CONTINUEDP.17 Education Dr. Carr was an excellent student as a child but didn’t have many people in academia or the health professions in her extended family. “But in junior high school, I did a guidance office test about possible careers, and it suggested I become a minister, a teacher or a dental hygienist,” says Dr. Carr. “And then I started thinking, ‘Why couldn’t I be a dentist?’” At that time, there were few female role models in the dental profession, which actually appealed to Dr. Carr because she liked to set high goals and expectations for herself. Dr. Carr earned her first post-secondary degree, in psychology, at King’s College, where she excelled, earning academic scholarships and the Dalhousie University Medal when she graduated. She was accepted to both dental school and to a graduate program in psychology, which offered a full scholarship. But after a summer doing psychology research on a NSERC grant, she decided to go to dental school at Dalhousie that fall. “I like working with people and I wanted to be in a caring profession where I helped others, but I wasn’t interested in medicine,” she says. “And the idea of being my own boss was attractive.” The first year of dental school was challenging and academically focused. “In second year, we started learning in the clinic, learning by doing, which I just loved because it was working with people,” Dr. Carr says. As a dental student, Dr. Carr edited the Dalhousie Dentistry Journal and became president of the student society. She also had a study group who would meet regularly in the library. Dr. Bernadette McCarthy was a member of this group, “Heather has always been brilliant, and she had an excellent instinct about what was most important and what we should focus on,” she says. Dr. McCarthy says her friend’s work ethic was inspiring, and the study group had a supportive atmosphere rather than a competitive one. “Which was good because Heather was the top of our class, but she helped other students a lot and was also invested in our success,” she says. After dental school, the two dentists remained friends. “It has been a real gift to be able to call her up to talk about our work and our families, to commiserate about the struggles and joys of our lives as women and as a dentists,” Dr. McCarthy says. When Dr. Carr graduated from dental school in 1988, she earned another University Medal and the Golden D from Dalhousie Dentistry. A Carr family photo from the 1980s. Graduation day from King’s College with parents, Sandra and Bill. Women graduates of the Dalhousie Dentistry Class of 1988. CDA President 2023–24 14 | 2023 | Issue 3
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