CHICAGO — May 20, 2026 — The Aspen Group (TAG) today announced a new academic partnership with Midwestern University’s College of Dental Medicine–Illinois (CDMI) to provide fourth-year dental students with advanced clinical training through externships at TAG’s Oral Care Center for Excellence (OCC).
The four-week clinical rotation places select CDMI students in a high-performing clinical setting, where they gain hands-on experience across a broad range of dental procedures, including restorative dentistry, prosthodontics, extractions, tooth replacement and implant treatments. Designed to accelerate clinical readiness, the OCC externship expands hands-on exposure to advance procedures within a real-world practice environment.
“This partnership is about preparing the next generation of doctors for what dentistry actually looks like today, and where it’s going,” said Arwinder Judge, DDS, Chief Clinical Officer at TAG. “In the TAG OCC, Midwestern students aren’t just learning procedures. They’re gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools and technologies that patients are increasingly expecting for efficient, personalized, and technology-supported care. This experience helps students build the clinical confidence and judgment needed to meet those expectations, while also preparing them to lead in practices that are integrated, fast-moving, and focused on delivering a better overall patient experience.”
The OCC externship is designed as a progressive, competency-based experience, with clinical responsibilities increasing in complexity over the course of the rotation. Students begin with foundational procedures and limited treatment planning before advancing to comprehensive case management, implant procedures and digitally integrated workflows. The curriculum also incorporates advanced technologies such as digital scanning, case design and 3D printing, reflecting the evolving landscape of modern dentistry.
“At Midwestern University, we are committed to providing our students with transformative clinical experiences that prepare them for successful careers,” said Hal Haering, DMD, Dean of CDMI. “Partnering with TAG for an externship opportunity will give students who rotate with OCC exposure to a clinical setting with the latest technology and the opportunity to deliver high-quality patient care within an innovative care model that emphasizes collaboration, efficiency and comprehensive patient outcomes.”
Participants are selected through a rigorous process led by Midwestern faculty leadership and must demonstrate strong clinical competency, professionalism and readiness for advanced patient care. The program accommodates a limited number of students per rotation to ensure a high-quality, individualized learning experience.
“The partnership between the OCC and CDMI gave me the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with treatments and technologies that I would otherwise only hear about in lectures,” said Allyssa Berry, OCC extern and fourth-year dental student at CDMI. “Being part of this externship program has significantly increased my confidence, and I would recommend it to any future student who has the opportunity.”
The partnership underscores TAG’s broader investment in clinical education and professional development through its learning and development platform, which includes The Aspen Group University (TAG U) and the Oral Care Center for Excellence. As part of its community-based Clinical Education program, TAG now partners with eight dental schools nationwide and has provided hands-on clinical training experiences to more than 300 fourth-year dental students since 2018. These initiatives are designed to equip dental professionals with the skills, tools and support needed to deliver high-quality care at scale.
About The Aspen Group (TAG)
The Aspen Group (TAG) was built on the simple idea of bringing better healthcare to more people. TAG supports independent healthcare practices operating more than 1,400 locations in 46 states through five consumer healthcare brands: Aspen Dental®, ClearChoice Dental Implant Center®, WellNow Urgent Care®, Chapter Aesthetic Studio℠ and Lovet Pet Health Care. Combined, the companies serve more than 35,000 patients a day and more than nine million patients each year. For more information, visit teamtag.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.
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