PDC Mission

Mission

The mission of the Postgraduate Dental College (PDC) is to support the Services’ with a master’s degree program that educates, trains, and comprehensively prepares military dental officers to support the Military Health System, the National Security, and National Defense Strategies of the United States and the readiness of our military forces.

Vision

The PDC will be widely recognized as the pre-eminent national educational institution for the creation of certificate and master’s degree educated graduate dentists and leaders who are prepared to serve the nation.  The PDC will support and facilitate uniformed services-related health education and training, research and scholarship, leadership education and training, and national security as it relates to global health.  Each PDC graduate will be a health & healthcare professional and leader, prepared with outstanding graduate dental education, inter-professional health and leadership training, and a deep and abiding commitment to selfless service, the military services ethos, and the security of the United States.

Strategic Framework

Education and Training – The PDC educates and trains dentists dedicated to career service and leadership in the Department of Defense.

1. Strengthen recruitment, development, and retention programs that make learning, employment, and collaboration within the PDC and schools of the PDC attractive and rewarding for outstanding and diverse students, faculty and staff.
2. Graduate superbly trained dentists and dental specialists.
3. Maintain Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accreditations and support the accreditations of the University.
4. Expand the use of cutting edge educational methodologies and teaching technologies.
5. Strategically allocate resources (funding, physical plant, and personnel) to promote optimum efficiency in their use to enhance Education and Training.

Research and Scholarship – PDC Research and Scholarship is central to the other four mission domains.

1. Conduct innovative scholarship in basic, materials, translational, clinical, systems and operations, population health and policy research relevant to the MHS, the health of the nation and national security.
2. Allocate resources (funding, physical plant, and personnel) to promote optimal efficiency in their use to enhance quality of faculty and student scholarship.
3. Encourage and support participation of PDC faculty, students, and staff in DoD, military-specific, international and national health-related meetings.

Leadership – PDC graduates are tomorrow’s clinical, academic, dental health, and public health leaders.

1. Maintain and expand leadership development education and training relevant to the MHS, national health and security.
2. Maintain and expand PDC’s role in thought leadership for the MHS and the health of the nation.

National Security and Global Health Engagement – the Military Health System exists to ensure America’s security.

1. Enhance USU’s role in supporting national security.
2. Develop PDC’s capacity to support U.S. global health programs.

Service – USU faculty, staff, and students provide service.

1. Prepare and deploy health services engagement teams when requested by DoD and other U.S. agencies and organizations.
2. Continue to expand service to the MHS, the MHS’ network of clinics and hospitals worldwide and, above all, to the individuals, units and leaders that comprise our uniformed services.