Bridging Cultures, Expanding Impact

Dental

When Adriana Modesto Gomes Da Silva first arrived at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine more than 20 years ago, she brought more than advanced clinical skills.

She carried with her a distinctive educational philosophy and community-centered approach that defined her Brazilian dental training.

That approach continues to guide her work as she shapes the next generation of globally minded dental practitioners.

As Professor and Program Director for Predoctoral Education in Pediatric Dentistry, Modesto Gomes Da Silva builds on the foundations she learned at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro—foundations that emphasize early and extensive community engagement, with students regularly working in underserved communities from the beginning of their clinical education.

“This approach creates practitioners who are not only technically proficient but also deeply attuned to the social determinants of health,” notes Modesto Gomes Da Silva. “The training assumes that dentists will serve diverse communities with varying levels of access to care, so cultural competency and community health approaches are woven throughout the curriculum rather than treated as electives.”

Her signature course, “Community Outreach Experiences with Vulnerable Populations,” is available to all Pitt Dental students every semester, in any year of their program.

The course connects Pitt dental students with vulnerable populations throughout the Pittsburgh area, teaching them to navigate the complex social, cultural and economic factors that influence oral health outcomes. Students learn to practice effective communication and education while increasing oral health literacy in communities that often face barriers to traditional dental care.

Taking it to The Streets

Through the Street Medicine at Pitt initiative, for example, Modesto Gomes Da Silva takes students out into the community to provide free oral health care and social support to unhoused, unsheltered and underserved Pittsburghers.

Students are able to apply what they’ve learned to individuals who might not otherwise have access to oral health care. Depending on their level of training, students conduct oral cancer screenings, offer dental care and education, or help schedule appointments and transportation to and from clinics.

“With Street Medicine, we all work together—healthcare providers and community organizations —to meet people where they live, be in relationships with them, and get them what they need to feel supported and live healthier lives,” Modesto Gomes Da Silva adds. That can mean getting someone’s broken tooth fixed as well as providing shoes and a warm coat that fits and distributing fresh food, hygiene products and NARCAN.”
“When our students learn to provide culturally competent care to a refugee family in Pittsburgh, they’re developing skills directly transferable to international health work,” continues Modesto Gomes Da Silva. “But more importantly, they’re learning that global health isn’t just about traveling abroad—it’s about understanding how social, economic and cultural factors shape health outcomes wherever you practice.”

Creating Globally Aware Practitioners

Modesto Gomes Da Silva says her own immigrant experience adds another crucial dimension to her teaching. “I understand what it means to navigate systems that weren’t designed with your background in mind,” she reflects. “This helps me better support students from non-traditional backgrounds while also preparing all students to serve patients whose experiences may differ from their own.”

According to Modesto Gomes Da Silva, it’s critical to create an educational environment where students from diverse backgrounds see their experiences as assets rather than obstacles. Her community outreach programs have introduced hundreds of dental students to the realities of providing care to vulnerable populations. And her leadership in predoctoral education ensures that these perspectives are embedded in the foundational training of future practitioners.

As global health challenges become increasingly complex, Modesto Gomes Da Silva’s approach offers a model for how international perspectives can strengthen both local impact and global preparedness. By combining the community-centered approach of Brazilian dental training with deep understanding of health disparities in American communities, she’s helping prepare practitioners who can contribute meaningfully to global health wherever their careers may lead them.

Her story demonstrates that global health leadership doesn’t require choosing between local and international impact—instead, it demands practitioners who understand how social determinants of health operate across cultures and communities, and who have the clinical skills and cultural competency to address health disparities wherever they encounter them.