SUU student Dallin Duncan awarded military scholarship for dental school
By Nikki Koontz
Gaining entrance to dental school is extremely difficult, and receiving a scholarship is nearly impossible. Yet this is exactly what Southern Utah University student Dallin Duncan recently accomplished as he was awarded the Health Professions Scholarship Program with the U.S. Army.
Duncan, originally from Monticello, graduated from SUU in May with a degree in human nutrition and plans to enroll in dental school at Virginia Commonwealth University this fall.
“The small class sizes allowed me to have personal interactions with my professors, and there were so many opportunities for extracurricular and service activities,” Duncan said. “SUU’s offerings helped make me a well rounded student.”
As a student, Duncan received great support in pursuing dentistry through the Rural Health Scholars program where he was involved in Fluoride Swish and Camp Kesem. In addition, Duncan participated in a service trip to Costa Rica with the SUU Community Engagement Center.
The Army Health Professions Scholarship is highly competitive and provides a full tuition benefit to graduate health programs along with a generous monthly stipend. Scholars of this program are commissioned as officers and serve in the Army after graduation.
“I can’t think of a better way for me to contribute my skills and abilities to this wonderful country,” Duncan said. “My motivation for applying was my desire to be a part of this greater good done by our service men and women.”
“Dallin’s journey into dentistry has been a joy to follow. I have full confidence that he will succeed in dental school, in the Army, and as a small-town dentist in the future,” said Karen Ganss, assistant director of the SUU Rural Health Scholars program and Duncan’s pre-health advisor. Rural areas in particular tend to have a high need for dentists due to geographic isolation, lack of transportation, poverty rates, and provider shortages.
VCU is located in Richmond, Virginia. It’s dental program is a four-year program emphasizing basic, clinical, and social sciences. In addition to the Health Professions Scholarship Program, Duncan is receiving a $20,000 admissions scholarship from VCU. He will be a part of a class size of about 100 students from all over the country and will graduate with a doctoral degree in dental surgery degree. Upon graduation, Duncan will serve in the Army as a dentist and eventually hopes to return to rural Monticello and open his own practice.
The Rural Health Scholars program is available at SUU, DSU, Snow College, and Utah State University-Eastern in Price. Through a partnership with the University of Utah School of Medicine, this program assists students in becoming successful applicants to medical, nursing, podiatry, dental, pharmacy, and other health professions programs. For more information about the Utah Center for Rural Health programs, contact Karen Ganss at (435) 865-8660 or visit the SUU Rural Health Scholars website.
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