The General Practice Dental Residency (GPR) Program at Endeavor Health–Evanston Hospital offers a dynamic, hands-on experience designed for dentists seeking to expand their clinical skills in a hospital-based environment. Our program combines advanced education, interdisciplinary collaboration and service to diverse patient populations across Endeavor’s four nationally recognized hospitals.
Our program is sponsored by the University of Chicago.
The GPR program provides postdoctoral training in comprehensive, multidisciplinary oral health care, emphasizing hospital-based dentistry. Residents participate in outpatient, inpatient, surgical and emergency dental care at Evanston Hospital and rotate through Glenbrook, Highland Park and Skokie Hospitals.
Residents function as integral members of the healthcare team and gain experience treating medically complex patients, managing oral emergencies and providing care across a wide range of specialties.
Our training includes:
- Emergency room consultations
- Operating room dental surgeries
- Oral health assessments in oncology, cardiology and orthopedic patients
- Comprehensive dental care for clinic patients at the Evanston Hospital Dental Center
Residents are on-call every other week and must live within 15 minutes of Evanston Hospital.
The General Practice Dental Residency Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and has been granted the status of “approval without reporting requirements.” CODA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the specialized accrediting body for dental education programs.
Program structure & curriculum
- 1-year program
- Begins July 1 (orientation starts mid-June)
- 2 residents accepted per year
- Annual stipend: ~$73,015
- Medical and dental benefits provided
- 4 weeks of vacation + sick leave
- Certificate awarded by the University of Chicago upon satisfactory completion
Residents provide comprehensive care and participate in all aspects of hospital-based dental medicine:
- Primary sites: Evanston Hospital Dental Center (5 days/week), Glenbrook, Highland Park and Skokie Hospitals
- On-call duties: Taken from home (every other week); residents must live within 15 minutes of Evanston Hospital
- Emergency consultations: Odontogenic infections, trauma and dental pain
- Special patient populations: Residents perform oral assessments and deliver care for cardiac, cancer orthopedic and bisphosphonate patients
- Team-based care: Collaborate with attendings in oral surgery, pediatrics, periodontics and internal medicine
- Anesthesia – 2 weeks
- Internal Medicine – 2 weeks (1 week Emergency Department, 1 week Hospitalist rotation)
- Oral Surgery – Weekly clinic and OR assist
- Pediatrics – Weekly supervised clinic
- Periodontics – Biweekly supervised clinic
- Oncology – Ongoing care for patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation
- Patient care conferences – Minimum 12 per year to review cases and treatment plans
Residents participate in structured lectures and seminars throughout the year on topics including:
- Anesthesia
- Clinical pharmacology
- Dental/oral emergencies and trauma care
- Endodontics
- Ethics and professionalism
- Hospital organization, function and credentialing
- History and physical course (led by Department of Medicine faculty)
- Implants
- Informed consent
- Literature reviews
- Medical emergencies in the dental office
- Occlusal disorders
- Operative/restorative dentistry
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery
- Oral mucosal diseases
- Oral health management in the medically compromised patient
- Pain and anxiety control
- Pediatric dentistry
- Periodontics
- Practice management
- Prosthodontics
- Risk assessment
- Temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain
- Internal Medicine Grand Rounds
- Morbidity & Mortality Conferences (Department of Medicine)
- Noon Conferences on internal medicine topics
- Residents present a formal lecture (PowerPoint format) to the Division of Dentistry by year’s end
- Participation in table clinics and case conferences encouraged
- Critical thinking and evidence-based practice emphasized through:
- Treatment planning conferences
- Literature review sessions
- Interdisciplinary ethics conferences
Residents graduate with the ability to:
- Serve as a primary oral health provider, coordinating and delivering emergency and comprehensive care across disciplines
- Manage patients with special needs, including those with cardiac conditions, cancer or requiring surgery
- Direct oral health care delivery, including quality improvement and patient satisfaction tracking
- Function effectively in hospital and interdisciplinary care settings
- Apply scientific principles, critical thinking and modern technologies to clinical decision-making
- Demonstrate professionalism, cultural competency and commitment to lifelong learning
- Engage in community service, through reduced-fee care and outreach at health fairs and schools
- Operative and restorative dentistry
- Fixed and removable prosthodontics
- Periodontal and endodontic therapy
- Oral surgery, including hospital-based cases
- Management of dental emergencies
- Pain and anxiety control (behavioral and pharmacologic)
- Medical emergencies
- Implant planning
- Treatment of oral mucosal disease
- Management of occlusal and orofacial pain disorders
All applications will be processed through the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS) of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). For PASS application and additional information, please check their website. Our program deadline is September 1. We do not take part in the postdoctoral matching program.
Who qualifies?
- Graduates of U.S. or Canadian dental schools (DDS/DMD)
- Must have passed NBDE Part I and II
- Eligible for Illinois dental license
- Proficient in English
Application process
- Submit via ADEA PASS (Postdoctoral Application Support Service)
- Deadline: September 1
- We do not participate in the Postdoctoral Matching Program
Requirements
- ADEA PASS application
- Official dental school transcripts
- NBDE Part I (minimum to apply) and Part II (required before enrollment)
- 3 letters of recommendation
- Personal statement
- CV/resume
A committee will review materials from applicants and select candidates for interviews. National Board scores, class rank, GPA, personal statement, research experience, work experience and interview will all be taken into consideration.
Nondiscrimination
The program does not discriminate against any person in the selection process because of race, color, age, marital status, sex, national origin, ancestry, religion, disability, sexual orientation or veteran status.
Residents train across several leading hospitals within the Endeavor Health system:
- Evanston Hospital Dental Center: 4 modern operatories, laser and digital imaging technology, dedicated conference room
- Operating Rooms: Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park and Skokie Hospitals
- Emergency Rooms: Clinical experience in all four hospitals’ EDs
- Collaborative environment: Residents work closely with specialists in oral surgery, periodontics, pediatrics, oncology and internal medicine
- Salerno Conference Room: Study, seminar and presentation space exclusive to dental staff
Life as a resident
Residency in the General Practice Dental Residency Program at Endeavor Health offers a rewarding and well-supported experience. From a manageable call schedule and a collaborative clinical environment to strong ancillary support and access to modern facilities, residents thrive both personally and professionally.
Residents take call from home one week at a time, every other week. Because residents must respond promptly to urgent ER consultations, they are required to live within a 15-minute commute of Evanston Hospital.
Residents receive an annual stipend of approximately $73,015, along with medical and dental insurance, sick time and four weeks of vacation.
Residents work alongside medical professionals in a hospital setting and train at multiple hospitals across the Endeavor system. Evanston Hospital is a Level I trauma center, providing unique exposure to oral trauma cases.
Residents receive close guidance from dental and medical attendings and the program fosters an atmosphere of approachability, professionalism and hands-on learning. Collaboration with departments like oncology, cardiology and anesthesiology reinforces interdisciplinary care.
Residents contribute to community care through participation in outreach activities such as health fairs and school visits and they provide low-cost care to eligible patients at the Dental Center.
Education coordinator
Maria Vartelas
Email: mvartelas [at] northshore.org (mvartelas[at]northshore[dot]org)
Phone: (847) 570-2461Endeavor Health Evanston Hospital
2650 Ridge Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201
