Transforming lives at Radius Community Health and Healing Dental Clinic
29 June 2026
For over three decades, Radius Community Health and Healing Dental Clinic (Radius) has delivered accessible, judgment-free oral health care to residents of Edmonton’s city-centre community. Through a long-standing partnership with the non-profit, University of Alberta instructors oversee dental hygiene and dentistry students' rotations at the clinic in their final two years.
While treating patients at Radius can involve navigating complex social and medical backgrounds, the clinic culture is defined by empathy and human connection. Renée Labriola, a dental hygienist instructor who joined the team in 2024, explains that working there is a powerful exercise in empathy: "There is a greater proportion of individuals who struggle with stable housing, mental health, disabilities, and substance use disorders. Above all, kindness is paramount, as many of the patients report they've had negative interactions with health care providers, and have difficulty with trust, understandably."
Labriola’s path to the clinic was shaped by her experiences navigating her young son’s brain cancer treatment. Spending months in the hospital managing his complex post-surgery and chemotherapy care gave her personal insight into the lives of chronically ill and immunocompromised patients, inspiring her to dedicate her skills to those with complex medical needs.
Seeing the whole picture
Instructors and students quickly learn that comprehensive care means looking beyond standard metrics to treat the whole person. Labriola recalls a young patient with unstable diabetes who was in severe pain but struggled to find accommodation elsewhere due to his high HbA1C levels. "He had spent a long time trying to find a care team that could balance his immediate dental emergency with his complex medical realities," Labriola explains, highlighting the clinic’s role in bridging that gap.
Collaboration at the core
Joining a unique community clinic like Radius might feel like a big leap, but instructors never work in isolation. The clinic boasts a highly collaborative, judgment-free team environment designed to support both students and faculty. When managing complex cases, incoming instructors are surrounded by a dedicated support system of clinic staff, dental assistants, and experienced professionals who ensure daily operations run smoothly. It is an environment where everyone is fully supported from the moment they walk through the door, making the transition into the clinic seamless.
Join this team
If you are looking for a meaningful change of pace for one day a week, Radius is looking for you. The University of Alberta is hiring a DDS instructor for Fridays at the clinic. If you have at least five years of clinical experience and are ready to lend your expertise that truly changes lives, we want to hear from you.
Contact:
Dr. Zuzanna Apel
Associate Chair & Program Director, DDS
zuzanna@ualberta.ca
(780) 952-4429