A new partnership among Operation Smile, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD), and the University of Rwanda School of Dentistry aims to provide much-needed dental care in Rwanda over the next three years.
(L-R) Charles Ntageruka, second chancellor, Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda; Kayihura Muganga Didas, acting vice chancellor, University of Rwanda; UMSOD Dean Mark Reynolds; UMB President Bruce Jarrell; William Magee, CEO emeritus, Operation Smile; Kathy Magee, CEO, Operation Smile
The organizations signed a three-year memorandum of understanding to establish a dental education and patient care program in Rwanda focusing on people born with cleft lip and palate. A cleft condition can create severe health issues for a child including malnutrition and starvation if it’s not treated. Rwanda currently has 5,000 cleft palate patients awaiting treatment.
Operation Smile, a nonprofit co-founded by UMSOD alumnus William Magee, DDS, MD, is a leading global nonprofit bridging the gap in access to essential surgeries and health care, starting with cleft surgery and comprehensive care.
The University of Rwanda School of Dentistry is the only dental school in the east African nation of 12 million. It graduated its first class in 2018 when it added 10 new dentists to the country’s 40 oral health professionals.
According to UMSOD Dean Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, the partnership will offer opportunities for faculty and student mentorship, education, and research.
The program will include exchanges enabling UMSOD and Rwandan faculty and students to learn from one another. Faculty and student exchanges between the two universities are slated each year.
“This impactful partnership aligns with our vision to shape faculty and student development through global patient care, research, and public service,” Reynolds said.
Qoot Alkhubaizi, MS, ABGD, UMSOD clinical associate professor and program director, Advanced Education in General Dentistry, explained the partnership will expose UMSOD residents and faculty to craniofacial dentistry while providing care to Rwandan pediatric and adult patients.
“It’s an opportunity for our residents and faculty to become future volunteers and educators to address the need in Rwanda,” Alkhubaizi said.
For Rwanda, the collaboration provides access to dental expertise and resources from UMSOD, one of the top dental schools in the United States.
“The partnership with University of Maryland is extremely valuable because the dentistry school here at Maryland is the best,” said Kayihura Muganga Didas, acting vice chancellor at the University of Rwanda. “We want to raise the bar in education.”
Magee said Rwanda’s 5,000 cleft patients will benefit from consistent, specialized care.
“Children unite us,” Magee said. “When you provide hope through something like a smile, they carry that message.”