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Dr. Precious welcomes guests to pay tribute to Drs. Cunningham, Ryding and MacDonald at Dinner of Honour

On Friday, May 5 2006, the Faculty of Dentistry celebrated the accomplishments of three important individuals. A dinner was held at Windows to recognize the many contributions made to Dalhousie University's Faculty of Dentistry over the past thirty years by Don Cunningham, Robert MacDonald and Helen Ryding. Faculty, staff, friends and family joined the honourees for the special event to thank them.

In June Don Cunningham is retiring from the Faculty after more than thirty years, serving as Assistant Dean of Student Services most recently, and will return as a part-time faculty member in the Fall. Also in June, Dr. Ryding is stepping down as Associate Dean and will be taking an administrative leave before returning to the school. The dinner also provided the opportunity for us to honour Dr. Robert MacDonald who retired from the Faculty of Dentistry in 2003.

Dr. Helen Ryding

Dr. Helen Ryding received her B.D.S. in 1964 from The Queen's University Belfast, N. Ireland and her M.Sc. from the University of Manitoba in 1992. Dr. Ryding has provided oral health care in private practices and hospitals both in N. Ireland and in Canada. Shortly after completing her undergraduate dental training, Dr. Ryding joined the Belfast Dental School as a member of faculty, a position she held until 1968.

After a brief absence, during which she was a stay-at-home mother and a part-time practitioner, Dr. Ryding returned to academia in 1976 when she joined the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba. During her tenure, Dr. Ryding served in a number of academic and administrative positions, including Associate Head of Clinics and Patient Care. In 1994 Dr. Ryding moved to Nova Scotia and joined the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University and began serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Ryding has been instrumental in helping to promote the important role that oral health plays as part of general health.   She helped initiate the Interprofessional Learning project that encourages students in different health care disciplines to work together to provide the patient with a more complete standard of care. As well, Dr. Ryding is part of the "Seamless Care" project. Her work in these areas has increased the collaboration between the Faculties responsible for educating Dalhousie students on matters pertaining to the delivery of health care.

Throughout her career Dr. Ryding has been committed to excellence. She has provided outstanding oral health care to her patients and has always expected the best from the students she taught. Dr. Ryding has helped to instill a strong sense of professionalism amongst the students of the Faculty of Dentistry. As she steps down from the position of Associate Dean we would like to thank her for her dedication to excellence. Dr. Ryding continues as a faculty member at Dalhousie and plans on pursuing additional interests by commencing studies at the Atlantic School of Theology.

Dr. Robert MacDonald

 

Dr. MacDonald graduated from Dalhousie University's Faculty of Dentistry in 1963 and began serving in the Royal Canadian Dental Corps. While with the Corps he served in Canada, Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, Sardinia and England. In 1971 Dr. MacDonald returned to Halifax, started his private practice and joined the Faculty of Dentistry as a half-time instructor. Dalhousie students have appreciated his abilities as an educator ever since.

Dr. MacDonald has been named the Outstanding Clinical Teacher of the Year in 1981, 1986, 1991 and 2001. This honour is particularly meaningful as the award is chosen by the students in the graduating class, and to have been named by four separate classes is an outstanding accomplishment.

Dr. MacDonald's commitment to the community and the profession are also noteworthy. He has been active in local and provincial dental associations and is past President of the NSDA and the Halifax County Dental Society.

Dr. MacDonald was named a Dalhousie University, Faculty of Dentistry Outstanding Alumnus in 2003. After providing over 30 years of outstanding educational opportunities to hundreds of dental students, Dr. MacDonald retired from the Faculty of Dentistry in 2003. We want to acknowledge and thank Dr. MacDonald for his dedication to the students of Dalhousie's Faculty of Dentistry.

Dr. Donald Cunningham

Dr. Cunningham received his DDS from the University of Toronto in 1964 and continued his education by pursuing an Internship at the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Cunningham received numerous academic awards during his undergraduate dental education and while he continued his studies, received a Diploma in Paedodontics from the University of Toronto in 1967 and an MSc in Anatomy from Queen's University in 1969.

Dr. Cunningham moved to Nova Scotia and has served Dalhousie University in countless ways since joining the Faculty of Dentistry in 1970. He has held a number of academic and administrative positions, including serving as Head of the Division of Paedodontics; Director of Clinics; Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs, Alumni and Continuing Education; and Acting Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs. Most recently Dr. Cunningham served as Assistant Dean, Student Affairs and Admissions from 1994 until 2006.

Dr. Cunningham has been instrumental in attracting many bright students to the Faculty of Dentistry. Additionally, he played a key role in launching the Dalhousie University Open House, as he acted as a Co-Chair in 2004 and 2005. The Open House allowed thousands of guests to visit Dalhousie University to better understand the strengths of the University.

As an educator, Dr. Cunningham has shown a tremendous commitment to the students of the Faculty of Dentistry. Throughout his career he has been a friend to students, and has had an open-door policy to act as a resource for all students of the Faculty. As well he has been instrumental in recruiting students from undergraduate programs across Canada, the United States and Asia, by informing them about the strengths of Dalhousie's Faculty of Dentistry.

One of Dr. Cunningham's lasting contributions to the field of dental education results from the research he has completed regarding admissions. This research project began in 1997 at Dalhousie University and now involves four additional Faculties of Dentistry in Canada. Other major contributions to the fields of health education includes a combined initiative between the Faculties of Dentistry, Medicine and Health Professions to recruit more aboriginal students to health science programs at Dalhousie. Both of these projects characterize Dr. Cunningham's commitment to providing equal access to educational opportunities for all members of society.

Dr. Cunningham has been an important part of Dalhousie University's Faculty of Dentistry for the past 36 years and has played an integral part in the education of our alumni. As he retires from his full-time position we are thrilled to be able to welcome him back as a Part-time member of Faculty. Although his role may be changing, we are confident he will continue to have a tremendously positive impact on the students of the Faculty of Dentistry.