People are at the heart of everything we do at RCSEd and one of my aims as Dean is to meet as many Members and Fellows as I can during my term. In my first 15 months, I have had the opportunity to travel to several key countries and meet many Members and Fellows, stakeholders and other key individuals involved in healthcare. 

This has provided me with a richer understanding of the importance of our Faculty and College in global healthcare through the international recognition of the quality and standards of RCSEd qualifications.

I have had the pleasure of three visits to Egypt this year. In February,
I travelled with President Rowan Parks, CEO Mark Egan, office bearers and the senior leadership team to Cairo in connection with the College’s relationship with Egypt. A few weeks later, I embarked on a further trip to Egypt to examine the Membership in Orthodontics examination, which was accompanied by a series of meetings.

Over the spring and summer, the College held meetings with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Supreme Council of Universities in Egypt. This was followed by a subsequent trip in September with the College to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation, coupled with a diploma ceremony at the new Grand Museum in Cairo. While there, the College also conducted meetings with the Egyptian military, a dental clinical skills competition and visited educational institutions that have applied for our College’s prestigious accreditation.

Rekindling connections 

In April, I was able to travel to Ajman in the UAE. This was followed up in August with discussions on a Memorandum of Understanding between Ajman University and the Faculty, cementing the ties already established in relation to the delivery of examinations in Ajman in 2024. On this trip, Will Mclaughlin (Vice-Dean), Iain Forster-Smith (Director of Examinations, Education and Faculties) and I also visited the University of Sharjah and met a number of key people in the Ministry of Health and Dubai Health Authority. The UAE is a key area of Faculty activity, with around 10% of activity being located in this region.

On the same trip, we travelled to Sri Lanka. The College has had many positive interactions with Sri Lanka over the years and it was wonderful to rekindle many connections during a Faculty of Dental Surgery engagement event. Agreements were signed with the Sri Lankan Dental Association and the College of General Dental Practitioners in Sri Lanka.

It was clear from the various meetings in Sri Lanka that the innovative dental project within our International Postgraduate Deanery, which enables Sri Lankan dentists to come to the UK for their ‘foreign year’ of training, will prove to be very beneficial in relation to the healthcare needs of the population.

On the home front 

Engagements closer to home have also been on the agenda. The Faculty participated in the President’s Forums in Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, London and Oxford. While our UK and Ireland Dental Clinical Skills Competition was run in a ‘grand final’ format due to the late withdrawal of the previous sponsor, it was a fantastic event. Sixteen UK universities sent their top students to the competition. We have an exciting plan for ‘dental roadshows’ in the UK for 2025, so keep an eye out for more information.

In-person engagement activity is a vital part of the Faculty’s work, but online activity has become both regular and important to develop new and existing partnerships along with webinars. We held online meetings with a number of countries this year. A series of meetings have also taken place with the American Association of Paediatric Dentistry and the European Association of Paediatric Dentistry in relation to our joint conference, to take place next September. 

But our online Faculty activity is not restricted to ‘business’ meetings. In September, Will Mclaughlin held the annual Dental Ambassador Conference as an online event. Our Dental Symposium was also an online event this year, and the Queen Mary University of London hypodontia team – whose members are all RCSEd Fellows – provided a fantastic online educational event on the topic ‘Lost in Space’.

It has been of considerable pleasure to meet so many Members and Fellows both in and from so many countries during my first year as the Dean of your Faculty of Dental Surgery. As the saying goes, ‘travel broadens the mind’. Although my body clock has been somewhat confused at times, my horizons have been broadened by the opportunity to learn not only about dentistry and healthcare, but also the customs and cultures in so many countries around the world in 2024.

Your input to our Faculty is important and I am always happy to hear from Members and Fellows. You can contact me at the Faculty at dental@rcsed.ac.uk.