Five Maui Dental Hygiene students receive HDS Foundation scholarships

Five University of Hawaiʻi Maui College dental hygiene students each received a $3,000 HDS Foundation scholarship. They are: Supattramanee Payackapan of Kahului, Maui; Gabrielle Galano of Kahului, Maui; Amara Pederson of Kihei, Maui; Marie-Nicole Medrano of Wailuku, Maui; and Sabrina Carmen Pargad of Kahului, Maui.

Improving access to dental care in Hawaiʻi, especially in rural areas of the neighbor islands, starts by developing a local workforce of dentists and dental hygienists. The HDS Foundation, the state’s only philanthropic organization solely dedicated to improving access to oral health care, promoting oral health education, and reducing oral health diseases, recently awarded a total of $113,000 for scholarships for dental school students and dental hygiene students.

The HDS Foundation gave $80,000 in scholarships to eight Hawaiʻi students attending dental schools in other states to help cover their tuition. Each student received a $10,000 scholarship. In addition, 11 dental hygiene students attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa or University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, each received $3,000 scholarships.

“The HDS Foundation is doing our part to address health equity challenges in our state by supporting local students pursuing careers as dental professionals to help increase access to oral health care in our state,” said Dr. Diane Paloma, HDS president and CEO. “It’s exciting to see the progress of these students through college, who eventually return to their communities to serve as dental professionals.”