CONTINUEDP.21 Dr. Evan Carr Kinnear says that it wasn’t until he became a dentist himself that he truly appreciated how hard his mother worked to excel as both a dental professional and single parent. “I get tired after a long day chairside, but my mom basically worked all the time, with her patients at the practice and then she’d come home and take care of us,” he says. “And you never would’ve known because she was so energetic and emotionally present, both at home and the office. She never complained.” Steve Jennex, executive director of the Nova Scotia Dental Association (NSDA), met Dr. Carr when Chelsea and Evan were small. “We were holding an event where dentists volunteered their time to provide free dental care on a weekend, and Heather arrived wearing scrubs with her kids in a double stroller, ready to volunteer,” he says. “She’s always been a giver. She thinks of other people before she thinks of herself.” Dr. Carr says she might have been a bit firm with her kids. “But I wanted them to get good grades so they would have more choices and opportunities.” Chelsea says she felt supported and inspired by her mother. “She had high expectations for us, but she had even higher expectations for herself,” she says. “She wanted us to do the best we could and she showed us what that looked like, in every part of her own life.” A mother who was high-achieving in dentistry helped encourage Chelsea’s own ambitions. “Having my mom as a role model of a woman who has achieved so much and become a leader in her profession has made me realize what is possible for me,” she says. Of parenthood, Dr. Carr says that is what changed her. “Growing up, I was always strong-willed and hardworking, but my children taught me what selflessness is,” she says. Organized Dentistry Dr. Carr was inspired by her mother to volunteer and become deeply involved with her community. “My mother was recently awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medal for being a community leader,” she says. “My sisters and I learned early on that we had a duty and responsibility to contribute.” Dr. Carr began her involvement in organized dentistry as a student and then a few years into her professional life, she got involved with the NSDA, first joining committees, then chairing them, and eventually serving as president in 2012–13. She was the third female president of NSDA and became the first female Nova Scotia representative on the CDA Board of Directors in 2015. “People talk about how it takes time when you’re already so busy, but personally I have received so much back from being in organized dentistry,” Dr. Carr says. “I’ve met amazing people and built relationships with dentists all around the world.” Jennex says that Dr. Carr was a “go-to person” for themost challenging committee work and for tasks that required someone who was outgoing and up-for-anything. Dr. Carr appeared on the CBC television show “Street Cents” when Dr. Evan Carr Kinnear and Dr. Chelsea Carr Kinnear. At Dr. Carr’s International College of Dentists Fellowship ceremony in St. John’s, Newfoundland, withDr. IanDoyle (l.) andDr. EricHatfield. CDA President 2023–24 18 | 2023 | Issue 3 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
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