Published: September 08, 2020
Commander in Teeth
SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT
Elizabeth Nuñez ’92
Elizabeth Nuñez ’92 leads two national dental programs.
Dentist Elizabeth Nuñez ’92 has dedicated over three decades of her life to public service. Today, she leads two national programs within the largest integrated health system in the U.S. — the Veterans Health Administration (VA).
Her path began as an undergrad. “I saw a group of ROTC cadets running and thought I’d join them to get in shape,” says Nuñez, the daughter of Cuban and Ecuadorian immigrants. During boot camp, the biology major nabbed a competitive Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty Scholarship, which covered full tuition for her last two years at UT.
In the decade or so that followed, she earned two advanced degrees from the University of Florida — a Master of Science in Teaching and a Doctor of Dental Medicine — and served in various locations as an Army officer in the National Guard, in the Reserves and finally on active duty. As a captain, one of her tasks at Fort Stewart in Georgia was to make sure soldiers were “dentally ready” to deploy to Iraq.
In 2003, she returned to Tampa, where she grew up, to work for the VA. Within a few years, she was promoted to two prestigious leadership roles.
One of her not-so-small jobs is running the National Homeless Veteran Dental Program. Since 2006, she has overseen and advocated for the delivery of quality dental care for over 230,000 at-risk veterans and managed a multimillion-dollar budget. It’s work that she finds deeply meaningful — because her job is about more than just protecting people's pearly whites.
Nuñez has published research about the positive impact that oral health care has on homeless vets. “Aside from increased self-esteem, we’ve shown that the provision of dental care makes it more likely that they will gain employment and permanent housing, and complete their VA-sponsored rehabilitation programs,” she says. The VA is at the forefront of ending homelessness among veterans, and Nuñez feels honored to be part of that effort.
In 2008, Nuñez was tapped to take on a second role as the founding national director of dental education, promoting lifelong learning for the more than 3,400 VA dental professionals.
Somehow, she still finds time to do hands-on, clinical dental work twice a month for homeless veterans at the James A. Haley VA in Tampa, while maintaining a busy family life.
Her achievements were recently recognized by Tampa Hispanic Heritage, an organization that inducted her into its 2019 Hispanic Leadership Class. “I’m very proud to dedicate my life to public service,” says Nuñez, who adds that a dream “third career” would be to teach at UT. “It has been the right path for me.”
By Amanda Prishak
Photograph: Katherine O’Neal
