News Archive

The Dental School is proud to celebrate its 70th Anniversary.

It gives me great pleasure to be the Head of School of Dentistry in this special year. To celebrate this auspicious occasion we have planned a number of events, one of which took place in March.

School hosted a High Tea event acknowledging the final BDSc cohort, and the 70th Anniversary while saluting our highest achievers at the Annual Prize Giving Ceremony.  The School is currently planning a Reception for all Dentistry Alumni and friends of the Dental School which is to be held on Thursday 24th November.  The Reception will give us all an opportunity to catch-up with old friends and reacquaint ourselves with lost ones.  A number of graduating year reunions will also be planned which I hope you will also be able to attend

Our history started in 1946 when the first intake of dental students was admitted, and in 1951 the first cohort of dentists graduated from the University.  The School is proud of its achievements, and more importantly the graduates of the School should feel pride in their School and their own achievements.  Many things have changed at the School in the past 70 years, and I'm sure much more will change over the next 5-10 years, let alone in the next 70.  The first graduate cohort comprised 8 dentistry (1 female and 7 male), while 2014 saw the largest cohort with 68 graduates (39 female and 29 male).  In the first cohort there was only one female graduate, whereas since the 1970s the number of female graduates has been trending upwards, and by 2014 this exceeded the number of male graduates.  In the period 1946-2016, the School has graduated a total of 1662 graduates (1039 male;623 female).

The School has a bright future, however we need to ensure we optimise our resources and that the School remains progressive and innovative.  To assist with this challenge, we have established the Dental School's Dental Alumni Ambassadors.  The key features of the Ambassadors' role are to be part of a leadership group of advocates for the teaching and research of the School within the sphere of UWA and the wider community and to promote the 70th celebration events.  A number of the Ambassadors have shared memories about their Dentistry degree and its impact on their journey below.

The School is honoured to have the following Dental Alumni as Ambassadors:

• Dr Nick Albatis
• Clinical Associate Professor Ramash Balasubramaniam
• Dr Graham CarmichaelDr Wendy Gill
• Dr Shelley Greenway
• Dr David Hallett
• Dr Pat Henry
• Dr Brian Koch
• Dr Melanie McAlpine
• Dr Vicky Ross
• Dr Johannes Yap
• Ms Rebecca Penco - President University Students' Dental Society (2016)

I look forward to welcoming many of my colleagues, old and new, at these events.

Professor Camile Farah

Head, Dental School/Director, Oral Health Centre of WA