SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY | UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA | ALUMNI PUBLICATION | VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 1
AL UM NI CONNECTIONS WINTER 2020
ital to the
health of our communities
CONTENTS Contents
CONTENTS 2 . . . CDE Women in Dentistry event 3 . . . Message from the School 4 . . . Messages from the Chapter Presidents 6 . . . Feature: 43-year career closes 8 . . . Student-led initiatives 9 . . . Dentistry for Life update 10 . . Alumni chapter updates 12 . . Feature: Women in Dentistry in Alberta 14 . . Our hygiene grads go the distance 16 . . New scholastic tools 17 . . Curriculum Renewal project update 18 . . Students to watch 19 . . DAA Chapter event 20 . . Leaders in research 21 . . Alumni affairs update Alumni Connections | Winter 2020 Edition Editor: Cheryl Deslaurier Writer: Jessalyn King and Cheryl Deslaurier Designer: Jessalyn King
9 Dentistry for Life 12 Feature: Women update
12 Our hygiene
grads go the distance
in Dentistry in Alberta
16 New scholastic tools
6 Feature: 43-year
career closes and another opens
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS | WINTER 2020
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Continuing Dental Education
WOMEN LEADERS IN DENTISTRY
ENLIGHTENING, EMPOWERING AND GUIDING CONFERENCE Feeling overwhelmed and can’t seem to get out of a professional rut balancing work, life and a multitude of other demands that never seem to let up?
Continuing Dental Education (CDE) has hope! The Women Leaders in Dentistry — Enlightening, Empowering and Guiding Conference will be held at the worldrenowned Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge on Mother’s Day weekend.
Learn from women dentists about clinical practice, volunteering, leadership, work life balance, continuing education, mentor / mentee relationships and lessons learned. Reserve your spot Saturday May 9, 2020 for a whole lot of me time. Join your colleagues at this student-driven program in a congenial, supportive environment with the aim to enlighten and provide opportunity to find life hacks and possibly hit the spa while your family enjoys the oasis we call our backyard.
dentistry.ualberta.ca/cde
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
SCHOOL NEWS
MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY CHAIR DR. PAUL MAJOR
School News
GREETINGS FROM THE SCHOOL The Class of 2023 is the first cohort of students to experience the new “curriculum for learners” as part of the Curriculum Renewal (CR) project at the school. After years involving rigorous reviews, planning, design and development, the first year of the newly-designed DDS program has been implemented. The new curriculum improves the learning of dental students through changes such as enhanced active learning strategies and sequencing material in a way that supports and strengthens the learning between foundational dental and medical content to everyday practice. Rather than teaching dental disciplines in isolated courses, faculty are working to integrate course topics together. This will strengthen the capacity of students to provide comprehensive patient care and critically reflect and think about their work as they become dental professionals. The overall goals of the new curriculum are much grander though. Our aim is not only to transform the future of learning at the School of Dentistry by improving the student experience but also to better prepare students for the demands and challenges of entering practice. This involves much more than ensuring students have solid didactic knowledge and clinical competence. Developing enlightened leaders who, as dental and dental hygiene professionals, make a unique and highly-valued contribution to the community is at the forefront. Over the past few years, we have been able to recruit highly-skilled faculty and staff members, equip our dental clinics with new and updated equipment, and enhance the quality of our programs in order to provide our students top value for their educational investment. We have been very fortunate. While the transition to our new curriculum has been relatively smooth, we are now faced with some tight budgetary constraints. Our focus moving forward will be how to adapt to our changing provincial funding landscape. The decisions we make now and in the future will be necessary for us to sustain the quality of our programs and protect our core mission of student education, patient care and scholarly work. One of the advantages that we have at the school is our potential to generate revenue, which will enable us to create a sustainable budget model to preserve and enhance our core mission and reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and community outreach. ♦
“We are responsible for providing meaningful and motivated learning experiences that encourage discovery and citizenship.” – School of Dentistry Strategic Plan (Educational Pillar) WINTER 2020
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Chapter News
CHAPTER NEWS
DENTISTRY FOR ALL MESSAGE FROM DENTAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (DAA) PRESIDENT MINTOO BASAHTI experience many of us Alumni may not recognize. Having said that, there are many aspects that haven’t changed. Students learning the absolute importance of creating a trusting relationship with their patients. One that focuses on listening, caring and earning the confidence our patients place in us. Becoming an integral member of the community is a key part of a successful career and that hasn’t changed. It is my distinct pleasure to bring you warm greetings on behalf of the Dental Alumni Association of the University of Alberta. As President, I have the privilege of speaking with many of our Alumni as well as interacting with the students at the School of Dentistry, our future Alumni! So much has changed at the Dental School since many of us graduated. Most obviously, the brand new location and facility. It’s an absolutely marvellous teaching environment. Combining that with advancements in technology as well as advancements in teaching methods makes for a Dental School
I’m so impressed with the students of today in all that they do to reach out to the community while they are still at the School of Dentistry. From sock drives for the less fortunate to interactive educational days for special needs children and adults. One of the exceptional programs is the Shine Dental Clinic at the Boyle McCauley Health Centre. Students provide dental care to those individuals who may not have any other place to access such care. They do this on their own personal time on Saturday mornings. Alumni can help support this invaluable venture by signing up to be a Proctor. Being able to provide supervision and support
for the students in this setting is an immensely rewarding experience. One exciting new innovation Alumni may not be aware of is the start of the new curriculum at the School of Dentistry. This year’s “first year” class is the first intake on the new curriculum. How exciting! Your Dental Alumni Association is constantly looking for new ways to support our existing Alumni and support our Alumni ‘in training”. We are also always trying to find meaningful ways to let all Alumni and students interact. The goal is to provide support and mentorship to future Alumni and remind the existing Alumni how much value they have to share with their Alma Mater. Please keep your eyes on the lookout for all the upcoming events and come out when you can. It would be great to see old friends and make new ones. After all, we will forever share the bond of being U of A Dental School Alumni! Sincerely, Mintoo Basahti, DDS ‘88 President, Dental Alumni Association
“Support and recognize colleagues and future-colleagues; provide opportunities for dental students, alumni and staff of the department to socialize.” – DAA Purpose 4
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
Chapter News
ACTS OF SERVICE MESSAGE FROM DENTAL HYGIENE ALUMNI CHAPTER PRESIDENT REBECCA LEE
For the Dental Hygiene Alumni Chapter, volunteering and acts of service are crucial to our ability to connect with alumni, students, faculty, and partners. They allow us an opportunity to engage with our community of oral health professionals through a variety of events and opportunities. 2020 will be an exciting year for the Chapter, as we will be working on reorganizing and developing the many events that are
held throughout the year. The events typically hosted by the Chapter include the student-focused Black & White Affair and Graduation Luncheon as well as the Reunion Reception and PDC networking event for the alumni. To help everyone keep up to date with the latest and greatest in the research field, the Chapter also holds a continuing education event once every 3 years to highlight upcoming research in the dental hygiene field. With growth and time, our Chapter changes, and so must our events. Notably, this year it may have been noticed that we are not holding the PDC Dental Hygiene alumni event with the Dental Alumni Association in Vancouver. We are focusing on developing events that have a more meaningful purpose to our alumni, students, faculty, and partners. With this change, we will require more of our oral health alumni to come together
and provide their time, service, and skills to the Dental Hygiene Alumni Chapter. Many of us out there are looking to create a bigger impact on our careers and have a generous skill set to do that. I truly believe giving time as a volunteer helps bring our community together and strengthens us as Dental Hygienists. So I would like to encourage our oral health community to come together this year to explore what volunteer services they can provide; whether it be with the Dental Hygiene Alumni Chapter, or elsewhere. “Volunteer service enriches our society, brings us together as a community, and helps keep businesses and other organizations afloat.” – Anonymous Sincerely, Rebecca Lee, DH ‘12
President, Dental Hygiene Alumni Chapter
“Connecting with alumni, students, faculty, and partners to foster an engaged community of oral health professionals through mentorship, networking, providing resources, and professional development opportunities.” – DH Alumni Chapter Mission WINTER 2020
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Feature
FEATURE
43-YEAR CAREER CLOSES AND ANOTHER OPENS TEACHING FOR 43 YEARS IS NOT ONLY A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT, BUT A FASCINATING CROSS-SECTION OF THE HUGE TECHNOLOGICAL AND ETHICAL LEAPS WE’VE MADE IN THE INDUSTRY. DR. KIN WONG (DDS ’76) SAT DOWN ALONG WITH HIS SON DR. ANDREW WONG (DDS ’11) TO TALK ABOUT HIS CAREER WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA. Dr. Kin Wong started in pre-clinical, working with students on mannequins, or what he calls, “The ideal patients! They don’t talk back or complain and their mouths are always a dry work environment!” He retired at the end of 2019, teaching those same classes. “I completed a closed circle: nice and round.” Since 1976, there have been so many changes in techniques and equipment (not to mention everything being digital now), but Wong believes the biggest changes surround attitudes and teaching practices. “In the early 80s, everything was lumped together and we all taught everything. One day, dentures, the next, working with kids.” Nowadays, the clinic is divided into disciplines, and students learn more in detail from a specialist. “This is better. We can only teach as much as we know. It’s the same in Medicine: you wouldn’t have a GP teaching brain surgery!” While it’s always been about the best care for the patients, Wong believes industry views have really shifted. “You used to fit the patient to the treatment rather than the treatment to the patients.”
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Despite the advancements in equipment, Wong is nostalgic about old techniques. Gold foil fillings, for one. “When I graduated, we swore by gold fillings and inlays. Ten years later, grads had never heard of them. We realized we were getting old then!” When the School moved to ECHA, Kaye Edmonton, and Katz, back in 2012, Wong says, “They took down all the old equipment and put it in the archives here.” But, like battle-hardened veterans, he and his year-mates were “proud of being trained on limited equipment and still being able to produce high-quality work.”
“Family explorer” The conversation shifted to family. “I was the explorer in my family, the first one to become a dentist! Becoming a dentist was never the plan.” He did engineering for his first year and didn’t like it. “Someone suggested dentistry to me, and I knew nothing about dentistry at the time… But somehow I got in and after I did, I developed a love for dentistry.” Wong’s son, Andrew Wong, a pediatric dentist and an instructor, says his father inspired him.“Dad was amazing,” says Andrew. “Seeing how he interacted with me and the other students, not just in teaching, but showing and working with them, inspired me to do a lot of things, including to become a dentist and coming to school here. I really loved it.”
Wong says, “I tried not to influence what Andrew was going to be when he grew up. I gave him his options, but I told him not to become a root canal specialist, because I knew he wouldn’t like it! When he picked pediatrics, I said, ‘You made the right choice.’”
Teacher’s pet? Hardly! Wong says, “Teaching my son was a real challenge. I liked to teach him like any other student, but had to tread very carefully so that other students didn’t feel like I was playing favourites.” Andrew pipes up, “Honestly, he may have been harder on me than the others. Like the other end of favouritism. When I did something a little wrong, it was completely wrong!”
“Students are what I’ll really miss.” “We had many great students through the years,” says Wong. “I remember one genius student. Back in the day, we had belt-driven handpieces for our drills. One day in a pedo clinic, a kid was being difficult to manage. The student tried to talk him into opening his mouth, but he wouldn’t.
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
“There’s an art to teaching professional school. It’s different than teaching high school. I wouldn’t be able to control that class! Students here are professionals in their own right, and we don’t want to change them too much.”
“Did I do something to help students?” he asks.
“I do; I understand”
Wong says working with patients is something that comes naturally to him, but teaching it is another matter. “You can’t modify the relationship between the student and the patient. When you interrupt that mixture, the students will not be themselves anymore. They’ll do what they think you want, but that bad behaviour might show up outside the school when they’re working. Instead, you just have to slowly infuse it into the students.”
“Teaching itself is a philosophical argument. There’s always some good and some bad. Teaching the students from the first years of not knowing what a drill looks like, to graduating as practicing dentists is really something.” He looks wistful for a moment.
“There’s a Chinese proverb that inspired me throughout my career, ‘I hear I forget, I see I remember, I do I understand.’ Seeing my students succeed is so rewarding. It’s not monetary or being known, I can just feel it. It’s intangible.” As instructors, Wong explains, “We were clinicians first. No one taught us how to teach. We just figured it out.”
WINTER 2020
Feature
So the student tied a cotton ball to the handpiece, and set it to go around and around. He told the kid, “Watch the white rabbit going around and around.” It put the kid right to sleep! Hypnotized him! He was snoring away, so the student could work on him.”
Andrew says, “I have to say you did. Throughout life, I learned from him. He’s always been a gentle and kind person, and tried to teach students to be with patients.”
“But time has to move on! Now they can put me in the archives with all that old equipment!” ♦
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Student-Led Initiatives
STUDENT-LED INITIATIVES
STUDENTS MASQUERADE TO RAISE OVER $110,000 This year’s Winter Charity Ball at the Enjoy Centre in St. Albert was Moonlight Masquerade themed. Some of the highlights of the evening included a beautiful champagne reception, delicious dinner, and a silent auction and raffle. Organizers Ahmad Kabalan, Joshua Handy, and Ahd Osman (all DDS ‘22) and volunteers were pleased with both the turnout and financial success of this year’s Charity Ball. The students were able to raise over $110,000. Funds raised were dedicated to Kindness in Action, Dentistry for Life, and Alberta Dental Foundation.
Organizers and volunteers for the Charity Ball
The masquerade theme went over well for attendees, having the opportunity to dress up and let loose, as well as have fun at the photo booth. Entertainment was courtesy of The Grand Dueling Piano Show.
STUDENT-LED EVENT Pharmacy vs. Dentistry Hockey Game Tickets: $10/person // kids attend for free Buy your tickets today at ualberta.ca/pharmacy Family Skate & Lawn Games 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
The Game
5:15 PM - 7:30 PM
The PAA After-Party
Sponsored by the Pharmacy Alumni Association
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Room at the Top (Student Union Building) Start the night skating with your family or grab a beer post-game at the PAA’s after-party. Food and beverages available for purchase all night. You won’t want to miss it! All proceeds go to Diabetes Canada. Thank you to our generous sponsor for supporting this event.
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
ADVANCEMENT
OUR FIRST-EVER OFFICIAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN, LAUNCHED IN OUR CENTENNIAL YEAR, CLOSES MARCH 31ST. WE ASK YOU TO CONSIDER DONATING AT UABGIVE.CA/DFL. THANK YOU ALL FOR CHOOSING TO BE A PART OF THIS WONDERFUL INITIATIVE AND TO HELP US BE VITAL TO THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES. HERE ARE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS.
Boyle McCauley Health Centre (BMHC) Previous to the Boyle McCauley Health Centre (BMHC) Dental Clinic expansion, there were only four dental chairs in the small, poorly-lit basement of the centre. In addition to doubling the number of chairs from 4 to 8, the clinic was also moved out of the BMHC and into the Métis Housing Association which provided street-level access and more natural light. Doubling the chairs meant more student rotations, increasing the number of patients seen that would not otherwise have access to proper oral health care. Since the expansion opened in January 2019, over 3040 patients have received treatment.
Sheri Ball, patient at the BMHC
Sheri Ball, a patient at the BMHC Dental Clinic, says, “The services helped me regain my confidence to get a job.” Her teeth were in terrible shape and she could not find work in the hospitality area without the ability to smile.
Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital (GRH) At the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital (GRH) Dental Clinic, WINTER 2020
students continue to provide much-needed care for populations who require specialized equipment. The clinic also provides specialized training in the area of “Special Needs Dentistry”.
Fern Leavens has returned to teach
Fern Leavens graduated from the DDS program in 2017. She is now back at the School as an Assistant Clinical Professor for Special Needs Dentistry. As a student, I gained invaluable exposure working with patients with diverse and I was really drawn to this type of environment and work. I then completed a residency with additional training in hospital dentistry and working with patients with complex and varied medical and dental needs. I find it so rewarding to work with a patient who requires a little extra care and attention, and to be able to get them to a place where they are not only free from dental disease but also comfortable with being at a dental clinic and maybe even enjoying our visits. As an instructor, I feel privileged to help students with complex and challenging patients and encourage them to grow and expand their skills so that as a profession we can close some of the gaps in care we have now.
Advancement
DENTISTRY FOR LIFE UPDATE
On the patient care side, the GRH Dental Clinic has improved access to specialized dental services for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Mr. and Mrs. Saks, say, “We have been using the Glenrose dental services for over 10 years. It is convenient, the fees are affordable and the staff are excellent. We don’t know where we would go if we didn’t have the Glenrose.” Overall, students expressed how they were more at ease with communicating and treating populations in need which is the outcome of immersing them into community spaces like the Boyle and Glenrose.
Scholarships and Bursaries
Shah Bayesteh, DDS ‘19
Shahed Bayesteh, a 2019 graduate, says that none of his efforts to help others would have been possible without the generous support he received through scholarships. In high school, Shahed knew he wanted to become a health professional because he was drawn to the promise of positively affecting people’s lives. His calling to become a dentist has been realized through the generosity of our donors. ♦ 9
Chapter News
CHAPTER NEWS
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE AN ALUMNI COMMUNITY THAT’S STRONG AND CONNECTED, AND READY TO SUPPORT THE NEXT GENERATION OF DENTISTS AND DENTAL HYGIENISTS. Hey, you there! We want to hear from you! • Do you know an alumnus doing awesome work out there in the real world? Maybe it’s you! • Do you have a story idea relevant to your fellow alumni? • Are you organizing an event your fellow alumni would like to attend? • Have you come across photos from your college days you’d like to share? (PG-rated only please!) • Do you have a career path out of the ordinary you’d like to share with future alumni? • Do you have memories from your time in school that you’d like to share?
• Are you interested in organizing a reunion tour of the new facilities for your class? We would love to consider any of the above for inclusion in future editions of Alumni Connections, Alumni News, or our website, Twitter and Facebook. Send your suggestions to dentcomm@ualberta.ca
WE WANT YOU!
Additionally, we have an annual publication, UAlberta Smiles intended for the public that comes out in late Spring. Help us spread word of healthy teeth and gums by requesting copies to leave on your clinic waiting room tables or to bring to your community’s public spaces. ♦
GET IN TOUCH WITH US! Have a new address or email? Email to alumrec@ualberta.ca or use the form to update your information at www.ualberta.ca/alumni/update-your-contact-info Want to submit a story for consideration? Email dentcomm@ualberta.ca Want to find a Continuing Dental Education course? Email dentce@ualberta.ca or view the calendar at dentistry.ualberta.ca/cde Want to get in touch with your alumni association? Email chapters@ualberta.net DDS: ualberta.ca/alumni/events/edmonton/dental-alumni-chapter DH: ualberta.ca/alumni/events/edmonton/dental-hygiene-chapter Want support in planning your upcoming class reunion? elise.hetu@ualberta.ca Want to see what we’re up to? Visit the School’s alumni page at ualberta.ca/school-of-dentistry/alumni-and-friends Stay connected through Facebook and Twitter: Facebook: facebook.com/UAlbertaDentistry Twitter: twitter.com/UAlbertaDent
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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
HELP DENTISTRY ALUMNI WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER!
Chapter News
JOIN THE DENTAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION With your ideas and input, you can make a difference within the dentistry alumni community. We are currently recruiting for members to join the Dental Alumni Association (DAA).
The DAA is a group of volunteers who work to help our alumni stay connected with the School and with one another. Our goal as an association is to help improve the student experience. We meet with the students at various times throughout the year to connect with them about their experiences and to help them transition from being in school to private practice. Among other events, we host the students’ convocation luncheon where we present the DAA awards and scholarships.
DAA members should be prepared to meet 4 times per year, with a couple of hours per month dedicated to committee work. We’d love to find individuals who are passionate about ensuring that the DDS student experience is positive, who want to support young grads through their transition into the professional context, and who are interested in fostering connections in the practicing dental community. Email your interest to chapters@ualberta.net ♦ WINTER 2020
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Feature
TITLE INTRO PARAGRAPH Article
Women in Dentistry in
“Our School one of the most diverse”
Dr. Reena Talwar has worked or Dr. Reena Talwar has worked or trained all over Canada and the U.S. and on top of the commonly acknowledged lack of females in high-level or ownership positions in the industry, she has experienced a distinct scarcity of women in dental specialties everywhere. As the only female oral surgeon in Alberta, (and one of not many more in the rest of Canada), she says, “The former will eventually work itself out through networking and seeing others succeed. But the lack of female specialists stems from even deeper social and cultural barriers that make it a statistic that’s hard to improve.”
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The additional years of schooling required often delay life events like marriage or having a family and the cultural pressure to conform can be strong. Talwar says, “Sometimes things don’t happen in the timeline that we think they should. It doesn’t mean they won’t happen! I got married at 44 and I have two wonderful ‘bonus’ children.” She says, “The U of A School of Dentistry is one of the most diverse programs, both in terms of gender and of culture,” she says.
Women in Dentistry Talwar started a group for females in the profession to connect and network. The group holds formal events two to three times a year. “We approach our events from a whole-dentist perspective,” Talwar explains. “We share and
develop new knowledge, meet and connect with other women in the field, and bring in speakers on topics of personal development, fitness, and health.” And the outcome is a stronger Albertan dentistry community.
Women in Dentistry has had overwhelmingly positive support since the beginning, although as in all things, there are detractors. “We’re creating a place where it’s easier for women to express their unique challenges and share solutions and encouragement.” The group’s first event had 15 people, since then, the group has grown to attracting 55+ at each event. Members love the fact that the group helps build the support network they’ve been putting off developing on their own. “After an event, attendees know more
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
Feature
TITLE INTRO PARAGRAPH Article
Alberta
women and feel more comfortable reaching out to them for help or advice. They get a sense of what others are struggling with and help by sharing how they overcame or are dealing with similar struggles, as well as offering motivation to leave an unhappy situation knowing there are people who can mentor or be asked for help.”
“Reach out and connect with others” “For all the women out there, focus on your goals. Don’t allow cultural and social biases to turn you away from what you want to do. There’s always someone out there who has faced those same challenges and has accomplished their goal(s). Reach out and connect with others as it can open doors you never knew existed.”
WINTER 2020
IN HONOUR OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, WE REACHED OUT TO DR. REENA TALWAR, FOUNDER OF WOMEN IN DENTISTRY, A GROUP TO CONNECT FEMALES IN THE INDUSTRY IN ALBERTA, AND THE ONLY FEMALE ORAL SURGEON IN ALBERTA TO CHAT ABOUT DIVERSITY IN THE PROFESSION.
Upcoming events Talwar is speaking on April 24 at a Women in Dentistry conference in Toronto, co-organized with her counterpart Effie Habshaw. The group has a wellness day planned this spring with Dr. Bruce Freeman (who incorporates yoga and meditation into his dental practice) and a charity fundraising network event in the fall. Talwar says, “Last year, 40 women came to our charity event. I’d love to double the attendance this year and eventually plan to expand the group into an annual conference here in Alberta.”
Join the group Women in Dentistry welcomes women from all areas of dentistry. Among others, their members include dentists;
dental hygienists, assistants, and technicians; managers; denturists; and specialists. For the women who are not yet a part of Women in Dentistry, Talwar asks that you consider joining. “Having more women involved as mentors to students and those newly entered into practice is almost necessary. They’re looking to have that type of support.” The group is free to join. If you want to get involved, contact Michelle Bradford (mbradford@contoursurgery.ca or 780-757-8844). Share your story of overcoming gender diversity challenges on social media for International Women’s Day with the global hashtag #IWD2020 and be sure to tag us @ualbertadent. ♦
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Alumni to Watch
ALUMNI TO WATCH
OUR HYGIENE GRADS GO THE DISTANCE TRAVELLING TO SERVE THOSE IN NEED, INTEGRATING HYGIENE INTO TEAMS, ENSURING EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATIONS, AND LEADING ASSOCIATIONS, OUR DENTAL HYGIENE ALUMNI ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH! READ ABOUT A FEW WHO HAVE TAKEN THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED (ONE QUITE LITERALLY) TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES.
Amie Dowell (BSc ‘01, DipDH ‘03, MPH ‘08) I’ve always known that I wanted to lead an organization; I just needed to give myself the time and space to get the education and experience so that one day I could be an effective leader. After completing my MPH, I looked for opportunities to gain leadership experience in a variety of settings. When the leadership opportunity as Registrar and CEO became available at the College of Registered Dental Hygienists of Alberta (CRDHA), I felt that it was a perfect fit for me given my background and experience. It’s a really dynamic role and I have a greater appreciation now for the role that regulators have in public protection. I went into the Dental Hygiene program with a Bachelor of Science so I had experienced the stress of full schedules and difficult classes and labs. However, I was surprised about how challenging the Dental Hygiene program was. I think that many students apply to the program assuming that it is a technical role; however, many of the classes focus on oral health and the link to systemic health. Our healthcare system is focused on prevention of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease and dental hygienists are actually trained to be a key practitioner in the prevention and treatment of these diseases. Although I enjoyed the oral-systemic health aspect of dental hygiene and providing education and guidance to clients about their overall health, the physical component of the job was very difficult on my body. I knew that I wanted to stay in the preventative healthcare field and the MPH at the U of A offered a stream called Health Policy and Management that was really appealing. I was attracted to learning the business skills that I knew were required to move into an administrative role, but keep the focus on healthcare, and this program was the perfect combination for me. ♦
Amina Elladen (DipDH ‘07, BScDH ‘09) I have been working with Alberta Health Services as a Registered Dental Hygienist since 2010. It was during a two-week U of A rotation with Aspen Regional Health Authority that I was able to understand first-hand the importance of public health. After seeing how multidisciplinary teams collaborated and the impact I could make, I knew then that I wanted to pursue a career in community health. Through my position, I am able to promote oral care in vulnerable populations and positively shape the way that children view oral health and dental professionals. I hope to be able to integrate dental hygiene into other interdisciplinary teams, specifically to promote oral health in oncology patients. ♦ 14
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
Currently, I dedicate most of my professional life to clinical practice as a dental hygienist. However, for parts of the year, I am fortunate enough to doff my clinical attire to serve as the CDHA’s student representative on the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada’s (CDAC) Dental Hygiene Committee.
Alumni to Watch
Breanne Moran (BScDH ‘17)
It is in this role I get to work alongside some of the greatest DH educators, representatives, and leaders across the country. It’s an honor to sit at the table with many distinguished members, offering my input toward conferring accreditation statuses to educational programs and other matters of interest in DH education in Canada. The CDAC holds our educational programs across the country to a high standard, and is a critical player in evolving and growing academic outcomes for graduates. I have gained an appreciation for the function of accreditation in ensuring excellence in education for DH graduates and the countless hours of work our educational programs must invest into procuring and upholding an approved accreditation status – it’s no small feat! I am very fortunate to serve in this role, and I would not have been accepted into this position if it weren’t for the vital support of our DH Educators at the School of Dentistry. The DH Educators at the U of A are exceptional at uplifting and supporting their students to seek opportunities for growth. They enriched my student experience! ♦
Kelsey Yaremko (DipDH ‘08, BScDH ‘09) I started volunteering with Kindness in Action (KIA) 10 years ago and never looked back. Joining the board was another way I am able to help the organization beyond my clinical skills. My schooling at the U of A not only inspired me, but taught me to strive to be the absolute best at what I do. I take that notion with me on KIA trips, aiming to provide the highest standard of care for my patients, no matter if that setting is a Himalayan monastery or Guatemalan village deep in the jungle. I’m lucky to have found KIA, since I always knew I would find myself in a truck, on a bumpy dirt road in the middle of the jungle, heading to a village to provide oral healthcare to people who desperately need it and might otherwise go without! I am currently working in Calgary doing clinical dental hygiene at a couple of different practices. As well, I am working on my master’s degree in global health policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I would love to continue working in dentistry and pursue a full-time career in the non-profit world. ♦ WINTER 2020
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School News
SCHOOL NEWS
NEW SCHOLASTIC TOOLS DR. HOLLIS LAI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR & ASSISTANT DEAN, EDUCATION QUALITY AND ACCREDITATION, TALKS ABOUT THE NEW TOOLS THE SCHOOL IS IMPLEMENTING. RECOGNIZING THE CROSSOVER OUR PROCESSES HAVE WITH THE MEDICAL SCHOOLS AT THE UNIVERSITY, HE IS IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING THE SAME SOFTWARE INTO OUR SCHOOL’S SYSTEMS. WE HAVE TWO NEW PROGRAMS FOR MONITORING STUDENT PROGRESS AND ONE FOR HELPING WITH THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS.
Dashboard This program helps instructors and treatment coordinators to monitor and assign clinic caseloads to students accordingly, to ensure all students are meeting their course requirements for certain types of patients. Before the implementation of this software, it was under the ownership of each discipline, caseloads were assessed at the end of the term, and any deficits addressed over the next semester. Now, everyone can track progress on a day to day basis.
It’s been fully implemented into Dentistry and Dental Hygiene is in progress and we’ve seen significant gains to both quantity of cases (26% increase) and quality (37% more variety in case type) which is of direct benefit to students.
Student Portfolio In terms of helping our students and instructors be on the same page, we’re slowly deploying an electronic portfolio. This allows our instructors to provide feedback and monitor how a student is performing, as well as pull
reports to track their classes together and monitor clinic performance over time. Instructors can see immediately who is struggling and raise any concerns. The tool also gives students the ability to regulate their own performance. Giving the same information to students as to instructors provides a conversation piece between the student and the instructor to guide their learning. Lai says, “We care about students and want to give them as much help as we can.”
Dental Accreditation Software As you may know, the School of Dentistry is ramping up preparations for Accreditation, and a step in that direction is this new software. Again, the software is implemented within the U of A’s med school, to manage their accreditation process and we’re mirroring their process. 16
While implementation is in early phases here in Dentistry, this tool is intended to collect the knowledge and initiatives within the School and organize and save the information in a central location, accessible to all stakeholders.
This eases the accreditation process for those in charge of collecting the information, and makes it easier to review and update the information gathered in between accreditation cycles since all the information is stored in one place. ♦ ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
It all started in 2015 with a comprehensive needs assessment and evaluation. From there it developed into what we call a ‘legacy journey’ which many people have been able to put their fingerprint on. The idea of changing something that had been in place for many, many years was both daunting and exciting, but the rationale was clear and so away we went. Planning a new Doctor of Dentistry Surgery (DDS) curriculum was on the heels of a successful accreditation but it was our collective desire to improve dental education and the student experience that sealed the fate of this project. The focus of this curriculum renewal is on improving student learning experiences. It also strengthens the alignment of the curriculum with the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry and the ADA+C competencies for general practitioners.
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After years of rigorous reviews, planning, design and development, the first year of the newly designed DDS program is being implemented. The class of 2023 are the first cohort of students to experience the newly designed “curriculum for learners” and we can confidently say that we are on our way to reaping the fruits of our labour. There are many aspects of the first year implementation that are going very well. Student feedback we have gathered through various forums such as focus groups and surveys indicates we are going in the right direction and are on a good path. They say having the option to do the biomedical content through combined classroom and online delivery has been good and that the newly developed integration and dental relevance sessions motivated them to actually learn the biomedical subject matter. They also mentioned that getting hands-on clinical experience
School News
NEW CURRICULUM DESIGNED TO IMPROVE DENTAL EDUCATION, PREPARATION FOR PRACTICE, AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE! early makes them feel more familiar with the core aspects of becoming a dental professional and feel like, “they are in dentistry.” Feedback from exit surveys in previous years, had an overwhelming response from students that said they didn’t feel like they were in dentistry during the first years of school because of the concentrated focus on biomedical content they received. So… while there are pleasant surprises in how well this massive project is rolling out, there are lots of things we continue to learn from this process about how best to educate future dentists. But what’s most important, is that for the first year students, it’s been a virtually seamless rollout. We continue to implement the new curriculum in stages (by year) because it’s the best way to feasibly undertake this work. Full implementation of all four years of the new curriculum will be completed in 2023. ♦
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Students to Watch
STUDENTS TO WATCH
FROM HELPING THE HOMELESS TO CARING FOR THEIR PATIENTS THE SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY’S MISSION IS TO BE VITAL TO THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES, AND OUR STUDENTS HAVE EMBRACED THAT. HERE ARE THREE STORIES OF STUDENTS HELPING OUR COMMUNITIES FLOURISH.
Annual event brings awareness to essential services
Sedlacek’s (DH ‘20) dreams for the future shifted. She found herself realizing that she isn’t satisfied with simply giving information to people who can’t access care. She wants to find ways to treat those who can’t afford it. “We can do more!” she says, with conviction in her voice. “The need is there, and the experience made me think differently about what I want to do in my own practice.” She won’t be stopping her outreach efforts after she graduates this coming year, and plans to find a way to incorporate this into her future clinical practice.
Standing at their booth across from the dental services at the Shaw Centre, DH student Megan
Patient commends students from U of A Hospital Dental Clinic Genevieve Constantin, patient at the U of A Hospital Dental Clinic in January wrote us to compliment the two School of Dentistry students who helped her through her severe pain. It is not very often that I feel that a letter of recognition needs to be written, especially after having received a dental service. These two students and their supervisor must be commended for their impeccable service. I am BEYOND grateful for everything they did for me. I realize that their task is to investigate and solve dental problems, but after the roller coaster I had been on, they went above and beyond. 18
The booth served to promote the SHINE clinic to both their clientele and to introduce the clinic to other practitioners in
With pain beginning December 29th, Constantin spent 2 weeks unable to work or function at home. By January 10th, she had seen her own dentist, another associate in her dentist’s office and had called her medical doctor, who recommended the U of A Hospital Dental Clinic. There, she was seen by Mark Spackman (DDS ‘20) and Mackenzie Sturdy (DH ‘21) and their GPR supervisor Dr. Jeremy Brandelli. Mark was so determined to find out what was wrong and bless him for that. Mackenzie was so incredibly sweet and gentle. Even while putting in three rounds of freezing, I barely felt anything and she was so calming. She cleaned the infected area as carefully as she could.
attendance. Megan was surprised to learn how few service providers knew SHINE existed. As a student volunteer with SHINE, Megan has a lot of good memories from the clinic. For example, there is a big family gradually making their way through the clinic, a few children at a time. “We still haven’t been able to see him or his wife yet, but hopefully we will soon. While he is at the clinic, he also translates for other patients there. He is such a wonderful person and is so grateful for SHINE.” Megan, Maham Masoud (DH ‘20), and Nikki Gee (DDS ‘22) are all on the board of SHINE. “The experience has been hard to let go of. I think SHINE is something everyone should know about.” ♦
hygiene student, it was her first rotation at the hospital clinic. “I was a little nervous going in,” said Mackenzie. “I know I’ve learned and been tested on the skills, but treating someone who really needs it, when it really matters, is something different. But patients need to trust you, so you need to be confident for them.” The students all said that the clinic experience was significant, allowing them to experience a true interdisciplinary environment, more like what they’ll have when they graduate. ♦
Mackenzie was glad she could help. As a third-year dental ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
Fall 2019 marked the first semester that the hygiene program included the Cross Cancer Institute and the Edmonton Remand Centre in their external rotation visits for the full semester — along with the long-term care facilities, the Boyle McCauley Health Centre Dental Clinic, and the satellite clinics up north. It also marked the most treatments and assessments performed throughout the class. 48 students had the opportunity to experience either the Cross or the Remand and broaden their experience palette for after graduation. Nadia Kobagi, assistant clinical professor with the program, says of the course, “It really serves as an opportunity for students to see what you can do as a clinician beyond the confines of the private practice model.”
“Interacting with inmates, cancer patients, and populations in need is a new experience for most of the students, and it teaches that vital empathy piece.” The emotional impact on the students was great, but it also opened a dialogue with the instructor on dealing with these emotions in a clinical setting.
assessments only (because tools could be dangerous), but there were so few options open to the inmates that it was a challenge to offer advice that was appropriate for their resources. She says, “All they had was a brush with a thumb grip and a brush head. Floss was only available to buy!”
Maham Masoud (DH ’21) spent an emotional day with the patients at the Cross. “I expected it to be a sad experience, but in the end, it was uplifting. These people are warriors. They’re my heroes!” Although the students weren’t allowed to treat the patients (since they were in the middle of their cancer treatments), students provided assessments and offered advice on self-care, product options, and the importance of oral health as a whole.
“Despite that, I feel like we brought some light to their lives and did some good. I really wish we had been able to offer treatment. Everyone we saw was more severely in need of treatment than the average patient off the street.”
Visiting the inmates at the Remand Centre, Eve Koestner (DH ’20) left feeling both frustrated and hopeful. Again, students were allowed to conduct
Dental Alumni Association chapter Event
Hygiene students help the community as they learn
The class offers students a bevy of unteachable skills (like patient-clinician connection, creative problem solving, and working in sub-optimal situations), and offers care to those populations that wouldn’t otherwise receive it. “We look forward to helping more patients in the coming semester and beyond.” ♦
DENTAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CHAPTER EVENT
DENTAL ALUMNI STUDENT WELCOME (Formerly known as “Burgers & Beers”)
Date: Monday, March 30, 2020
The Dental Alumni Association invites all DDS students to join them to discuss life after graduation over food and drinks.
Time: 5:30 PM to 7 PM
All students will have the opportunity to speak with a diverse group of UAlberta dental alumni in various professional streams and career stages.
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Location: U of A Faculty Club Winspear Room (2nd Level) 11435 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton RSVP: If you plan to join us, you must RSVP for this event at uab.ca/DentalAlum by March 25
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Leaders in Research
LEADERS IN RESEARCH
RESEARCH FROM THE SCHOOL EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF RARE DISEASE SAVES LIVES Dr. Fabiana Almeida recently published her study Dento-osseous anomalies in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), in conjunction with researchers in Brazil. This study spanned almost 10 years, following 33 patients (including children) from families with FAP and was the first longitudinal study investigating dento-osseous anomalies of the disease in a Brazilian population. FAP (also known as Gardner Syndrome) causes intestinal polyps that will progress to malignance around the third decade of life. Early diagnosis is essential for cancer prevention. Patients with FAP can present
dental and osseous jaw anomalies (such as supernumerary teeth, odontomas, osteomas, dense bone islands) in childhood, before the development of polyps. Thus, the anomalies may be an indicator for early diagnosis of the disease.
When a patient is found with the FAP-related dento-osseous lesions, dentists can talk about family history of intestinal polyps or colorectal cancer and refer the patient to the family doctor for further investigation.
Today, FAP disease is often diagnosed by colonoscopy usually done at age 18, which could be too late for the patient. Almeida says, “What’s important to know is that dentists can play an important role in the screening of dento-osseous anomalies through dental radiographs, which can contribute to the early diagnosis of a serious disease, thereby saving lives.”
Research published in 2020 in affiliation with the School CHECK OUT THE RESEARCH SECTION ON OUR WEBSITE FOR A MONTHLY LISTING OF PUBLICATIONS.
Just the facts: Pediatric Dental and Oral Injuries Sibley AK, Atkinson P, Lobay K. Published in Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine, Volume 22, Issue 1, January 2020, pp. 23-26 Blockage of immune checkpoint molecules increases T-cell priming potential of dendritic cell vaccine Hassannia H, Ghasemi Chaleshtari M, Atyabi F, Nosouhian M, Masjedi A, Hojjat-Farsangi M, Namdar A, Azizi G, Mohammadi H, Ghalamfarsa G, Sabz G, Hasanzadeh S, Yousefi M, Jadidi-Niaragh F. Published in Immunology, Volume 159, Issue 1, 1 January 2020, Pages 75-87
CD36 Deficiency Inhibits Retinal Inflammation and Retinal Degeneration in Cx3cr1 Knockout Mice Lavalette S, Conart JB, Touhami S, Roubeix C, Houssier M, Augustin S, Raoul W, Combadière C, Febbraio M, Ong H, Chemtob S, Sahel JA, Delarasse C, Guillonneau X, Sennlaub F. Published in Frontiers in Immunology, Volume 10, 8 January 2020, Article number 3032 Modeling the Theory of Planned Behaviour to predict adherence to preventive dental visits in preschool children Elyasi M, Lai H, Major PW, Baker SR, Amin M. Published in PLoS ONE, Volume 15, Issue 1, 2020, Article number e0227233 Oral care practices of long-term care home residents and caregivers: Secondary analysis of observational video recordings Yoon MN, Ickert C, Wilson R, Mihailidis A, 20
Rochon E. Published in Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2020 Dento-osseous anomalies in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis: A follow-up study Almeida FT, Leite AF, de Souza Figueiredo PT, Dos Santos PAC, Rosa ECCC, Mazzeu JF, Sousa JB, Pogue R, Acevedo AC, Guerra ENS. Published in Clinical Oral Investigations, 2020
Ponce-Garcia C, Ruellas ACO, Cevidanes LHS, Flores-Mir C, Carey JP, LagravereVich M. Published in Head and Face Medicine, Volume 16, Issue 1, 27 January 2020, Article number 1 Targeting B7-1 in immunotherapy Chen R, Ganesan A, Okoye I, Arutyunova E, Elahi S, Lemieux MJ, Barakat K. Published in Medicinal Research Reviews, Volume 40, Issue 2, 1 March 2020, Pages 654-682
Early clinical performance of resin cements in glass-ceramic posterior restorations in adult vital teeth: A systematic review and meta-analysis Sousa SJL, Poubel DLDN, Rezende LVML, Almeida FT, de Toledo IP, Garcia FCP. Published in Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, Volume 123, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 61-70
Photo-polymerisation variables influence the structure and subsequent thermal response of dental resin matrices Sirovica S, Guo Y, Guan R, Skoda MWA, Palin WM, Morrell AP, Romanyk DL, Martin RA, Addison O. Published in Dental Materials, Volume 36, Issue 3, March 2020, Pages 343-352
The art of minimal tooth reduction for veneer restorations Jurado CA, Villalobos-Tinoco J, Tsujimoto A, Castro P, Torrealba Y. Published in European Journal of General Dentistry, Volume 9, Issue 1, January-April 2020, Pages 45-52
Is nutritional intervention an improvement factor in the management of periodontitis? A systematic review Né YGS, Martins BV, Castro MML, Alvarenga MOP, Fagundes NCF, Magno MB, Maia LC, Lima RR. Published in Clinical Nutrition, 2020
Lower fixed retainers: Bonded on all teeth or only on canines? A systematic review Moda LB, da Silva Barros ALC, Fagundes NCF, Normando D, Maia LC, dos Anjos Mendes SM. Published in Angle Orthodontist, Volume 90, Issue 1, 2020, Pages 125-143
Atherogenic Lipid Stress Induces Platelet Hyperactivity Through CD36-mediated Hyposensitivity to Prostacyclin: The Role of Phosphodiesterase 3A Berger M, Raslan Z, Aburima A, Magwenzi S, Wraith KS, Spurgeon BEJ, Hindle MS, Law R, Febbraio M, Naseem KM. Published in Haematologica March 2020 105: 808-819
Measurement error and reliability of three available 3D superimposition methods in growing patients
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
ORGANIZING A CLASS REUNION? THE FOMD ALUMNI OFFICE WILL DO ALL WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT ORGANIZING YOUR CLASS REUNION IS AS EASY AS POSSIBLE, AND WE HANDLE MANY OF THE DETAILS RELATED TO PLANNING YOUR REUNION.
What we do: 1. Provide contact information You will want to request a class list that includes any contact information we have on file for your classmates. Note that the university’s alumni database is not 100-per-cent up-to-date, but we do have at least one form of contact information (email, phone or address) for about 80 per cent of our alumni. To access a list, you’ll need to read through our handbook and understand the responsibilities you hold in having this list. Get in touch with me for the Class Organizer Confidentiality Agreement.
2. Mail-out support Many of your classmates will only have a mailing address on file with us. We can help you reach these classmates
CLASS OF ‘94 WINTER 2020
5. Contracts with vendors by taking care of the cost and administration of mailing the letters on your behalf.
3. Event planning support We are here to make reunion planning an enjoyable and seamless experience for you. We will guide you through the entire process, keeping you on track and making sure you aren’t missing any details.
4. Registration and ticketing We can set up a registration page where classmates can RSVP and pay in advance for private class events. Note that the money collected must be used to pay vendors directly. This takes pressure off you from worrying about tracking down classmates to pay their portion at the end of a fun evening.
Alumni Affairs Update
ALUMNI AFFAIRS UPDATE
If we are collecting the money through our registration system, the FoMD Alumni Office will manage contracts, including paying deposits, for vendors such as venues, caterers, and entertainment. This is to ensure we can collect the money and pay vendors directly. Again, this takes the liability off you so you can relax and enjoy your reunion.
FoMD Alumni Office Please contact us to get started on planning your reunion! Past class organizers have found the support of our office to be very valuable. ♦
Elise Hetu
Assistant Director, Alumni Relations Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry 780-248-1445 ehetu@ualberta.ca
To help celebrate their 25th anniversary, the class of ‘94 gathered for a tour of our Oral Health Clinic.
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dentistry.ualberta.ca/alumni-and-friends