The partnership strengthens Rutgers Health's global presence while fostering international collaboration in dental education and oral health care
The Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) has been invited to join the International Federation of Dental Schools and Faculties (FIEFO), becoming the first institution in the United States to be admitted into the international consortium.
This partnership underscores the school's rising global influence in dental education, research and community-based care.
"Rutgers' incorporation into FIEFO represents a historic milestone," said FIEFO's president Estuardo Mata Castillo, who is also the dean of Francisco Marroquín University Dental School in Guatemala, and Claudio Peña Soto, secretary of FIEFO as well as dean of Stomatology Universidad Cientifica del Sur in Peru, in a joint statement.
Founded in 2014, FIEFO brings together dental schools from 14 nations in South America, Spain and Portugal, with the U.S. now joining the federation.
"Rutgers School of Dental Medicine is recognized for its academic quality, research capacity and educational innovation, and its participation elevates the level of dialogue within FIEFO," the organization's leaders said in the statement. "At the same time, it opens meaningful opportunities to strengthen ties between prestigious U.S. dental schools and Ibero-American institutions, fostering mutual learning and a truly global academic exchange."
This partnership allows us to build strong relationships with peer institutions abroad, expand opportunities for our students and faculty to learn across borders, and collaboratively advance research, education, and patient care in ways that address the evolving oral health needs of communities worldwide.
Cecile A. Feldman
Dean, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine is the only dental school in New Jersey and the state's largest provider of oral healthcare. But the school reaches far beyond the state. In 2007, the school created an internationally educated doctor of dental medicine program, bringing in dentists trained from all around the world to New Jersey. Every year, foreign students also come for externships at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, and school's faculty and students collaborate on national and international research projects.
"For the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, the invitation reflects years of international collaboration that spans from Ireland to Albania to South Korea to India and positions the school to deepen its global footprint by joining leading institutions throughout the Ibero-American world," said Associate Dean for Admissions Rosa Chaviano-Moran. "We have been working closely over the years with Rutgers Global to make these partnerships happen."
Cecile A. Feldman, dean of the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, added, "Joining FIEFO is a powerful affirmation of RSDM's commitment to advancing oral healthcare globally. This partnership allows us to build strong relationships with peer institutions abroad, expand opportunities for our students and faculty to learn across borders, and collaboratively advance research, education, and patient care in ways that address the evolving oral health needs of communities worldwide."
