AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ketarya Hunt-Bass, a longtime advocate for public health and equitable Dental Services, has been recognized for her nearly two decades of community engagement at Augusta University’s Dental College of Georgia (DCG).
Hunt-Bass, director of Community Outreach Programs in the Office of Student Affairs and Alumni, received the 2024 Excellence in Community Engagement Staff Award, honoring her leadership in expanding access to oral health care across Georgia.
Since joining Augusta University in 2007, Hunt-Bass has focused her career on connecting students, providers and underserved communities. She said her work is guided by a belief that good oral health is foundational to overall wellness.
“I have always enjoyed connecting people with systems or organizations that help communities thrive,” Hunt-Bass said. “My role has allowed me to introduce dental students to public health practice and to organizations that promote care for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status.”
In her early years at DCG, Hunt-Bass helped manage new grant initiatives aimed at strengthening Georgia’s oral health workforce. Her efforts centered on exposing dental students to public health models and reinforcing the importance of serving vulnerable populations.
Community outreach is now embedded throughout the DCG curriculum. Students are expected to engage with local communities throughout their four years, participating in school programs, health fairs and outreach events where they distribute oral hygiene kits and provide education on preventive care.
A cornerstone of these efforts is the Senior Dental Clerkship Program, which places senior dental students in rural and medically underserved areas across the state. Through these rotations, students gain hands-on clinical experience while working alongside public health and private dental providers. Many graduates later return to these communities as practicing dentists.
“That connection to service is something students carry with them,” Hunt-Bass said, noting that several clerkship sites have hired graduates after completion of the program.
Hunt-Bass said the award reflects her long-standing commitment to public health dentistry and her work with nearly 2,000 dental students over the past 19 years.
The Excellence in Community Engagement Awards are presented annually by Augusta University to recognize faculty, staff, students and community partners who advance the university’s mission through collaboration and service. Other honors include awards for faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students and outstanding community partners.
Nominations for the 2025–26 Excellence in Community Engagement Awards remain open through Friday, Jan. 23, at 5 p.m., according to the Office of Community Engagement.