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Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College Welcomes Its Inaugural Class; Marks New York State's First New School of Dental Medicine in Nearly 50 Years

“Touro College of Dental Medicine has received an overwhelming response from applicants across the country,”

VALHALLA, NY – One hundred and ten students began classes today at the first new dental school to be approved in New York State in nearly 50 years. 

Part of Touro College and University System’s growing cadre of schools devoted to improving healthcare by training professionals in medicine and related disciplines, the Touro College of Dental Medicine (TouroCDM) resides on Touro’s New York Medical College (NYMC) campus in Valhalla, New York. TouroCDM received more than 2,100 applications for the 110 seats of the inaugural class at the school in Westchester County.

“Touro College of Dental Medicine has received an overwhelming response from applicants across the country,” said Jay P. Goldsmith, D.M.D., founding dean of TouroCDM. “As a result, in a relatively short period of time we have secured a highly-talented and ambitious group of students to comprise our inaugural class.”

TouroCDM at NYMC received final approval in April 2016 from the New York State Board of Regents. The state also contributed $2.075 million through the New York State Higher Education Capital Matching Grant program (HECap). The HECap Program is a highly competitive economic development initiative that awards matching capital grants to colleges for the design, acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, or equipping of a facility on a college campus that upgrades the school’s programmatic offerings, enhances the student life at the College or provide economic benefits to the surrounding area. TouroCDM is one of only ten institutions to receive over $2 million in funding from the state in 2016.

Funds are being used to renovate the NYMC’s Skyline Drive Building, which will house the dental school’s classrooms and training facilities, including an advanced digital simulation lab. New York State Senator Terrence Murphy was a strong supporter of efforts to secure the funding.

"The Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College is great news for the Hudson Valley that will not only generate well-paying jobs, but will also bring oral health and priceless smiles to our region," said Senator Murphy, whose district includes Valhalla. "I am thrilled to partner with this fine institution as they expand their educational horizons and I look forward to their bright future."

TouroCDM joins an established network of medical institutions in New York State, including the Touro College Graduate School of Health Sciences, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Touro College Graduate School of Pharmacy, and NYMC's Schools of Medicine, Speech Pathology, Physical Therapy, and Public Health, which collectively graduate more than 2,000 health care professionals every year.

The Touro College and University System

Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 29 branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to:  http://www.touro.edu/news/.

New York Medical College

Founded in 1860, NYMC is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with more than 1,400 students, 1,300 residents and clinical fellows, nearly 3,000 faculty members, and 16,000 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers advanced degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, and the School of Health Sciences and Practice. With a network of affiliated hospitals that includes large urban medical centers, small suburban clinics and high-tech regional tertiary care facilities, NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities throughout the tri-state region for medical students, residents, and other health providers.