Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Phil Wenk, DDS, the retired president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Tennessee, the executive director of Delta Dental’s Smile180 Foundation, and chair of the UT Health Science Center Advisory Board, who reflects on the legacy of former Tennessee Governor Winfield Dunn and discusses the current campaign to update the building that bears his name, the Dunn Dental Building at the UTHSC College of Dentistry.
During the interview, Dr. Wenk talks about the former governor, who hailed from Memphis, graduated from the College of Dentistry in 1955, and passed away in September 2024. Dr. Wenk shares how he got to know Gov. Dunn, as they drove across the state in the mid-2000s to meet with potential donors and raise funds to initially renovate the Dunn Dental Building, which had not been updated since it opened in 1977. The Dunn Building, adjacent to the newer Delta Dental of Tennessee Building, which opened in 2023, has been the clinical workhorse of the college since it opened in the 70s. It houses clinics, offices, training areas, and other spaces.
Cohorts of future dentists have honed their skills there, cementing the college’s reputation of caring for the oral health of the community. The successful fundraising effort by the late governor, Dr. Wenk, and so many other supporters, including the state legislature back in the 2000s, paid for upgrades in its infrastructure, equipment, and units and chairs that were installed in 2009 and 2010. Now, it is again time for a facelift to take the building into the future.
To honor Gov. Dunn’s impact on the College of Dentistry and ensure his legacy, Delta Dental of Tennessee recently announced a commitment of $500,000 from its Smile180 Foundation to help update the Dunn Building pre-doctoral clinic. This will provide a dollar-for-dollar match for the first $100,000 per year in gifts to the UT Health Science Center College of Dentistry Equipment Fund over the next five years. The hope is this challenge will encourage alumni participation in the college’s effort to re-equip the clinic with new chairs and units. 
Dr. Wenk talks about the importance of investing in the education and training for dental students and how it plays a critical role in the future of healthcare for Tennessee and our nation. He wraps up sharing how the community can get involved and support the effort that will also honor the memory of Gov. Dunn.
If you would like to know more about the fundraising effort or make a commitment, please contact Tim Lanier, senior director of Development at UT Health Science Center, at 901.448.5176 or tlanier@uthsc.edu.  
To learn more about Delta Dental of Tennessee and the Smile180 Foundation, visit https://deltadentaltn.com.
