Dear colleagues,
Fall term has been exceedingly busy at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry and the School of Dental Hygiene.
On September 4, we welcomed our new dental hygiene and dentistry classes at our Opening Assembly and were delighted to host Senator Mary Jane McCallum as our guest speaker. Her message offered genuine inspiration to this new generation of oral health-care professionals.
On September 5, we met with our orthodontic alumni in Calgary to celebrate the construction of the new Graduate Orthodontic Clinic and the establishment of the Dr. Billy Wiltshire Graduate Orthodontic Fund. It was heart-warming to hear how strongly our alumni valued their time at the University of Manitoba.
Later that month, on September 18, Dr. Jerry Niznick visited the college to share an engaging presentation on the history and innovations of dental implants with both undergraduate and graduate students. The following evening, we honoured our Alumni of Distinction recipients — alumna Dr. Pat Kmet and our own faculty professor Mary Bertone — at the University of Manitoba Dental Alumni Association Dinner.
The next morning at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast, alumnus Dr. Allan Winchar addressed UM alumni from across the health sciences, reflecting on milestone anniversaries and his own memories as a dental student. At the same time, Dr. M-H. Kadhim, our faculty oral medicine/oral pathology specialist, gave an excellent presentation on: The use of neuromodulators in therapeutic and esthetic dentistry, while we welcomed alumni and friends to an open house.
On October 16, we reconnected with periodontic alumni in Toronto, exchanging updates and sharing enthusiasm about the new periodontal clinic. It was wonderful to hear about the impressive work our alumni are doing across the country and how fondly they remember their educational experience here.
Two weeks later, at our annual Awards Evening, we celebrated our students, staff and faculty in the newly inaugurated Frederic Gaspard Theatre, surrounded by family and friends. This year, the Department of Dental Diagnostics and Surgical Sciences received the highest number of student nominations for outstanding faculty contributions. Congratulations on all their hard work!
On November 6, Drs. Asmaa Haimeur and Anthony Nowakowski led a morning retreat for faculty focused on strengthening our approach to exam design using best practices in assessment. Our dental hygiene and dentistry students continue to excel in their national board examinations, consistently achieving pass rates between 90-100 per cent.
On November 24 and 25, Dr. Bryan Kwak, representing our students, and I attended Days on the Hill with the Canadian Dental Association to advocate on behalf of Canadian dental schools and to discuss the impact of the Canadian Dental Care Plan on dental education. We want to thank the Canadian Dental Association for hosting us and supporting us in these activities.
On November 28, faculty, staff and I attended an announcement from MPs Terry Duguid and Doug Eyolfson regarding the award of $6 million in federal grants dedicated to improving access to oral health care for Manitobans. These grants are intended to:
- Assist in the development of standardized, evidence-based, patient-centered educational modules that will be available nationally to better prepare oral healthcare providers across Canada to deliver culturally competent and accessible care to underserved populations.
- Pilot a postgraduate clinical apprenticeship in community oral health and dental public health to enhance training for newly graduated dental hygienists and dentists, focusing on underserved populations.
- Assist in the creation of an Oral Health Community liaison role to help foster partnerships between the college and organizations serving individuals who lack access to oral healthcare services.
- Cover CDCP co-payments at the university Main Clinic for CDCP members for whom cost is an obstacle to accessing appropriate care.*
At the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, we are looking forward to engaging in all those initiatives that will allow us to continue fulfilling our mission of “educating our learners to be skilled, evidence-informed, collaborative and caring oral health-care professionals and advocates, partnering with and serving our diverse community.”
Please accept my best wishes for a wonderful upcoming holiday season. I look forward to reconnecting with many of you in 2026!
Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis
Dean, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry
*Ref – https://www.canada.ca/en/news/search.html#q=ohaf&sortCriteria=date%20descending