September 2008

I would like to express my appreciation for your continued support as I begin the role of Dean of the Faculty.  The past three months have been exhilarating, challenging, exciting and most satisfying because I work in an organization of respected and dedicated individuals.  As Dean, I hope to continue to bring the honour and respect to this Faculty that we have experienced through my predecessors.

I would like to welcome Dr. George Zwicker as our new Secretary of Faculty and express my appreciation to him for taking on this important role.

As I was reviewing the 2008 Executive Director’s report of the ADEA, I was pleased to note a picture of Dalhousie Faculty of Dentistry in this international publication.  It is gratifying to see our Faculty recognized in this capacity as a contributor in dental education.

Since the June Faculty meeting, we have much to celebrate, and I would like to highlight some of our accomplishments.

The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences has participated in 15 presentations, lectures, and/or publications in refereed journals/book chapters. Dalhousie had over 20 presentations or abstracts at the most recent AADR/IADR session, involving 8 students and 7 faculty members.  Our research grant funding has increased significantly. 

On behalf of Faculty, I would like to welcome the following new full time members to our Faculty:  Dr. Ed Ghiabi, Dr. Mark Vallee, Dr. Tammy Wright, Dr. Tracey Doyle and Prof. Cara Tax.  I am pleased that we also have a number of new part time faculty members:  Dr. A. El-Darahali, Dr . C. Felix, Dr. M. Gilchrist, Dr. L. Goodyear, Dr. M. MacIsaac, Dr. M. Maillet, Dr. A. Hill,  and Dr. B. Maze.  Also, the following have returned as part time members of Faculty:  Dr. A., Nette, Dr. R. Roth, and Dr. M. Dasgupta. 

In the School of Dental Hygiene, several course directors are new and/or have changed positions.  I would like to welcome Prof. S. Blanchard as the new course director for Nutrition; Dr. I. Rot as the new course director for Head and Neck Anatomy, and Dr. E. Ghiabi as the new course director for Periodontics.  Many faculty members have taken over new courses, including H. Doucette teaching Behavioural Foundations, K. Haslam with major core teaching commitment for Case-Based, C. Robb as course director for Oral Pathology,  D. Purdy as course director for General Pathology, C. Tax responsible for Radiology and B. Fortune with major teaching responsibilities in Population Health.

The new Bachelor of Dental Hygiene program began with two full time students, and new courses developed and taught by C. Tax, T. Mitchell, P. Grant and J. Clovis, and directed by P. Maillet.  We wish them well and many successes in this new program.

Professor P. Grant has been appointed as the Registrar for the new College of Dental Hygienists of Nova Scotia.  Dr. A. Ismail has been named the new Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at Temple University, and congratulations have been extended on behalf of the Faculty.

Dr. John Christie, a respected and dedicated dental educator and leader in organized dentistry has agreed to chair the Faculty of Dentistry “100th Anniversary/Capital Campaign” activities.  I want to thank Dr. Christie for his continued support of the Faculty, and to encourage everyone to assist him in this new endeavor.  The celebration has been connected to the first year class, who will graduate in 2012. The Maritime Dental College enrolled the first students in 1908, and by the time this class graduated in 1912, the College was part of Dalhousie University.  The planning committee has met twice and plan to include faculty, staff, students and alumni in developing a motto, logo and activities that will span four years.  Earlier this month, each first year student was presented with a copy of  Oscar Sykora’s book “The History of the Faculty of Dentistry” and introduced to the concept of the 100th year celebration.  It is planned that through the four years, themes from the history and into the future of the Faculty will emerge as a focus for celebration. It is expected that the 100th anniversary celebrations will ‘kick-off’ at the Dentistry Alumni dinner on October 24. 

I am happy to announce that the Faculty of Dentistry is the recipient of new scholarship funding. Dr. Harley Kushel has bequeathed nearly $1,000,000.00 to be used for scholarships based on academic excellence in the Doctor in Dental Surgery program.  Dr. Kushel graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry in 1934.  He had received the Bachelor of Science in Iowa, and upon graduation with the DDS degree, and further studies specializing in Orthodontics, he began practice in Rochester, NY.  This was during the time of the depression, when it was difficult for members of the Jewish faith to enter the profession.  Dr. Kushel mentored many young people, and enjoyed golf, travel and bridge.  After suffering a stroke, he moved to Walnut Creek, California to be near his daughter.  He treasured his time at here, and wanted to recognize Dalhousie by creating this scholarship fund.

I would like to announce that Ms. Jen Laurette has begun her position as Development Office member for Dentistry, and her office is located in level one of the building.

An Alumni Officer will soon be joining the Faculty, working with the University Development Office and the Faculty Alumni Affairs office.

The Accreditation review process for all programs in the Faculty of Dentistry will take place this academic year, and the site visit is scheduled for the week of February 16, 2009.  The Faculty will also undertake the Senate Unit Review process, working with the Chair of the Dentistry Senate Unit Review Committee, Dr. John McCabe.  Plans are being finalized to merge this process with the accreditation process for 2008/09 and for future Unit Reviews.

The Dean’s Advisory group will meet on a monthly basis, and has held two meetings to date.  I appreciate the support and advice of the members of this group.

In the past three months I have met with the President and all of the Vice-Presidents, and one recent initiative of the Vice-President of Student Services, Bonnie Neumann, is the new Dalhousie bus, available for University events.

The Carleton Campus Space Planning Committee is beginning to meet to review space in this area of campus.  The new Health Policy Research Centre is under construction and other new initiatives include a revitalized interprofessional learning program and a Masters in Oral Public Health program. 

The final report on the Oral Health Review for Nova Scotia was presented today and offers an evaluation of why oral health is important to general health and why oral health expertise is of value in the context of public health.  It presents the roles and responsibilities of a provincial dental director.  Many of our faculty members have had input in different capacities in the development of this report, including Dr. C. Canning, Dr. J. Clovis, Dr. W. MacInnis and N. Neish.  This demonstrates the importance of the bridge between education and government, which is essential in the development of educational, science and research initiatives.

Finally, I would like to encourage everyone to attend the Dalhousie alumni dinner on October 16, 2008; and particularly the Faculty of Dentistry alumni dinner on October 24.  We will honour Dr. Alfred Dean and Dr. Monty MacNeil as our 2008 Outstanding Alumni award recipients and will kick off our 100th anniversary celebrations.