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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Forty students graduated with doctor of dental |
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medicine degrees on May 19, 2025, as members of the inaugural class |
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of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine at the Texas Tech University |
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Health Sciences Center in El Paso; and |
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WHEREAS, Established in 2021 as the first new dental school |
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in the Lone Star State in more than 50 years, the Hunt School of |
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Dental Medicine seeks to address the dentist shortage in far West |
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Texas; residents of El Paso make up approximately 18 percent of the |
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inaugural class, and an estimated 43 percent of the graduates are |
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expected to practice dentistry in West Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, The school's educational approach is unique in that |
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students begin treating patients in their first semester, giving |
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them valuable hands-on experience under faculty supervision; each |
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graduating student spent about 3,500 hours in the Texas Tech Dental |
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Oral Health Clinic, and over 900 of those hours were spent |
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performing procedures, from routine cleanings to complicated |
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implants and extractions; since its founding, the clinic has |
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provided more than 6,000 low-cost procedures to members of the |
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El Paso community; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition to attaining a D.M.D. degree, each |
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member of the inaugural class earned a community health |
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certificate, which counts toward 15 hours of a master of public |
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health degree; the graduates achieved an outstanding 100 percent |
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board exam pass rate, significantly outperforming the national |
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average, and 10 students secured dental residency positions at |
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prestigious institutions, including Yale University, Rutgers |
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University, and the University of Washington; and |
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WHEREAS, The members of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine's |
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Class of 2025 demonstrated hard work, dedication, and perseverance |
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on their way to completing the program, and they are indeed |
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deserving of special recognition for this accomplishment as they |
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embark on the next exciting chapter of their lives; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the inaugural graduating class of |
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the Hunt School of Dental Medicine and extend to its members sincere |
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best wishes for the future. |