Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso's Hunt School of Dental Medicine is launching an oral and maxillofacial surgery residency program, backed by a $500,000 endowed professorship funded jointly by High Desert Oral and Facial Surgery and the university.

High Desert Oral and Facial Surgery committed $250,000, matched by Texas Tech Health El Paso, to create the endowment. Vernon Burke, DMD, MD, was named founding director and inaugural endowed professor. The program was announced February 27, 2026.

The residency addresses a critical gap in the dental specialist pipeline. Oral and maxillofacial surgery residency positions are among the most competitive in dentistry, and geographic access to training programs in the Southwest remains limited. The El Paso location serves a border region with significant unmet demand for oral surgery services.

For the dental workforce, new residency programs represent a long-term investment in specialist capacity. As DSOs expand surgical service lines — including implantology, full-arch restoration, and hospital-based dentistry — the demand for fellowship-trained oral surgeons continues to outstrip supply.

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