For more than 50 years, the University of Manitoba College of Dentistry and School of Dental Hygiene have been sending graduates out into the professional world. As dean for the past 10 years, I sometimes feel like a gardener who strives for just the right combination of sunlight, irrigation, weed control and fertilizer to ensure a career-ready crop each spring.
When our graduates ripen into alumni, they carry the legacy of curriculum enhancements, technology upgrades, facility renovations, and all the other continuous improvements we strive for at the college. We can never rest on our laurels. Like gardeners poring over seed catalogues in the depths of winter, we have to envision what we’ll achieve next and plot how to get there.
Our alumni, whether practising or retired, are essential stakeholders in our evolution. I am repeatedly touched by the pride and interest that alumni take in the college, and by their generous support of enhancements like our new “Dr. Sni” Lab, with its state-of-the-art digital technology.
I was extremely pleased in September when dentistry and dental hygiene alumni who were celebrating milestone reunions were welcomed at the newly expanded Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast hosted by Brian Postl, dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. Our alumni were tremendously engaged, both in revisiting their old stomping grounds and in discovering everything that is new about today’s college and campus. The word “homecoming” is particularly apt, I think, for a tight-knit college like ours, where students typically have a strong sense of belonging.
I often hear from alumni that they are keenly interested in our admission process. We currently have an external task force examining our admission criteria and process and considering what adjustments, if any, should be made. I look forward to hearing its recommendations.
One key way in which we serve and stay connected with alumni is through our continuing professional development (CPD) program. We know that dental health-care providers expect relevance, tight focus and high quality when they attend workshops or classes. Our CPD programming is learner-centred, responsive to practitioners’ needs, and taught by experts. We recently introduced, for instance, a two-day CPD master class in dental management of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, given by two leading U.S. authorities.
Our college continues to recognize that oral health is inseparable from overall health. Our weekly dental clinics for sleep apnea and temporomandibular disorders are receiving an ever-growing stream of referrals. We are providing a needed public service, strengthening our interprofessional ties with the physician community, and giving our students experience in an emerging area of dentistry. The participation of doctors from the Misericordia Health Centre in the sleep clinic is an interprofessional first for the college.
Further to our clinical services, we are grateful to alumni and friends of the college for their support of the Donald B. Proctor Fund and the emergency fund established by the U of M Dental Alumni Association (UMDAA). These resources support treatment for patients who lack the means to pay for oral care. Your generosity in maintaining these funds is truly making a difference.
Many of our alumni know that the way in which patient care was traditionally managed in college clinics did not accurately reflect real-world practice. We focused on discipline-specific clinics, rather than treating each patient’s full spectrum of dental needs simultaneously.
We have made huge strides in implementing and expanding the General Practice Comprehensive Care Clinic model to treat the whole patient, not just one issue at a time. Each academic year, we are using clinic time more effectively, seeing more patients, and giving third- and fourth-year students more training that closely mirrors general practice.
Our mentorship program is also thriving. I am very proud that this partnership between the college and the Manitoba Dental Association allows every dentistry student to be paired with a practising dentist mentor throughout his or her four-year program. We couldn’t do it without U of M graduates and MDA members who give a hand up to the next generation.
Our alumni network is more than an asset. It’s part of the lifeblood that nourishes the college, keeping it current, responsive and forward-looking. As I write this in the snowy depths of mid-February, I thank you for helping to make this place a fertile garden for learning, research and community service. I’m certain that spring will eventually arrive. Bring on the seed catalogues. Let’s keep dreaming of what we’ll plant next!