New Mexico
First dental school under construction in New Mexico
Construction is underway on New Mexico’s first dental school, and it’s expected to fill more than a few cavities.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Construction is underway on New Mexico’s first dental school, and it’s expected to fill more than a few cavities.
“We need more dentists and hygienists, and so the best way to do that is sort of grow your own,” said Mayor Tim Keller.
The most recent data puts us well below the national average. While state leaders could recruit dentists from other states, they know it’s easier to train them right here in New Mexico.
“People are always surprised to find out that there’s no dental school in Albuquerque or in New Mexico,” said Keller.
After 40 years of unsuccessful attempts, those days are finally coming to a close. City and state leaders broke ground on the Touro College of Dental Medicine’s newest campus in southeast Albuquerque.
“We’re putting a clinical campus for our dental school at the Loveless Biomedical Research Institute,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, president of Touro University.
The $40 million expansion project is expected to train up to 200 dental students at a time with at least 100 state-of-the-art training chairs.
College leaders say space is limited, so students will have to begin their training at Touro’s New York campus, but will finish in Albuquerque — and that’s the point.
“People who go to professional schools, dental school, medical school, tend to practice where they train not 100% of the time, but a significant amount of the time. And so the absence of a dental school in New Mexico means that fewer people will choose to practice there,” said Kadish.
One homegrown dentist knows that’s true.
“I think there’s about, like, 50% of my classmates that were from Albuquerque that didn’t end up coming back,” said Dr. Alyssa Candelaria, with Uptown Dentist Associates.
Candelaria is a Volcano Vista and UNM grad, but she had to move to Nebraska to go to dental school, even though she didn’t really want to.
“100% I would have wanted to stay here in state,” said Candelaria.
She knows she’s not alone.
“We actually have an assistant here who is, like, very interested in dental school. I think she’d be a great dentist, but she doesn’t want to leave the state,” Candelaria said. “I think if there was a dental school here, I think we have a lot more opportunity for other people to pursue that option.”
City and state leaders are hoping more aspiring dentists do. There’s only 48 dentists per 100,000 people in New Mexico, well below the national average of 60 dentists.
“It’s become increasingly clear that overall survival and feeling healthy is contributed to by dental health,” said Kadish.
Making New Mexico healthier, one new dentist at a time.
“I think it’s going to be really good for just a patient population here in general,” said Candelaria.
The new Touro Dental School is supposed to be up and running by next summer.
Keller predicts we could see the first batch of homegrown dentists within 18 months.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. — An ‘imposter nurse’ in Las Cruces is facing 34 charges after nearly causing the death of a patient and illegally giving medications to patients under 18 years old.
A Doña Ana County grand jury indicted Margarita Gonzalez. She is accused of assuming the identities of nurses in Texas to get hired at four nursing facilities in Las Cruces:
- Village at Northrise
- Las Cruces Wellness and Rehabilitation
- Peak Behavioral Health
- Matrix Home Care
The New Mexico Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau investigated and discovered instances where Gonzalez illegally gave injections and dispensed prescriptions, including narcotics to eight inpatient residents under 18 years old.
An investigation also found Gonzalez was also about to allegedly give “an incorrect insulin dose” to a patient that they claim could’ve killed the patient if another nurse hadn’t caught the error.
Several facilities fired Gonzalez over patient safety concerns and an observed lack of knowledge.
“Impersonating a healthcare provider is a reckless and selfish crime that subjects those most vulnerable to risk of serious injury or death,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said. “I will not tolerate those who risk the safety of patients or cause danger and unnecessary confusion within the healthcare system. These charges should keep anyone attempting to pose as a healthcare provider on notice: we will find you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law to protect New Mexicans.”
Gonzalez’s charges include identity theft, nursing without a license, abuse of a resident, distribution of controlled substances to a minor and fraud totaling over $25,000.
If convicted on all counts, Gonzalez could face up to 100 years in prison.
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