Research/Areas of Interest
Dr. Dolce's research interests include innovations in interprofessional education and practice, including use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality; creating and testing novel, integrated care delivery models; and improving health outcomes particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations and communities.
Education
- PhD, New York University, New York, United States
- MA, New York University, New York, United States
- BS, New York University, New York, United States
Biography
Maria C. Dolce, PhD, RN is Professor and Director for Interprofessional Education and Practice at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Dolce is nationally and internationally recognized as a nurse scientist and leading expert in interprofessional education and practice. She is known for the conceptualization and development of the Nurse Practitioner – Dentist Model for Primary Care at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, an interprofessional value-based health care model integrating primary care and oral health services. She previously served as subject matter expert and consultant for Harvard's Center for Integrating Primary Care and Oral Health. From 2009 – 2012, Dr. Dolce was a Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University (NYU) and served as Program Director for NYU's Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice, a national initiative to integrate oral health in nursing education and practice. In 2012, she transitioned to Northeastern University Bouvé College of Health Sciences as Associate Professor and led a college-wide education program, Innovations in Oral Health, to integrate oral health across interdisciplinary health sciences curricula. Dr. Dolce has published and presented her work nationally and internationally. She serves on the steering committee for Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum; and manuscript reviewer for several interprofessional journals including the Journal of Dental Education. Dr. Dolce earned her BS, MA, and PhD degrees from New York University. She is a member of the American Dental Education Association and International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.