The mission of a land-grant university is rooted in service to the state and its people, and it is especially true at West Virginia University. As the only state completely within Appalachia, an area facing significant healthcare disparities, that mission of service drives the WVU School of Dentistry and other units across WVU Health Sciences.
For Brianna Hodak, a fourth-year Doctor of Dental Surgery student from Spring Church, Pennsylvania, a myriad of opportunities to serve others through rural healthcare drew her to WVU. Since enrolling at the university, she has immersed herself in communities across the state and followed her passion for improving access to care.
In recognition of her dedication to service, Hodak was selected as the 2025 West Virginia Rural Health Association Outstanding Rural Health Student. She was nominated by Christie Zachary, program director for student outreach and marketing for the WVU Institute for Community and Rural Health, for her continuous engagement in several of the institute’s student programs from her undergraduate studies at WVU to her pre-doctoral dental education.
“I’d like to thank Christie Zachary for introducing me to all the Institute has to offer,” Hodak said, reflecting on her experiences. “She saw potential in me to become a rural health leader.”
Through rural health programs offered at WVU and encouragement provided by Zachary, Hodak was able to start realizing her childhood dreams – becoming a dentist and serving others.
“I first wanted to become a dentist when I was three years old, because I always loved going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. I became more involved in the idea in middle school when I learned about Operation Smile, a nonprofit that provides free cleft palate surgeries to children around the globe. I was always interested in the service aspect of dentistry, and that was my main motivator.”
Hodak also always had an interest in attending WVU for dental school. She decided to enroll at the university for her undergraduate studies in biochemistry in hopes it would increase her chances of being accepted to the School of Dentistry. After shadowing dentists throughout high school and during her undergraduate years, her interest continued to grow, and she found a love for the combination of scientific concepts with a hands-on, artistic approach that is offered by the field of dentistry.
“I am thankful that I did [come to WVU for undergrad] because I had a great experience. Then, when looking into the dental program here, my main interests included the mission of service, the Guatemala mission trip, and the rural rotation program.
“One of the topics I am most passionate about is reducing barriers to healthcare in resource-reduced regions of the world, including Appalachia. During my involvement shadowing and volunteering with these populations I was able to experience the sense of community and the grit the people of West Virginia have.”
Hodak began her participation with the Institute for Community and Rural Health as a sophomore when she was accepted into Rural Undergraduate Shadowing in Healthcare (RUSH), a program that introduces students to rural-health practice. The experience provided her with the opportunity to shadow oral healthcare clinicians at the Minnie Hamilton Health System dental clinic in Grantsville, a community of less than 500 residents. Hodak recalls participation in this program as her first real experience with rural dentistry.
Since then, she has taken advantage of many other unique opportunities offered by the institute to positively impact underserved communities in the Mountain State.
Hodak has served as a member of the leadership team for the Rural Health Interest Group and Project REACH (Rural Education Alliance for Community Health), which focus on advocacy and educational outreach. She has selected as a West Virginia Area Health Education Centers Rural Community Health Scholar, a two-year experience that includes clinical, didactic, and community-based activities, and a Nourish West Virginia Sustainable Food Systems Leadership Fellow, where she was paired with the Greenbrier County Health Alliance. She also participated in professional and personal development through the WVU Rural PRO (Professional Readiness Opportunity) Program and completed a substantive community health project through the Community and Rural Rotations Support (CARRS) Program. To help other students interested in health careers, Hodak has also served as an advocate for these programs by participating in the annual WVU Rural Health Day, an opportunity to learn about the Institute’s programs and rural healthcare pathways.
“These programs are important for communities because they meet them where they are and provide support in a way that is most beneficial for their own unique community needs. They also give individuals opportunities they normally wouldn’t have because of various barriers they might experience.”
Hodak has also received extensive oral healthcare experience during her six-week rural rotation as part of the Doctor of Dental Surgery program. Partnering with more than 90 practices across the state, the rotation provides all DDS students with valuable hands-on experience to further develop their skills and increases access to care for the community.
During her rotation, Hodak worked with Dr. Timothy Thorne (DDS ’88) and Dr. Aimee Keplinger (DDS ’11) in Moorefield.
“I have been able to clearly see the need for dentists in this region of West Virginia. We see an extraordinary number of patients in a day, many of which travel from many hours away. When I introduce myself as a dental student, I have had several patients tell me that they need more dentists in the area. I have gotten many hugs, several ‘God bless yous’, and even been a part of an impromptu prayer circle.”
Another important aspect of the rural rotation experience is the guidance students receive from clinicians.
“Drs. Thorne and Keplinger have been great mentors, and I would highly recommend them to any student. They are very encouraging with the goals I had set for myself over the course of the rotation, and they have done their best to provide those opportunities for me.”
In addition to mentorship and connecting with community members, students gain practical experiences. Hodak was particularly excited to hone her skills in endodontics and surgical extractions, of which she’s been able to perform root canal therapy and remove her first impacted wisdom tooth.
Hodak will return to Morgantown at the end of her rural rotation experience to complete her final semester while honing her skills at WVU Dental, the clinical practice component of the School of Dentistry offering care from faculty, resident and student dentists.
Following graduation in May, Hodak’s passion for serving others through the dental profession will take her to southern West Virginia.
“I will be working at West Virginia Health Right in Charleston on the Mobile Dental Clinic which provides free dental care to low-income patients in Boone, Clay, Jackson, Logan, McDowell, and Roane counties.”
“Brianna is the epitome of everything we strive to accomplish with our student programs – graduating and staying in the state to service our most underserved communities,” Zachary said.
Her experiences within the DDS program and the WVU Institute for Community and Rural Health have proven to be invaluable as she fulfills her purpose.
“It’s given me endless opportunities to organize outreach programs in rural West Virginia and helped me work toward my personal and professional goals of minimizing healthcare disparities and increasing access to dental care to those who need it the most.”
Photo at top: Brianna Hodak (second from right), a fourth-year Doctor of Dental Surgery student, has embraced the land-grant mission of WVU and the WVU School of Dentistry to serve the state’s people by participating in rural health initiatives as an undergraduate and predoctoral student. Community outreach activities, like providing oral healthcare and hygiene resources, play an important role in improving health and well-being in communities across West Virginia.
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jw/12/2/25
CONTACT: Jessica Wilmoth
Director of Marketing and Communications
WVU School of Dentistry | WVU Dental