With instantly recognizable landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard Street, San Francisco—one of the world’s most iconic cities—is experiencing a post-pandemic revitalization that has enhanced its appeal to locals and visitors alike.

The city shined during the recent Super Bowl LX in February 2026 and the NBA All-Star Game in February 2025, drawing visitors and worldwide attention to San Francisco as well as $500 million and $325 million, respectively, in economic impact to the region. In addition, crime has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, more workers have returned to offices and the city’s retail market is significantly more robust than in previous years.

They all made a decision to attend school here because they considered not only the educational program as beneficial to them but also the community and especially the patients that they will serve.

At the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, Stan Constantino, associate dean for admissions and student affairs, says that recently accepted students looked beyond the previous narratives about San Francisco. “They all made a decision to attend school here because they considered not only the educational program as beneficial to them but also the community and especially the patients that they will serve,” he says.

San Francisco is on the rise. And the dental school’s students, faculty, staff and alumni are not just appreciating the positive changes to San Francisco; they are helping to make them happen.

Building Opportunities for Service to the Community

For decades, outreach into the community of San Francisco has been an essential part of the culture at the Dugoni School of Dentistry. For staff and faculty, the Employee Volunteer Opportunities Committee (EVOC) organizes volunteer activities with local nonprofit organizations outside of dentistry, such as Habitat for Humanity, SF/Marin Food Bank, St. Anthony’s Dining Room and Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. Dental school employees are given two paid days per year to participate
in volunteer work.

“It was a rewarding experience to serve at St. Anthony’s and an opportunity to support people in need throughout the city,” said Danielle Lee, human resources generalist. “The Dugoni School has always been an integral part of the community.”

Dental students provide treatment at local clinics such as On Lok’s Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and La Clinica de la Raza as part of their extramural rotation experience. Many students also choose to participate in citywide events such as Bay to Breakers and the Pride Day Parade.

Student Community Outreach for Public Education (SCOPE), now in its 35th year, is a student-directed, peer mentorship community service organization where students and faculty members lead volunteer efforts in the city and beyond. Christine Miller, RDH, MHS, MA, director of community health programs, associate professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences and founder and faculty mentor for SCOPE, notes that 50% to 60% of each graduating class participate in one of the many volunteer community service options.

“More importantly, we’re providing students with leadership experience in organizing health risk assessments that link the most vulnerable citizens in our community to services, and that triage and referral model is essential,” Miller says.

In April 2025, SCOPE celebrated its 30th Annual Senior Smiles and Wellness Health Fair, which served nearly 150 attendees. In November, the group organized a wellness event for Bay Area veterans, attended by nearly 40 community members who have served in the military.

I feel I have significant stock in the city, and I’m very proud to be Chinese American and a native San Franciscan. 

For Brendon Lowder, Class of 2026 and president of SCOPE, serving the San Francisco community has been an invaluable part of his education. “The most underrated factor in choosing the best dental school to attend is the amount of exposure to and leadership opportunities students will have in a community health setting. Helping foster student engagement through community health care outreach is a unique service-learning opportunity at the Dugoni School.”

Building a Network of Care in the Community

In addition to educating future dental professionals, the Dugoni School of Dentistry also serves as an important healthcare provider for residents of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Last year, more than 17,000 patients were seen during 90,000 visits to the school’s dental clinics.

These numbers will soon grow with the opening later this year of the Multidisciplinary Advanced Care Clinics and Ambulatory Surgery Center, which will significantly expand the clinical services the school can provide to pediatric and adult patients with complex medical conditions or special health care needs. The new clinical and surgical spaces will also bring opportunities for the dental school to partner with other Bay Area dentists, specialists and physicians across the healthcare community, building on its legacy in San Francisco.

Dr. Elisa M. Chávez, interim dean and professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences, says, “We have always shared mutual patients with local hospitals and other healthcare providers, but this will be very different because the new clinics will be equipped and designed to care for patients with special healthcare needs, so we can provide a broader range of care right here on our campus.”

She adds, “These clinics will also be additional resources for dentists in the area who may want to refer patients to us for specialty services while their patients stay with them for routine dental care. With these facilities, we hope to create a broad network and partnerships with local dentists and specialists, as well as our colleagues in medicine.”

With yet another investment from leading institutions of higher education, we are accelerating our city’s recovery and strengthening our city center as a place where people live, work, play and learn.

Chávez says that the dental school is also implementing a new electronic health record system, the PDS Health Technologies™ instance of Epic®, at the end of this year. “Many of our medical partners use Epic® already, so this will be another tool that facilitates care and connects us and San Francisco with the wider dental and medical communities in the Bay Area.”

Building a Practice in the Community

Dr. Marc Lai ’13, president of the dental school’s Alumni Association, is a fourth-generation San Franciscan whose family first came to the city from China in 1894. When Lai graduated from Dugoni School of Dentistry, he went into practice on Montgomery Street with his father, Dr. Ross Lai ’85, and they were later joined by Marc’s brother, Dr. Grant Lai ’19.

“I feel I have significant stock in the city, and I’m very proud to be Chinese American and a native San Franciscan. These things define who I am,” Lai says.

Lai and his brother are also fourth-generation small business owners in the city. Their great-grandfather Ralph started a family business specializing in wholesale tobacco and candy on the same block of Montgomery Street where Lai Dentistry is now located.

Lai likes what he has seen from the new mayor, Daniel Lurie, who has made supporting small businesses a key part of his platform, for example with ordinances aiming to cut permitting red tape and grants allocated specifically to small businesses.

“It feels like we’re moving in a positive direction,” says Lai.

One example is the city’s Vacant to Vibrant program, designed to help small businesses—by transforming empty storefronts into thriving local businesses and cultural destinations—through pop-ups and long-term lease opportunities. This economic development program is led by SF New Deal, in partnership with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and began under former Mayor London Breed. The program has activated 30 storefronts across downtown San Francisco since launching in 2023, with more planned to open in the future.

To alumni who have not visited the city in a few years, Lai would encourage them to come back and revisit dental school sights and restaurants, and try some of the new experiences San Francisco has to offer.

No matter how much change there has been, he concludes, “The overall spirit of San Francisco has never left.”

Believe in San Francisco

The marketing slogan launched by SF Travel in 2025, “Believe in San Francisco,” reflects the optimistic signs on the horizon for the city. The San Francisco Bay Area will host six matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in June and July. There are 38 conventions and events scheduled for the Moscone Center for 2026, up from 25 in 2024 and 36 in 2025. These numbers are lower than before the pandemic but on an upward trajectory.

Large retail stores have also been coming back to Union Square—The RealReal flagship store, AT&T and Zara returned to the neighborhood and Nintendo opened a flagship store. And plans are in the works for a brand-new, multi-story Chanel boutique along with a Uniqlo store. “Through our Heart of the City plan, our administration is accelerating San Francisco’s downtown recovery by prioritizing safe and clean streets, supporting small businesses and activating our public spaces,” says Lurie.

As one of several initiatives to foster downtown development, Mayor Lurie recently announced the launch of the Third Coast Foundry, which brings branches of eight Midwestern universities—including University of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon University—to the city in a 3,500-square-foot innovative hub for students, researchers and entrepreneurs.

“With yet another investment from leading institutions of higher education, we are accelerating our city’s recovery and strengthening our city center as a place where people live, work, play and learn,” says Lurie.

For Lai, whose two young boys are the fifth generation of his family to live in San Francisco, believing in the future of the city isn’t difficult. He says, “It’s an honor and a privilege to raise my family and practice in my hometown.”

Jennifer Langham is a contributor to Contact Point and other University of the Pacific publications.