• Six Saturday sessions from 10am-12:30pm on May 11, 18 and June 1, 8, 15, 22 (15 hours total)
• In-person Programming

• June 23-27, 2024 at the University at Buffalo, School of Dental Medicine

The last 2 days of In person Programming 6/26 & 6/27 will coincide with the 2024 SAID conference held in Buffalo/Niagara. Students planning to attend SAID are encouraged to apply to 'Gateway' as there will be additional opportunities for collaboration and networking with your peers.

*Students from outside the Buffalo should allocate travel time on Sunday, June 22 and Saturday June 28

• The Seneca Nation Health System and the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine have developed a ‘Gateway to Dentistry’ internship program for Native American undergraduate students considering application to Dental School. 

• Native American students comprise only 0.2% of the nearly 11,000 people who apply to Dental School annually, clearly these students are underrepresented.
  

• This five day internship for approximately ten students will provide a ‘taste’ of dental education and the various disciplines and sub-specialties within the Dental profession.  This experience will promote a more diverse dental student body and reach out to an underrepresented application demographic.

It’s ideal for anyone who’s every thought of becoming a Dentist or wants to know more! 

• Hands on clinical techniques
• Preclinical laboratory procedures
• Introduction to dental specialties
• Financial Aid projections & DDS Admissions counseling
• Introduction to student life
• Career conversations with current dental students and mentors
• Dental Admission Test (DAT) live review sessions
• Enrollment in a virtual 'learn as you go' Kaplan DAT review course
• Reimbursement of one DAT application fee

Please see the 2018 schedule below to gain a sense of events planned.

1.    American Indian or Alaska Native enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe or recognized 2^nd generation descendent of. Canadian First Nations may be considered.

2.    Enrolled undergraduate student, matriculating HS Senior or recipient of a bachelor's degree.

3.    Minimum overall college GPA or HS GPA of 2.5.

4.    Disadvantaged and underrepresented status as described below. Individuals from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds are defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria:

• Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (PDF);
• Were or currently are in the foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families;
• Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years;
• Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree (PDF);
• Were or currently are eligible for federal Pell Grants;
• Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child; 
• Grew up in one of the following areas: a.) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer,  b.) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (Download Excel file. Qualifying zip codes are included in the file.) or c.) a federal Indian reservation. Only one of the two possibilities in #7 can be used as a criterion for the disadvantaged background definition.
• Eligible for health services through the Indian Health Service.
• Other identified disadvantage.  

Application Review

All application packages will be reviewed holistically. In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria outlined, preference will be given to candidates based on the following qualities: investigation of the profession, persistence and resilience, commitment to service, pursuit of leadership and communication and accuracy.

Program Costs are funded through the generous support of the tribal support centers United South and Eastern Tribes, INC (USET) and Native American Professional Parent Resources, Inc. (NAPPR).  Subsidized costs include: Round trip travel to Buffalo, NY, supplies, housing, meals, DAT registration fees and DAT review course registration.  Participants should plan for incidental expenses while attending the four day in-person program.

Summer 2024 Application Form

Contact Jessica Scates (jmscates@buffalo.edu) and Dr. Joe Salamon jsalamon@senecahealth.org with any questions.