Meet the newest members of RCSEd’s Dental Council

Professor Nigel Robb and Ahmed Tarek El-Shanawany both have impressive careers in surgical dentistry. Professor Robb, who received his Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the University of Edinburgh in 1982, spearheaded the first ever university-level sedation qualification in 1996 and gained a doctorate in Epidemiological Studies of Toothwear from Guy’s Dental School.

El-Shanawany is a decorated Orthodontic Consultant who has an MSc in Orthodontics with Distinction from the University of Dundee and Specialty Membership in Orthodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He is based in Egypt, where he gained his Bachelor in Dentistry. 

With so much career experience under their belts, it’s no wonder Professor Robb and El-Shanawany were elected to join RCSEd’s Dental Council. Surgeons’ News spoke with the newest additions to find out what they are hoping to achieve during their time on the Council. 

Giving something back 

Professor Robb has been associated with the College since November 1985, when he sat the exam for his Second Part Fellowship. For the professor, joining the Dental Council seemed like the perfect way to give something back at a time when he was approaching retirement. “I’d spent my last six years in Australia and then decided to retire from full-time academic life in May,” he explains. “I didn’t want to stop working completely and, equally, I wanted the opportunity of having a bit more time on my hands to give something back to the profession.”

El-Shanawany also wanted to make a positive contribution, crediting healthcare education in the UK with having a large influence on his career. He also saw election to the Dental Council as a chance to bring an international perspective.

Living in Cairo, El-Shanawany feels he may be able to bridge the gap between healthcare and education. “I thought that I could help to further the interests of the members, especially those who are international because [the College has not had many] Council members who are not based in the UK.”

He continues: “I thought I could help in delivering advice and speaking for them on the Dental Council.”

Speaking up for members 

Professor Robb and El-Shanawany were elected to the Dental Council last year, being officially announced as members on 20 September at the Faculty’s Annual General Meeting. They will each serve five years on the Council. On the same day, Professor Ivor G Chestnutt (see page 52) was appointed Honorary Secretary of the Faculty of Dentistry.

Now a few months into their roles, what do Professor Robb and
El-Shanawany think so far? It’s busy, El-Shanawany admits, but rewarding. “I get many requests and many inquiries from members,” he says. “Some of these I can address myself or I can speak with the officers about what should be done to address their problems. I’m getting involved in many areas of the world where the ambassadors are trying to speak up for the RCSEd members.” 

Although the addition of El-Shanawany has given the Dental Council a new international perspective, he accepts the new role has also given him a new outlook. “When people are outside, they think it’s very easy. ‘Why don’t they do this or that?’ However, in real life, things are much harder. Being on the Council, things are much bigger than I expected. It has shed the light on many hidden areas, where I thought it was easy to manage people.”

El-Shanawany’s responsibilities centre on speaking on behalf of those who become RCSEd members through examination or honorary means. “I’m there to collaborate with them and link them to the relevant areas or other offices inside RCSEd,” he explains. “I speak up about their problems, whether that’s with exams, membership or benefits, whether they located within or outside the UK.”

A constant presence 

Professor Robb’s role is slightly different. He will be involved in College assessments, as assessments have been a major part of his academic career. So far, his responsibilities involved attending meetings, executing the actions from those meetings and representing the College at functions such as diploma ceremonies. Of the last, he says: “I think it’s particularly important for the dental members that there’s a dental presence on the stage, rather than it just being the College Council.”

Despite having been a College Fellow for quite some time, Professor Robb concedes there has been a lot of new information to take on board as a Dental Council member.

“Initially, there’s been some information gathering about how the College actually functions,” he explains. “So there’s been a bit of time spent actually getting a handle on the College structure, which is something that I wasn’t exactly clear on, despite having been a Fellow for all these years.”

Having an influence 

Being on the RCSEd Dental Council is no mean feat. Alongside the day-to-day responsibilities of being a high-ranking dental professional, Council work requires a significant commitment from members. With this in mind, would Professor Robb and El-Shanawany recommend others join the Council? Both say “yes” and Professor Robb particularly recommends it to members who have strong opinions about how the College is run. 

“If you want to be able to influence an organisation, or you have views about how an organisation works, you should get involved rather than just commenting or criticising from the outside. I don’t find that a very helpful,” Professor Robb says. “So if anyone feels that there are things the College can do that it’s not doing, and they believe they can help with that activity, they should get involved.”

El-Shanawany agrees, adding that new recruits will learn how hard Council members work and the extent of the issues facing the healthcare system. “They will learn about how the people on the Council work, what they are working for and how much time and effort is exerted for the benefit of the patients we treat and the people whose lives we are trying to make better,” he says. “I’m sure they will understand and appreciate how much the Council does for them.”

He continues: “They will also be enlightened about the many challenges facing our profession, healthcare providers and patients. Things are becoming so much more sophisticated today, with the integration of artificial intelligence into healthcare services and market-based dentistry. These sorts of issues are constantly influencing our practice.”

Looking to the future 

El-Shanawany appreciates each board member’s devotion to the Council’s cause, adding that the members have been very welcoming to him as a newcomer. “I feel the enthusiasm of everyone in the Council shaping dental education and the healthcare service in the UK and elsewhere,” he says. “They’re doing a great job in including me. I’m trying to help members as much as I can.”

Looking to the future, Professor Robb believes the Dental Council can help the College continue to develop as an institution. “The College has an opportunity to move forward,” he says. “There’s a number of things we can do that will potentially be really advantageous to the profession and give the College in Edinburgh a wider reach to the profession in return.

“And I think it’s really important that all organisations look to move forward rather than just try and maintain a status quo.”

Within the Dental Council itself, Professor Robb believes that representing all aspects of dentistry is one of its most important tasks – and he thinks that gathering the perspectives of the younger generation is an optimal way to do this.

“It would obviously be really important to have some younger members on the Council but the great difficulty is that it’s much easier for me, now that I’m retired, to give the time that the Council deserves,” he says. “Given all the publicity around what’s happening in the NHS at the moment, it’s becoming more and more difficult for people in employment to gain sufficient time to fulfil roles.”