Dr. Fotinos Panagakos
Dean, Pacific Northwest University School of Dental Medicine

New Clinics, A New Class, and More

This has been one of the busiest and most meaningful periods in the short history of the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) School of Dental Medicine (SDM). In a few weeks, we welcomed a new class of students, opened two community clinics, sent our inaugural class into the field for hands-on patient care, and published the story of our founding year for the world to see. We are grateful for the opportunity to share these milestones with our WSDA colleagues, whose partnership made them possible.

On July 27, we welcomed our second cohort of DMD students, the Class of 2030, for orientation week. The week opened with registration, team introductions, and a class photo, followed by team-building activities designed to foster an early sense of identity and connection. Students participated in policy and resource sessions, clinical training orientation, sim lab orientation, simulation equipment distribution, and wellness and community programming. Orientation also brought an outstanding lineup of speakers to campus, including Dr. Robin J. Henderson, DDS; Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord, MD, author of The Scalpel and the Silver Bear; WSDA President Dr. Lisa Egbert; Ms. Avonte Jackson, MBA, Executive Director of Grace Clinic in the Tri-Cities; Dr. Karen Tritinger-Young, DMD of the Yakima Valley Dental Society; and Mr. Matt French, Ms. Kerri Seims and Ms. Emily Wilkinson of WDIA, which generously sponsored a Class of 2030 social event.

Two long-awaited community clinics opened this summer. On June 19, we celebrated the ribbon cutting for our new student teaching clinic, in partnership with Yakima Neighborhood Health Services (YNHS), in Terrace Heights. The two-story, 15,220-square-foot facility houses 22 dental operatories and, once fully operational, is projected to provide more than 10,000 dental visits annually to about 6,000 patients in the Yakima Valley. As I shared that day, “Today, we don’t just cut a ribbon. We open a door — a door to better health, brighter futures, and a stronger Yakima Valley.”

On August 4, we returned to the Tri-Cities to open the new Miramar Health Center Dental Clinic with our partners at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic (YVFWC) in Kennewick. This 18,111-square-foot facility provides students with another full-scale, real-world setting, built specifically to serve a region designated a federal dental Health Professional Shortage Area. As I noted that day, we did not design this program simply to produce more dentists; we built it because too many people in our rural and underserved communities go without essential dental care, and we felt an obligation to help change that.

Together with our third partner site, Sea Mar Community Health Centers in Tacoma, these clinics are the clinical heart of our distinctive clinical educational model, the first in the nation to place dental students in full-time, immersive training at Federally Qualified Health Centers for three of their four years. With those clinics now open, our inaugural Class of 2029 has transitioned from the main campus to classes and patient care in the community. As I wrote to our students, “Everything you learned this past year in the classroom and simulation lab now becomes real — real patients, real relationships, and real impact.” Our clinical faculty and staff, in close collaboration with our FQHC partners, have worked to ensure a smooth, well-supported transition into the communities our school exists to serve.

Finally, in June 2026, we were proud to publish the PNWU School of Dental Medicine Founding Report, a comprehensive look back at our first year — from accreditation and our inaugural class to our faculty roster, philanthropic partners, and community outreach. As PNWU President Dr. Michael H. Mittelman wrote, “This first annual report is not just a summary of accomplishments; it reflects the story of what happens when people work collectively to bring a vision to life.” The report is available online at heyzine.com/flip-book/91c9898e3b.html. We encourage you to take a look at the story we are building together.

None of this progress would be possible without the dedicated faculty and staff and our sustained partnership with WSDA. Thank you for supporting us as we continue to build a dental workforce for communities that need it most.

This article originally appeared in Issue 3, 2026 of the WSDA News.