2012 New Year Honours

Dr Susie Sanderson has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours for her services to dentistry. Dr Sanderson is Chair of the BDA Executive Board; she is the first female dentist to have been elected to the role and will stand down later this year having served the maximum six-year term. She combines her BDA duties with working as a general dental practitioner in Yorkshire.

Professor Jimmy Steele, Dean of Newcastle Dental School, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours for services to dentistry and oral health.

David Collington, a general dental practitioner in Glasgow, Stephen Lambert-Humble, Head of Dentistry at the University of Kent, and Angie McBain, Past President of the British Association of Dental Nurses, were all made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to dentistry, services to dental care and education, and services to dental nursing, respectively.

Best Postgraduate Education Centre Team

LonDEC, a joint enterprise between King's College London Dental Institute and the NHS London Deanery, were honoured with the title Best Postgraduate Education Centre Team 2011 at the 2011 Elisabeth Paice Awards for Educational Excellence in Medical and Dental Education, presented in December. LonDEC is a state-of-the-art education and training centre that hosts core courses and advanced skills training for all professions within the dental team.

Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour Party

In December, former NHS dentist Anas Sarwar was elected as the Scottish Labour Party's new Deputy Leader. Mr Sarwar graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in dentistry in 2005 and worked as an NHS dentist in Paisley before his election as an MP. He lives in Glasgow with his wife, who is also a dentist.