The 2017 Dental Students Association award winners have been announced! The School of Dentistry would like to congratulate all the recipients! Recipients are chosen by the graduating class.
Here's what they had to say about receiving the special award and recognition.
Dental Hygiene Clinic Teaching Award
Kathy Sauze
This award is totally unexpected. I am honoured to be receiving this award. I have been a part of this program for 12 years now and I love what I do. As a teacher, I try to focus on the positives and build on our student's strengths. I like their energy and they are always wanting to learn. I want my students to feel good about they have learned and what they've accomplished.
Dental Hygiene Preclinical Teaching Award
Nadine Milos
I was surprised. It's nice to be acknowledged by the students. I enjoy trying to help students to succeed and do better. I want them to appreciate that every patient is different. The patient is not just a head sitting in a chair, therefore they should know about the entire body not just the oral cavity.
DDS Lab Teaching Award
Alan Killistoff
It's an honour to be acknowledged by the students. Students need to be at ease in the classroom and we need to be able to support them. I have fun working with the students and I feel I have a class of full of friends. They recognize the fact that my goal is for them to master the skills and enjoy learning, and the profession.
DDS Clinical Teaching Award
Les Campbell
This award is really meaning to me because it came from the students themselves. It means that they are learning endo, and what could be greater than that? The award validates my approach and frankly it is what every teacher hopes to accomplish. I enjoy giving the students all of the information they can absorb so that they have the tools to solve endodontic problems. Allowing a student to work through a problem themselves, using the new skills they have learned in lecture and in clinic, allows them to arrive at a deeper understanding of the problem at hand. Shortly after graduation, students may find it tough to solve problems on their own because their mentors are no longer easily available. With my teaching philosophy, I hope to give them the tools to think through difficult problems away from the school environment, which will ultimately make them better clinicians.
The DDS Preclinical Teaching Award was also awarded to clinical professor Mark Wright.