The Award of Excellence is given by the Alberta Dental Association and College to a dentist to recognize either an outstanding contribution in a given year, or outstanding service over a number of years. It may recognize outstanding contributions to the dental profession at the corporate level, academic level, specialty, society, council, or committee level, but normally is intended to recognize dentists who have made a significant contribution to society at large and/or dental profession in a voluntary and unpaid capacity.
Tom has been at the school for 32 years. He worked in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) clinic and lectured from 1981 - 2008 providing teaching coverage (half a day /week for 27 years). Tom started full time in 2009.
Tom's contributions to the dental profession are demonstrated through the lengthy history of non-academic professional activities. He has served as the president of the Alberta Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Canadian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, among many other roles. In addition to having a private practice, he has done hospital rotations for most of his career.
He presently holds the role of examiner for the National Dental Examining Board and serves as an expert on Bisphenol A for the Canadian Dental Association.
Congratulations to Tom on receiving this award.