Biography
Jennifer Farrell, DDS, DASCD is the newly appointed Director of the Special Patient Care Clinic at the University of New Mexico. A graduate of Northwestern University Dental School, Dr. Farrell completed her preceptorship in Special Patient Care Dentistry and her Dental Anesthesiology residency at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. After her training, she continued to care for those who have special needs for 28 years at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center as a dental provider, a core faculty member, and as the Director of the Special Patient Care Dental Program. Additionally, she provided dental care at Misericordia Homes in Chicago, a residential facility for those who have developmental disabilities, shortly after their clinic opened in 2015. In 2023, she relocated to San Antonio to assume the role of the inaugural director of the Phil and Karen Hunke Special Patient Care Clinic at UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry.
Dr. Farrell has provided CE through DentEcho and ECHO Autism and has contributed to the following research: “Using Hands-on Training to Engage Students Understanding in Geriatrics and Special Care” and “Enhancing Systems of Care for Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disorders”. She has authored “Management of the Anxious, Fearful or Phobic Dental Patient” for the 2024 edition of MetLife’s Quality Resource Guide. Dr. Farrell is a Fellow and Diplomate of the Special Care Dentistry Association and the Association’s 2021 recipient of the Lawrence J. Chasko Distinguished Service Award.
Achievements & Awards
-Fellow, Special Care Dentistry Association
-Diplomate, Special Care Dentistry Association
-2021 Recipient of the Special Care Dentistry Association's Lawrence J. Chasko Distinguished Service Award
Languages
- English
- Spanish
- Other
Courses Taught
- "Orientation to Special Care Dentistry"
- "Today I am Treating a Person who has Autism - A Social Story about Autism for Dental Professionals"
- "It's Like Pulling Teeth"
- "Unconscious Bias: The Recipe for a Salty Patient"
- "Dental Management Considerations for Patients with Nervous System and Mental Health Disorders"
- "Mental Health Disorders"
- "Behavior Management" (for Special Patients)
- "Special Ways to Treat Special Patients"
- "Advocacy" (for Special Patients)
- "Building Bridges" (for dentists and caregivers)
- "Using Understanding with Patients/Patience"
- "Treating the Spirited Dental Patient"
Research and Scholarship
1. “Using Hands-on Training to Engage Students Understanding in Geriatrics and Special Care”
2. “Enhancing Systems of Care for Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disorders”