California - La Clinica de la Raza- Oakland - PEDS

The La Clínica de la Raza Health Center (La Clínica) is home to the NYU Langone Dental Medicine Pediatric Dentistry Program in Oakland, CA.

La Clínica was founded in 1971 and influenced by the philosophies of Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez for its mission to "Improve the quality of life of the diverse communities we serve by providing culturally appropriate, high quality, and accessible health care for all."

La Clínica has seen great expansion over the years and now has sites in three different counties. Historically, La Clínica has served over 90,000 patients annually. With the rapid increase in the number of patients, new services have been added to benefit the community, and additional clinics have been built to meet the need. La Clínica has 35 medical and dental service sites to date.

Serving primarily low-income and underserved children in Northern, California, Clínica is located in one of the state's most underserved neighborhood, with its pediatric patients from aged from birth to age 18 years and of diverse race and ethnicity (Hispanic, African American, White/non-Hispanic, and Asian).  La Clínica's pediatric population includes children with special health care needs including, but not limited to, autism, asthma, ADD/ADHD, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and craniofacial anomalies.

With La Clínica's modern clinical facilities and more than 20 operatories at its Oakland, Vallejo, and Union City clinics, residents have access to electronic dental records, digital radiography, and a dedicated operatory for conscious sedation procedures to fulfill the CODA-required 50 oral conscious sedations (25 as the operator; 25 as monitor). All residents work with a dental assistant, treat a large number of patients, and acquire a wide variety of clinical skills that prepares graduates to practice competently and confidently in any setting.

Residents typically complete 80+ cases in the Benioff Children's Hospital-Oakland (B-CHO) operating room and are actively involved with its Craniofacial Team. Through after hours on-call rotations in the B-CHO Emergency Department, residents gain skill in managing many trauma cases.

Throughout the 2-year program, residents gain exposure to collaborative community activities and policy advocacy efforts with state/national partners.

For questions about the NYU Langone Dental Medicine-Oakland, CA site, contact Dr. David Okuji, Senior Associate Program Director. Email: david.okuji@nyulangone.org.