FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Peg Bolgioni, Marketing & Communications Manager, Southern Vermont AHEC,
(802) 353-3696 or [email protected]
American Dental Education Association Awards Grant to Southern Vermont AHEC Through the Inaugural Pathways to Smiles Program to Expand Access in the Oral Health Workforce
ADEA’s Pathways to Smiles program creates an immersive training program for underserved and underrepresented high-school students
May 8, 2025, Rutland, Vermont: –The American Dental Education Association announced the inaugural cohort of grantees for its Pathways to Smiles program. Generously funded by the Delta Dental Institute through the second cohort of its Future Workforce Fund, and in collaboration with the National Area Health Education Center Organization (NAO), Pathways to Smiles is a groundbreaking immersive training initiative. It is designed to expand oral health awareness and inspire the next generation of oral health professionals by engaging high school students from underserved and underrepresented communities where access to oral health education and resources may be limited. Among the grantees, Southern Vermont Area Heath Education Center (AHEC) received $8,000 to serve as an inaugural partner to implement the Pathways to Smiles oral health curriculum as part of its health professions training efforts.
“Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is thrilled to receive this grant from the American Dental Education Association,” said Jennifer Scott, Executive Director of Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC). “This will go far in amplifying our oral health careers pathway programs for high school students in our region.
As part of the Delta Dental Driving Greater Diversity in the Oral Health Workforce campaign, ADEA has awarded $100,000 to support AHEC sites across the country in implementing the Pathways to Smiles curriculum. Developed by a national advisory workgroup of oral health educators, K–12 teachers, health professions pathway program leaders, and AHEC professionals, the Pathways to Smiles curriculum will be implemented across 13 AHEC sites between May 1 and December 1, 2025. This initiative provides high school students with early exposure to oral health careers, including pathways to becoming a dentist, dental hygienist, dental assistant, dental laboratory technician, or an oral health faculty member or researcher.
“By increasing early exposure and access to oral health career pathways for high school students ages 14–18, the Pathways to Smiles program aims to break down systemic barriers to entering the profession,” said Karen P. West, D.M.D., M.P.H., President and CEO of the American Dental Education Association. “Rooted in ADEA’s mission and strategic commitment to strengthening pathways into oral health careers, academia, and research, this program empowers students to see themselves as future leaders and change agents in a field where their representation is urgently needed. By reaching students at a formative stage, Pathways to Smiles helps cultivate a more representative and future-ready oral health workforce that reflects the communities it serves.”
This initiative is pivotal as dental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) continue to expand across the United States. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), as of May 2025, nearly 60 million Americans reside in 7,060 designated HPSAs, with an estimated 10,145 additional oral health practitioners needed to meet current demand. By engaging youth early and within their local communities, ADEA and its AHEC grantee partners are advancing long-term workforce development strategies that foster accessibility, community engagement, and sustainability in the future of oral health.
Other awardees of the 2025 Pathways to Smiles Program grant funding include:
- Area L AHEC – Rocky Mount, NC,
- Central Louisiana AHEC – Alexandria, LA,
- Eastern Shore AHEC – Cambridge, MD,
- North Central Wisconsin AHEC – Wausau, WI,
- South Central Kentucky AHEC – Bowling Green, KY,
- South Central Montana AHEC – Helena, MT,
- Southeastern Primary Care Consortium, Inc., Atlanta AHEC – Atlanta, GA,
- Southern New Hampshire AHEC – Raymond, NH,
- Southwest Washington AHEC – Olympia, WA,
- West Central Missouri AHEC – Lexington, MO,
- West River AHEC – Box Elder, SD, and
- Wiregrass Alabama AHEC – Dothan, AL
To learn more about the ADEA Pathways to Smiles program and its AHEC grantee partners, please visit adea.org.
About Southern Vermont AHEC: Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is a nonprofit educational organization committed to increasing access to primary and preventive care through workforce development, especially in our rural and underserved communities. We enhance community efforts to grow and sustain the health workforce in southern Vermont and invest our resources in connecting students to health careers, health professionals to communities, and communities to better health. Southern Vermont AHEC is one of two independent nonprofit regional AHEC centers funded by federal, state, and community support working in partnership with the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine’s Office of Primary Care and AHEC Program.
About ADEA: The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is The Voice of Dental Education. Our mission is to lead and support the health professions community in preparing future-ready oral health professionals. Our members include 80 U.S. and Canadian dental schools, more than 800 allied and advanced dental education programs, more than 55 corporations and approximately 15,000 individuals. Our activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings and communications, including the esteemed Journal of Dental Education®, as well as the dental school application services ADEA AADSAS®, ADEA PASS®, ADEA DHCAS® and ADEA CAAPID®. For more information, visit adea.org.