Ryan Thrower, DMD, is the first U.S. dentist to administer a COVID-19 vaccine, reports NBC affiliate KGW.
Dr. Thrower received her vaccination training at Portland-based School of Dentistry at Oregon Health and Science University. She graduated from the university last spring.
"We were able to actually give injections to a plastic arm or plastic portion of an arm," said Dr. Thrower. "Then at the end of that training, we were actually able to do our flu clinic on one another."
Dr. Thrower gave her first COVID-19 vaccine to Ansu Drammeh, RN, during a Dec. 16 news conference.
"Remarkably, she is the first dental resident in the U.S. and to our knowledge the world to administer a COVID-19 vaccine," said Renee Edwards, MD, CMO at OHSU.
Oregon is the only state that allows dentists to administer vaccines other than the flu shot.