June 19, 2024 CHESS earns funding for effort to reduce dental no-shows Written By: Tom Ziemer Departments: Industrial & Systems Engineering Categories: Grants|Research The Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is part of a new project funded by the National Institutes of Health to reduce missed dental appointments among vulnerable populations. Todd Molfenter Todd Molfenter, a research professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and co-director of CHESS, and Professor Christopher Okunseri of Marquette University’s School of Dentistry are leading the five-year project, which earned full funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research after completing a two-year pilot study. CHESS, which is housed in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at UW-Madison, will receive more than $3.5 million in funding over the course of the project. By using a systems engineering perspective and evidence-based strategies, the researchers hope to reduce no-show rates and, thus, disparities in dental health.