CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 2

11 Issue 2 | 2018 | CDA at W ork For Julie Delcorde, FCDSA president and DDS candidate at the University of Toronto, the conference highlights included the first FCDSA National Student Research Competition, the formal gala, and “many amazing lectures and hands-on sessions that gave participants the opportunity to reach beyond the fundamentals of their dental education, ask questions, and meet their colleagues from across the country.” The conference was tailored to the interests of students from Canada’s 10 dental schools as they prepare to transition to life after graduation. Speakers shared their insights and tips on a broad range of topics that covered clinical skills, digital technologies, and the business side of dentistry, including an introduction to emerging practice models in Canada. In his address to students, Dr. Paul Allison, president of the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry and dean of the faculty of dentistry at McGill University, stressed the importance of getting involved, particularly at a time of change in the profession. “In dentistry, just like most other professions, there is clearly a need to change, on a variety of levels,” he says, pointing to new models of dental care delivery that can improve access to care, the move towards better integration of dentistry in medical health care teams, and the need to convey the value of research and expertise to a population skeptical of experts. “Students will be the new professionals at the vanguard of many of these changes—both as individuals and as leaders of the new dental profession.” According to Ms. Delcorde, student organizers have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback from students, speakers Inspired and Informed at Inaugural STUDENT CONFERENCE The Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations (FCDSA) hosted its inaugural Canadian Dental Student Conference (CDSC) in Toronto on January 12–13, 2018. Visit: cdsc2018.ca Photo Credit: Katherine Kazak, UofT DDS4