15 May 2023

The Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane (MHB) started out with degree programmes in medicine and psychology/psychotherapy in 2015, with the aim to ensure and improve the long-term provision of medical care in the State of Brandenburg. The group of supporting hospitals, with official recognition as “university hospital of the Brandenburg Medical School” since 2020, constitute the first institutions of university-based medicine in Brandenburg. 2021 saw the first MHB graduates begin their professional careers as the first Brandenburg-trained physicians at various cooperating clinics in the region. At the state press conference in Potsdam last Monday, MHB president Prof. Hans-Uwe Simon was pleased to note that MHB graduates stay committed to the region – the hoped-for effect when the MHB was founded a decade ago. He announced the start of the Brandenburg model curriculum in dental medicine for the summer term 2024 and thanked the LZÄKB (Brandenburg chamber of dentists) and the KZVLB (Brandenburg association of statutory health insurance dentists) for their valuable support.

MHB president: “Next stage of development”

Prof. Simon underlines that the original aim was to ensure the provision of medical and psychotherapeutic care in the State of Brandenburg. “Launching an innovative and practice-oriented degree course in dental medicine, we now take the next step in this development and together with LZÄKB and KZVLB respond to the looming supply gap in dental care. Our ambition is to ensure and improve medical care in the region on a long-term basis, so that Brandenburg stands up to comparison with other federal states and the local population receives best possible care in all health-related fields.”

State-of-the-art dental clinic for Brandenburg an der Havel

The new degree course in dental medicine – no numerus clausus provision – is scheduled to start in Brandenburg an der Havel with the summer term 2024. According to MHB chancellor Dr. Gerrit Fleige, the town will be one of only two locations in Germany, the other being Hamburg, to offer a course in dental medicine based on latest model clauses, with a modular setup and a strong practice and patient orientation. The focus of the underlying holistic concept is not on individual teeth but on patients in their entirety.

^{Presenting the new Brandenburg Model Curriculum Dental Medicine (BMZ): MHB chancellor Dr. Gerrit Fleige (left ) and MHB president Prof. Hans-Uwe Simon.}

The new degree course, like all others offered at the MHB, has a strong element of practice orientation. Practical training units are integral parts of the curriculum, to be spent in the form of a practice week in medical and dental surgeries and dental labs from the second semester onwards. An ultramodern high-performance clinic is moreover scheduled to be established on the premises of a former power station near the historical tramway depot by 2026. Dr. Fleige speaks of a supply capacity of up to 20 comparable dental practices.

^{Former power station near the historical tramway depot in Brandenburg an der Havel: The chosen location for the dental clinic and training facilities for prospective dentists}

LZÄKB and KZVLB see urgent demand for dentist training in Brandenburg

Dipl.-Stom. Jürgen Herbert, LZÄKB president, is enthusiastic: „We welcome the start of a degree course in dental medicine at the Brandenburg Medical School (MHB) in the summer semester 2024. As the professional representatives of dentists, we perceive an urgent demand for the training of dentists in the region to ensure and strengthen dental care in the State of Brandenburg. The concept of this new course with periods of practical training in teaching practices serves to acquaint dentistry students right from the start with day-to-day routines in dental surgeries; on the other hand, dentists in the region will have the opportunity to meet prospective dentists and thus a splendid chance to recruit potential successors.”
Dr. Eberhard Steglich as chairman of the KZVLB board underlines the strong support of his organization for the new programme, for example with information campaigns at county level and book tokens for students.”

^{Rostrum at State Press Conference: LPK chairman Benjamin Lassiwe, Dr. Eberhard Steglich, chairman of the KZVLB board, MHB president Prof. Hans-Uwe Simon, MHB chancellor Dr. Gerrit Fleige, Dipl.-Stom. Jürgen Herbert (LZÄKB president) and Dr. med. dent. Romy Ermler from the LZÄKB board and vice president of the national chamber of dentists (from left).}

Associations vigorously campaign for financial support

Dr. Romy Ermler, LZÄKB board member and vice president of the national chamber of dentists (Bundeszahnärztekammer), appeals to further potential sponsors of the new degree course: “Our associations both have started to campaign for financial support for dentistry students from municipalities and counties where dentists are urgently needed. Another important contribution would have to come from the regional government in the form of scholarships comparable to those for prospective country doctors.”

Dr. Fleige adds: “The MHB is a state-approved university but mainly not covered by public funding. As an independent non-commercial institution under municipal sponsoring, we charge tuition fees of approximately 132,00 Euro to cover costs. We want to offer attractive financial options to prospective dentistry students – such as already exist for students of medicine and psychotherapy – so that studies at the MHB remain a matter of personality and motivation and not of money. In contrast to other private universities the MHB is a non-profit institution, and in the sense of a social business aims to contribute to ensuring and improving dental care in the State of Brandenburg and beyond.”

Important to know for applicants: The focus in admission procedures for all degree courses at the MHB is on personality, motivation and practical experience, and less on school-leaving grades. As established by the Brandenburg higher education laws it will be possible to take up studies without the usual higher education entrance certificate. The maximum intake will be 48 per year. Applications for the summer semester 2024 may be submitted from July onwards.