CDA Essentials 2017 • Volume 3 • Issue 4

12 | Volume 3 Issue 4 CDA at W ork In April, CDA held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and related events, where representatives from the Canadian dental community gathered to discuss pertinent issues in dentistry and honour the best in the profession. At the AGM session, Dr. Gary MacDonald of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, a CDA past- president from 2014–15, was elected Chair of the CDA General Assembly, stepping into the role held by Dr. RonMarkey for the past 10 years (see p . 27) . Dr. Markey was awarded the title of CDA chair emeritus. CDA also conferred awards recognizing the following individuals for their contributions to the dental profession, the dental community or the oral health of Canadians. Medal of Honour The Medal of Honour is the highest award conferred by CDA. It is given to a dentist in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding service and professional achievement to the benefit of the dental profession, the dental community and society at large, and to whom significant change can be attributed. This year’s recipient was Dr. Ken Bentley of Lacolle, Quebec. Dr. Ken Bentley is a pioneer in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery in Canada and devoted his career to advancing his specialty and the dental profession as a whole. A graduate of McGill University, he completed his dental degree in 1958 and his medical degree in 1962. Following an internship and surgical residency at the Montreal General Hospital, he completed his specialty training at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Dr. Bentley founded the graduate program in oral and maxillofacial surgery at McGill and served as its director until his retirement from the university. He was dean of the faculty of dentistry from 1977–87 and was actively involved with CDA and the National Dental Examining Board of Canada. A dentist who nominated Dr. Bentley for this award described him as a role model: “I can honestly say that he has been the most influential person to have impacted my career and I would not be where I am today were it not for his encouragement and support. He is directly responsible for the education of countless generations of general dentists and specialists.” “One of the highest awards that you can receive is to be honoured by your peers. This is what this medal represents. It is Canadian dentistry’s highest award so it means a great deal to me.” – Ken Bentley Honorary Membership The Honorary Membership award is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the dental profession, the dental community, or the oral health of Canadians over a sustained period of time at the academic, corporate, specialty society, council, commission or committee level. This year’s recipient was Dr. Daniel Haas of Toronto. Dr. Daniel Haas is a leader in the field of dental anesthesiology, an internationally recognized scholar, award-winning teacher and accomplished administrator. He received his DDS, BScD (Anesthesia), and PhD (Pharmacology) from the University of Toronto, where he has served as dean of the faculty of dentistry since 2012. He has been internationally recognized for his scholarly work and is the only Canadian to have been awarded the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award for Dental Research in Pharmacology, the Heidbrink Award from the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, and the Leonard Monheim Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists. “I am truly humbled to have received this tremendous honour. As Dean, I believe my job includes working with the profession to shape and affect change that will strengthen dental schools across Canada which, in turn, strengthens all of dentistry.” – Daniel Haas CDA Honours GREAT DENTISTS Photographs:TecklesPhotos Inc.