May 21, 2008
Dr. Martin Gillis, Faculty of Dentistry convocated Friday, May 16th, 2008 in the Master of Arts in Education in Curriculum Studies (Concentration in Medical Education) at Mount Saint Vincent. Dr. Martin Gillis was recognized with a Curriculum Studies award.
Martin Gillis is a very busy man. Between maintaining a full-time dental practice in Liverpool, teaching part-time in Dalhousie University's Faculty of Dentistry and spending time with his wife and four children, Martin still found time to complete his Master of Arts iN Education (Curriculum Studies) degree from the Mount.
Martin believes that his greatest accomplishment, and his greatest challenge, was completing his thesis on the influence of industry on dental education.
"It involved a lot of time and effort," he says. "But looking back, it is satisfying to know that a substantive theory was derived from my research question."
The support he received from his dental faculty colleagues, who contributed to his thesis research, and his thesis committee meant a great deal to Martin.
It is his wife Shelley to whom he owes the most gratitude, because graduate studies would have been impossible without her help, patience and understanding.
Martin is looking forward to making his education degree work for him in his role as a clinical instructor.
"I feel graduate studies in Education will allow me to be a better educator," he explains. "And thesis research really hones your ability to think critically, to open your mind to other perspectives, and in the end, be pragmatic in your decision making."
Excerpted from the Mount Saint Vincent 2008 Spring Convocation Program