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Volume 2 Issue 5
N
ews and
E
vents
Oral Health Promotion Award
The Oral Health Promotion Award recognizes individuals or organizations who have improved the oral health
of Canadians through oral health promotion. This may involve creating public health policy or supportive
environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and/or increasing the prevention
of oral diseases and disorders. The Oral Health Promotion Award was awarded to
Dr. Pamela Glassby
of
Vancouver.
Dr. Glassby
has dedicated her career to
improving the oral health of young children
in British Columbia (BC), especially those in
low-income families. She created Smile to
Smile/Knee to Knee (S2S/K2K), a program
for vulnerable children and their families
that assesses a child’s caries risk and helps
parents develop the skills they need to provide
their children with good oral care. She also created
educational resources on managing the first dental
visit for dentists and dental students. Through her
many successful oral health initiatives, Dr. Glassby
has influenced the lives of many BC families.
Pamela is a wonderful public health dentist in BC— she’s a trailblazer, and thousands of children have
benefitted from her efforts,” said Ms. Jocelyn Johnston, executive director of the British Columbia Dental
Association, who accepted the award on Dr. Glassby’s behalf.
Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award is given to recognize outstanding contributions to the dental profession, the
dental community or the oral health of Canadians at large, in a given year or for outstanding service over a
number of years. It may also recognize outstanding contributions at the academic, corporate, specialty
society, council, commission or committee level. The Distinguished Service Award was presented to 2 recipients:
Dr. Blaine Cleghorn
of Halifax, and
Dr. Amil Shapka
of St. Paul, Alberta.
Dr. Cleghorn,
assistant dean of clinics and
building services in the faculty of dentistry
at Dalhousie University, is a leader in dental
education at the local, provincial, national
and international levels. His excellence
in teaching has been recognized with a
number of prestigious awards, including
twice winning the W.W. Wood Award from
the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry
(ACFD) and the ACFD National Teaching Award.
Through his educational innovations and leadership
roles with ACFD, the Commission on Dental
Accreditation, and the National Dental Examining
Board of Canada, Dr. Cleghorn has made a lasting
impact on the dental student experience and the
professional membership in Canada.
It’s been privilege for me to have been involved in many provincial, national and international organizations.
I’ve had incredible mentors and teachers along the way, who have influenced and guided
my life and career choices.”
Dr. Shapka
is a practising dentist in St. Paul,
Alberta, and founder of the Kindness
in Action Society (KIA), a non-profit
organization that provides dental care to
people living in poor and remote regions of
the world. For 21 years, Dr. Shapka has been
committed to sustaining and expanding
KIA’s work, an operation that involves over
250 volunteers each year. His efforts have made a
tremendous difference, not only for the thousands
of people around the world who have benefited
from the dental care and pain relief provided by
KIA volunteers, but also for the hundreds of
KIA volunteers whose lives have been enriched
by the experience.
Working selflessly from the heart is a life-changing, life-affirming experience for most and my experience is no
exception. Perhaps most importantly, it has been a humbling and gentle reminder that we all have much to be
grateful for. As dentists we are privileged to be able to contribute to the well-being of others and, above all else,
dentistry is a helping profession.”