February 2009 Supplement ■ Journal of Dental Education S135 Chapter 5.7 The Pipeline Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry Edmond R. Hewlett, D.D.S.; Ronald M. Andersen, Ph.D.; Kathryn A. Atchison, D.D.S., M.P.H. Dr. Hewlett is Associate Professor and Vice-Chair, Division of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Califor- nia, Los Angeles, and Co-Investigator on the National Evaluation Team for the Pipeline program; Dr. Andersen is the Wasserman Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Health Services School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, and is Principal Investigator of the National Evaluation Team for the Pipeline program; and Dr. Atchison is Professor, School of Dentistry and School of Public Health, Vice Provost for Intellectual Property and Industry Relations, University of California, Los Angeles, and Co-Investigator on the National Evaluation Team for the Pipeline program. Direct correspondence and requests for reprints to Dr. Edmond R. Hewlett, UCLA School of Dentistry, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Box 951668, 23-088D CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1668; 310-825-7097 phone; 310-206-5539 fax; ehewlett@ucla.edu. Key words: community-based dental education, clinical education, cultural competence, extramural rotations, dental curriculum change, minority student recruitment, dental care access T his chapter presents an overview of the Pipe- line, Profession, and Practice: Community- Based Dental Education program as it was conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry from 2002 to 2007. Pipeline programs, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment, were carried out at select dental schools across the United States during this period, with the objectives of increasing recruitment and retention of under- represented minority/low-income (URM/LI) students, revising the curriculum to prepare more culturally competent dentists, and expanding students’ com- munity-based clinical experiences; these objectives are directed toward the ultimate goal of increasing access to dental care for underserved populations. The case studies on each school are written by Na- tional Evaluation Team investigators and are based on multiple data sources and site visits. Table 5.0.1 in the introduction to the fourteen case studies provides a snapshot of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry in comparison with the other schools in the Pipeline evaluation, using a set of uniform measures to char- acterize the Pipeline dental schools. 1 The evaluation framework and methods used for data collection and analysis are described in Chapters 3 and 4 of this report. 2,3 After a brief overview of the history of the dental school and its environment, this chapter sum- marizes the major outcomes of the school’s Pipeline program in the areas of URM/LI student recruitment, curricular changes, extramural clinical rotations, practice plans of graduating seniors, and health policy reform. Comments on the program written by representatives of the dental school follow the description of outcomes. History and Context: The School and Its Environment The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), the nation’s first state university, opened its doors to students in 1795 and opened its School of Dentistry in 1950. UNC has considered itself a leader in social, racial, and ethnic diversity, especially among its peer institutions in the American South. This has been reflected at the School of Dentistry in the diversity of its student body and faculty and in the mix of patients who seek care there. The state of North Carolina is currently experi- encing social and demographic changes that present a major challenge to the dental profession and to the UNC School of Dentistry. It has a rapidly growing