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Subcommittee keeps foreign-trained dental faculty pathway by removing sunset date
Summary
The panel voted 8-0 to report House Bill 1899, which would remove a July 1, 2025, sunset on a faculty licensure pathway that allows foreign dental program graduates to receive a teaching-only license at Virginia dental schools.
The House Health Professions Subcommittee voted 8-0 to report House Bill 1899 to the full committee, a bill that would repeal the July 1, 2025, sunset on a teaching-only faculty license for foreign-trained dental graduates.
Under the existing law passed in 2022, the Board of Dentistry may grant a faculty license to foreign dental program graduates who are certified by the Virginia dental school at which they will teach and who demonstrate clinical competency. Delegate Willett told the subcommittee the licensure is limited to teaching and does not permit clinical dental practice.
"This licensure does not allow the graduate to practice dentistry. This is a teaching only, certification," Delegate Willett said while describing the program's use at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Lindon Cooper, dean of VCU's School of Dentistry, told the committee the pathway had enabled VCU to recruit five international dentists with specialty and Ph.D.-level training and that the program has helped address faculty shortages: "This has been a remarkable success for us. We've recruited 5 remarkably talented dentists with both specialty and PhD training, and they have become some of the best faculty we have."
Missy Wasilowski testified on behalf of the Virginia Dental Association in support; no opposition was recorded in the transcript. The subcommittee moved and recorded the report to full committee on a roll call vote of 8-0.
