Alumnus Thomas Nguyen Pioneers Dental Care for LGBTQ and Homeless Populations

The San Francisco Bay Area Fellows Program is one of thirteen Schweitzer program sites across the country. This initiative develops a pipeline of emerging professionals who enter the workforce with the skills and commitment necessary to address health disparities in our community.

Twenty UCSF School of Dentistry students have been granted the fellowship since its inception in 2006, including Thomas Nguyen, Class of 2019. As a third-year student, Nguyen was passionate about increasing awareness of the need for dental care in San Francisco’s LGBTQ and Homeless populations. Using his own experience working at a community health center in the Tenderloin district, Nguyen submitted his application.

“It was a good project in the sense that it really helped me hone in on what I should do with my degree,” he said. After graduation, Thomas accepted an opportunity to be the first primary dental provider at the clinic where he did his Schweitzer project, the San Francisco Community Health Center. Though the dental clinic was a new service, there was little funding, so Thomas had to get creative. The first place Thomas went to ask for donations was his alma mater. UCSF School of Dentistry contributed two dental chairs that were being replaced. This contribution, along with retired Bay Area dentists offering supplies, helped launch the new clinic.

“They had a clinic with two chairs and a fresh dentist who didn’t really know what he was doing,” Nguyen said while laughing. He did eventually hire an assistant.

The new clinic continues to treat patients who face a variety of inequities. Thomas says the addition of dental services helps avoid sending patients to other locations. It also helps build trust with each individual.

“The rationale for the clinic in the Tenderloin is we’re going to make you go to multiple other places. You can get all your services here,” he said.