentistry offers a community-based rotation for residents and students at the SACDC, which provides affordable, accessible dental care to underserved and homeless Bexar County adults within Haven for Hope, a safe campus offering programs for support and services to people experiencing homelessness in San Antonio.