Underrepresented Minority Enrollment at Dental School Halves Post-Affirmative Action

The number of students at Harvard School of Dental Medicine who identify as underrepresented in medicine halved this year, HSDM Dean William V. Giannobile said in an interview with The Crimson on Wednesday, his first since 2021.

Giannobile — who served as a professor at the University of Michigan before assuming the deanship of the approximately 250-person school — has served as the dean of HSDM since 2020.

In his role helming the University’s smallest school, Giannobile received praise for his handling of the school during the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring every student graduated on time and passed their board exams on the first attempt.

But with the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down race-conscious admissions, the school is facing new challenges in admissions and enrollment.

The number of students enrolled in the Class of 2028 who identify as an underrepresented minority decreased by 50 percentage points from last year, sliding from 22 to just 11 percent of the first-year class.

Specifically, the proportion of enrolled Black and white students decreased, while the proportion of Asian American students increased, according to Giannobile.

In September, Harvard College reported a four percentage point drop in Black enrollment in its first round of admissions after the fall of affirmative action. At Harvard Law School, the percentage of students of color enrolled in the first-year class fell by eight percentage points compared to the previous year.

Despite the shifting racial data, Giannobile said during the interview that “we’ve been able to maintain our programs that have been very successful in recruiting those who are underrepresented in dentistry,” like the Bridge to Dental School Program, through which current HSDM students provide potential applicants, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, with application advice and study tips.

—Staff writer Veronica H. Paulus can be reached at veronica.paulus@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @VeronicaHPaulus.

—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @akshayaravi22.