Excellence in dental education

At the recent Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) Annual Conference in Riga, Latvia, three UK-based academics were recognised with 'Excellence in Dental Education' Awards. Two awards were made in the 'Early Career' category (less than eight years' experience in dental education), of which one went to Mr Upen Patel (Birmingham). Three awards were made in the 'Mature (Senior)' category, of which one each went to Dr Undrell Moore (Newcastle), and Dr Chris Lynch (Cardiff). The aim of these awards is to provide international recognition of excellence in dental education to individuals who have not yet achieved the rank of 'Professor'. Further information is available from the ADEE website: www.adee.org

Award hat trick

British Dental Health Foundation President and Board Chair Dr Tony Newton received three awards in August from Durham University: his Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, and the prize for Best Doctoral Thesis for the Business School DBA Summer Congregation 2014. Dr Newton's research centres on what makes some people much more effective at networking than others, and whether training can have a lasting effect on improving those skills.

First academic core trainees

Zehra Yonel and Jonathan Lewney have recently been appointed as the first Academic Dental Core Trainees (DCTs) in the UK. These innovative, two-year posts offer six month rotations in restorative dentistry and paediatric dentistry at Birmingham Dental Hospital, maxillofacial surgery at University Hospital Birmingham, and community dentistry within Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust. Each post offers up to 50% protected time for academic and research pursuits and aims to prepare DCTs for a clinical academic career.