Dr. Joel Antel: SayingYes and Embracing Change CDA President 2024–25 “My parents showed me how to be deeply involved with the world,” says Dr. Joel Antel, the new president of CDA for 2024–25. His mother was a kindergarten teacher then a stay‑at‑home mom. She was deeply committed to community building and fundraising efforts. His father, a WWII veteran, began a career as an accountant inWinnipeg, Manitoba, during the late 1940s. “He started out in a three-person office and eventually built a national firm with international ties. He was very involved in his chosen profession,” says Dr. Antel. His father served on local and national professional boards of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He held leadership roles in a number of community organizations as well. “I pretty much learned through osmosis that it was important to be of service and engaged with the community around you,” Dr. Antel says. Dr. Antel has advice for his dentistry colleagues who want to have fulfilling professional lives. “Just keep saying yes,” he says. “If you want to be involved in interesting and meaningful work, just say yes and take the leap.” In his over 40-year career, Dr. Antel has experimented with new ideas and embraced change. He had a wonderful mentor and, in turn, supported the success of other dentists. Whenever new opportunities arose, he said yes. Career After earning his dental degree in 1979, Dr. Antel joined the Winnipeg practice of Dr. Alan Diner, who had taught part-time at the University of Manitoba. “I joke that when I first went into practice, I took the Manitoba dental school faculty with me,” he says. “Dr. Diner had graduated from dental school in 1943, so surgery was a given, and he also taught preclinical and clinical endodontics, restorative dentistry and fixed and removable prosthodontics.” Dr. Antel rented a room in Dr. Diner’s office and practised with him for the first five years of his career. “But during those years, I probably spent half my time doing dentistry and the other half standing beside him and learning from him,” says Dr. Antel. “He was a mentor for dentistry itself, but he also taught me how to treat people and explain the value of dentistry. I’m very grateful to Alan. My wife and I are still friends with his kids.” In 1984, Dr. Antel noticed a new medical walk-in clinic close to his dental office. Walk-in clinics were a relatively new addition to the Canadian health care system, and this clinic had a sign in the window that said “dentist” along with a list of other health care practitioners. 23 Issue 3 | 2024 |
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