Currently, an estimated 10% of the United States (US) population is comprised of primarily Spanish speakers. It is estimated that by the year 2050 Latinos will be the largest minority group making up approximately 30% of the US population. In order provide quality care to these Latino patients, it is essential to be able to communicate directly with them and third-party interpreter services cannot substitute for direct patient-provider communication. Language barriers in health care, including dentistry, contribute to health disparities such as decreased access to preventive services, poor adherence to treatment, and overall decreased satisfaction with care.
Although significant efforts have been made by dental schools to increase the enrollment of Latino students who are fluent in Spanish and have the ability to provide both linguistically and culturally concordant care for the Latino population, currently Latino dentists make up only approximately 4% of US dentists, suggesting a need to promote Spanish fluency among dental students. In the University of Michigan School of Dentistry’s Community Collaborative Care and Education program, there were approximately 716 Hispanic patient encounters in 2015 suggesting that there are opportunities for dental students to apply Spanish language skills to patient care. Furthermore, our School of Dentistry graduates must demonstrate: “communication and interpersonal skills necessary to function successfully in a multicultural work environment” and “effective communication and collaboration with other members of the healthcare team to facilitate the provision of healthcare.”
To address the diverse health care needs of the US population, the School of Dentistry started a program for improving Spanish language competency and this website is part of this program. We believe that students’ ability to acquire Spanish proficiency in a clinical environments depends on both academic modules and meaningful opportunities to exercise these skills in a tangible fashion. On this website you will find the following in the Spanish language:
This educational program is made possible in part by a grant from the University of Michigan, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.
Dr. Erika Benavides is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and recently served as Councilor for Communications of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Chair of the Research and Technology Committee. She currently serves as the Vice President for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology. Dr. Benavides received her D.D.S. from the University of Valle in Cali, Colombia. Following her dental program, she completed an externship in the Craniofacial Genetics Department at the Medical University of South Carolina. Subsequently, she completed a General Practice Residency (GPR) program at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) and the Truman Medical Center. At UMKC, Dr. Benavides received her Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology training and a PhD in Oral Biology and Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Benavides has published multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts in the multidisciplinary aspects of diagnostic imaging. Her research interests include the integration of emerging technology to evaluate tissue properties and structure and her faculty practice is dedicated to cone-beam computed tomography.
Dr. Sergio F. Calleja Blanco is from Santiago Chile and obtained his first DDS in 2009 and a Masters in Public Health in 2013, both at the Universidad Mayor, Chile. He completed a Masters in Advanced Oral and Implant Surgery at Barcelona Spain in 2014. Passionate about global dental health, community outreach and oral surgery, coming to The University of Michigan for him was a natural fit. He moved to Ann Arbor, MI in 2016 for his DDS at the University of Michigan’s Internationally Trained Dentist Program (ITDP). He participated at the Kenya 2017 and Guatemala 2018 Outreach programs, and with the encouragement from friends and family he continues to advocate for patients in poverty. In 2016 Dr. Calleja Blanco was awarded a Dow Sustainability Fellowship at the University and was the only dental student to represent the University of Michigan School of Dentistry that year. He graduated in April 2018 from University of Michigan ITDP and at graduation was awarded the Delta Dental Student Leadership Award; one of the highest and most competitive awards given to only one student from the graduating class. He also earned the Comprehensive Care Award, which only a few students graduating obtained after achieving the highest performance during dental school.
Dr. Danciu is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and a consultant for the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. She graduated with a BA in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley after which she completed her DMD at Harvard University. She continued her training at Harvard where she obtained a Doctor of Medical Sciences degree as well as a certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. After two years as Instructor at Harvard, she joined the University of Michigan in 2007. Dr. Danciu is the recipient of numerous teaching awards both at Harvard and the University of Michigan and research awards including the National Research Service Award and the National Institute of Health Transition Career Development Award. She currently serves on several committees at the School of Dentistry, American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, American Dental Association and American Association for Dental Research.
Vidya Ramaswamy is the Associate Director for Curriculum and Program Evaluation at University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She has a PhD from the University of Toledo in the field of Educational Psychology with a minor in research & measurement. She is experienced in social science research and healthcare education. Dr. Ramaswamy is responsible for evaluating the curriculum, assessing pedagogy and student learning at the University Of Michigan School Of Dentistry. She has been involved in diverse studies including investigating the validity of various assessment methods such as course evaluations, the value of community based education, and the impact of educational interventions on student learning. She has a strong foundation in educational/developmental psychology, program evaluation, research design, and psychometrics and statistics.
Dr. Tatiana M Botero received her Dental Degree in 1987 from CES University in Medelling, Colombia. Following her DDS she received a Masters of Science in Endodontics from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia and then an Advanced Specialty Certificate in Endodontics from the University of Michigan. While running a private practice in Colombia, Dr. Botero also worked as a clinical assistant professor. She began teaching at the University of Michigan in 2001 and is currently a full-time Clinical Associate Professor teaching Endodontics to both undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Botero’s research interest is in caries-induced dental pulp angiogenesis and regenerative Endodontics.
Dr. Javier Cortes Botello was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. He attended dental school at Universidad Tecnológica de México (UNITEC) from January 2004 – January 2008. In 2009 he earned the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery after completing a year of community service at the Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia (INPer) treating women with high risk pregnancies for their dental needs.
In 2006 Dr. Botello joined a private practice as a dental assistant and later as clinician at Sakar Dental Clinic in Mexico City.
In 2009 he was accepted at the University of Rochester – Eastman Institute for Oral Health and successfully completed a 2-year international degree in Advanced Education in General Dentistry. Following this he completed a 1-year General Practice Residency and a 6-month Pediatric Dentistry Residency.
In 2013 he returned to Mexico City where he resumed private practice while also teaching as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor for Operative Dentistry at the Universidad Tecnológica. Dr. Botello taught second, third and fourth year dental students; supervising their dental treatments for restorative and esthetic dentistry.
In 2016 he joined the University of Michigan School of Dentistry as a Clinical Lecturer in the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Hospital Dentistry supervising the third and fourth year dental students on their oral surgery treatments.
Dr. Garcia Hammaker was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She attended dental school at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, where she obtained the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery in December 2011. During her dental school training, she worked ad-honorem as a Pre-Clinical Instructor in the Department of Removable Partial Dentures. Following graduation she worked in private practice. She also became part of the Department of Fixed Prosthetics at the Universidad Central de Venezuela Dental School as an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the pre-clinical and clinical setting. Dr. Garcia Hammaker completed her specialty training in Prosthodontics at the University of Michigan in May 2016.
Margherita Fontana, DDS, PhD, holds the position of Professor (tenured) in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics at University of Michigan School of Dentistry. After receiving her dental degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), Caracas Venezuela, in 1990, Dr. Fontana worked as a Research Assistant in the Dental Research Institute, Dental School, UCV for two years, while she also worked in private practice. In 1992 she moved to the United States to pursue her research interests, and in 1996 completed a four-year PhD program in Dental Sciences at Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN. She served in the full time faculty at Indiana University until the Fall of 2009 serving there as Director of the Microbial Caries Model Facility, which is part of the Oral Health Research Institute; director of the Oral Biofilms in Caries Assessment and Management Research Program; and also Director of Predoctoral Education (Caries Management Program) for the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry. She currently maintains an Affiliate position at Indiana University. She has always been very involved in teaching (problem based learning, laboratory and didactic) in Cariology in the DDS, postdoctoral and dental hygiene programs. She is currently codirector of the cariology I and II courses, and cariology discipline co-coordinator at the School of Dentistry. As a principal investigator, she has received research grants from the National Institute of Health, the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry, the Delta Dental Fund, and private industry. Dr. Fontana has lectured as an invited speaker in different countries being recognized for her work in the field of Cariology. She was the first president for the Indiana Chapter of the Hispanic Dental Association, and has been a member for many years of the International Association for Dental Research, the European Organization for Caries Research (ORCA), and the American Society for Microbiology. She was the 2007-2008 President of the Cariology group of the International Association for Dental Research,the 2010-2011 Chair of the newly approved Cariology Section of the American Dental Education Association, and a Fellow in the 2011-2012 class of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women. In 2012 she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her work on caries risk assessment in children.
Clinical Spanish
University of Michigan School of Dentistry
1011 N. University, Room G018
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Phone: (800) 358-1011
Fax: 734-764-2469