School of Dentistry Student Emergency Fund

The School of Dentistry has created the Dentistry COVID-19 Emergency Student Fund to help our students during this critical time.

Students who rely on their families for financial support have seen those families’ incomes slashed amid the massive job losses and layoffs that have taken place. Married students have seen their spouses’ employment affected while they take on the challenge and expense of home-schooling their children. While some students have moved back into their parents’ homes, others are struggling to pay rent or mortgages. As is always the case, we have students with their own growing families, and they are concerned about the additional support they will need when a baby arrives.

In particular, our International DDS students are facing mounting hardship. Many of them are paying tuition with family resources and/or taking out private loans. They try to avoid borrowing for cost of living, as do our other students who have already taken out sizable tuition loans.

Our students have already faced unparalleled challenges during the outbreak. They have handled the shift to remote instruction well, but since they cannot come to school, they have been unable to use the D-1 Simulation Clinic to polish their hand skills. Our third-year and fourth-year students have seen a complete loss of patient treatment opportunities, and our fourth-years will not have a traditional commencement in June.

I believe that dealing with a financial crisis on top of all this is simply too much to ask of our students. Please consider supporting them at a time when they urgently need your help. Your contribution, no matter what size, will greatly help our students in this unprecedented crisis.

Thank you.

Gary T. Chiodo, DMD, FACD

Professor and Dean

UW School of Dentistry