2023 Honours

Winter Honours

Shauna Hachey

Shauna was appointed by the Network for Canadian Oral Health Research (NCOHR) executive committee as vice chair of the NCOHR Disability and Oral Health Working Group (DOH-WG) effective August 28, 2023. Shauna is an associate professor in the School of Dental Hygiene, Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University, and an alumna of the TUTOR-PHC (Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research in Primary Health Care) program at Western University. Her research interests include the integration of oral health into primary, acute, and long-term care, and novel community-led oral health promotion, and she is currently leading a study on oral health practices in long-term care, funded by the Canadian Foundation for Dental Hygiene Research and Education.

Katherine Peddle

Representing the Newfoundland & Labrador College of Dental Hygienists, Katherine Peddle was named chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Health Professionals.

Palmer Nelson

Palmer was named by the Dalhousie University Dentistry Alumni Committee as a recipient of its 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award. Palmer has been a voice, mentor, and advocate for the dental hygiene profession through her involvement with CDHA for eight years, including as president in 2010–2011, the Newfoundland & Labrador Dental Hygienists Association for nine years, and the College of Dental Hygienists of Nova Scotia for five years. Palmer and her dental hygienist daughter, Sydney, own and operate Coastal Dental Hygiene, a mobile oral health service and clinic in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.

Kellie Watson

University of Manitoba (UM) alumna Kellie Watson, a CDHA member, dental hygienist, University of Saskatchewan faculty member, and former registrar of the College of Dental Hygienists of Manitoba and the Saskatchewan Dental Hygienists Association, was presented with the Alumni of Distinction Award at the UM Alumni Awards Evening. Read more about Kellie's numerous accomplishments in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan and her tireless work to advance the profession.

Larissa Bubnowicz

University of Manitoba student Larissa, received this year’s CADR–NCOHR Student Research Award sponsored by the Canadian Association for Dental Research and the Network for Canadian Oral Health Research. Larissa was honoured in the senior clinical/pre-clinical research category for her research, “SDF effective management of radiation caries: An in vitro study.” Eighteen students received awards to present their research at the 2024 IADR/AADOCR/CADR annual meeting in New Orleans.

Lynda McKeown

Lynda was presented with a certificate from Lakehead University’s Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health in recognition of her outstanding dedication and contributions to palliative care. Lynda was nominated as a Palliative Care Champion for being a dental hygiene colleague and mentor who, for the last 25 years, has served clients in their homes or in their long-term care residence. She has been a role model for many of her colleagues as she blazed a new trail to serve senior clients using an innovative approach called palliative dental hygiene oral care.

Summer Honours

Mandy McGill

British Columbia CDHA member Mandy McGill was named a recipient of the 2023 Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction in the Public Health category. This award recognizes dental hygienists who are influential change makers. Mandy spoke at the 2023 International Federation of Dental Hygienists’ Global Oral Health Summit on the Maasai Mama Baby Project, which was highlighted in the spring 2021 issue of Oh Canada! magazine. That article by Mandy was also the winner of our 2021 Oh Canada! Readers’ Choice Award.

Gerry Cool

CDHA and CRDHA Past President Geraldine (Gerry) Cool was awarded the prestigious Stars of Alberta Volunteer Award from the Government of Alberta in recognition of her many selfless volunteer contributions and overwhelming community spirit. From Carseland, Alberta, Gerry was one of only six individuals to receive the award in 2022.

Christine Knights (Fairbairn)

St. Clair College recognized Christine with an Alumni of Distinction Award in the Nursing/Health Sciences category. Before opening her practice, Bright Smiles, in Chatham, Ontario, Christine spent seven years in Calgary, Alberta, driving to lower income areas and schools in an 18-metre Winnebago that served as a mobile clinic. Christine’s mantra is she’s “not in practice just to make a living, she’s in business to make a difference”.

dentalcorp Academic Excellence Award winners

CDHA student members Shane F, from Oxford College, Lauren K, from the University of British Columbia, and Hannah W, from the Canadian National Institute of Health were all recipients of dentalcorp's Academic Excellence Award for 2023. Available to graduating students of Canadian accredited colleges or universities who are majoring in dental assisting or dental hygiene, this dentalcorp award provides recipients with full reimbursement of their program tuition and a contract at a dentalcorp practice. Recipients are selected based on academic accomplishments, extracurricular involvement, and the embodiment of dentalcorp’s core values.

Noreen Jill Ocampo

Noreen received the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Service Award. This award recognizes individuals nominated by members of their community who have committed themselves to their fellow citizens and to serving and improving their communities. York Centre member of Parliament Ya'ara Saks noted Noreen's "commitment to service and dedication in dental health and community engagement is deeply commendable".

Spring Honours

Rovielle Rantael

University of Manitoba CDHA student member Rovielle Rantael won a pair of prestigious scholarships at the School of Dental Hygiene’s Awards Evening last November. Rovielle received the Dr. A.W. Hogg Scholarship for highest standing in the second year of the dental hygiene program, and the Isbister Undergraduate Scholarship in Dental Hygiene, awarded based on eligibility for the dean’s honour list and for the highest average in years one to three. She also received the Manitoba Dental Association Scholarship in Dental Hygiene.

Lisette Dufour

Lisette recently received the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry’s Merit Award. This award recognizes the efforts of those who have played a role in improving the oral health of all Canadians. Although Lisette recently joined Health Canada’s team that will be responsible for implementing the future Canada Dental Care plan, she has been the Senior Oral Health Advisor in the Office of the Chief Dental Officer of Canada at the Public Health Agency of Canada for about 11 years overall. She is very supportive of CDHA and a champion of Canada’s dental hygienists, and has been described as having made a substantive contribution to dental public health in Canada. As principal lead and technical expert, she has been instrumental in the planning and implementation of the oral health component of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, cycle 7, currently being conducted by Statistics Canada in partnership with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Trish Goulet

The Network for Canadian Oral Health Research (NCOHR) executive committee announced Trish Goulet's appointment as chair of the Indigenous Peoples' Health Working Group effective February 1, 2023. Trish is a member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Dentistry. Her research focuses on access to care, health equity, and systemic innovation. As a registered dental hygienist, she initiated the first independent dental hygiene practice in Manitoba, providing oral health care to vulnerable populations. She earned a Juris Doctor degree and a Master of Laws from the University of Manitoba.

Leigha Rock

Director of the School of Dental Hygiene at Dalhousie University, Leigha Rock was elected as vice-president of the Canadian Association for Dental Research (CADR), serving for the 2023–2025 term. Leigha began her term at the AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, and will be installed as president in 2025.

Jennifer Turner

DrBicuspid.com recently announced the winners of their 2023 Cuspies awards, including Jennifer Turner, RDH, who was recognized as Dental Hygiene Educator of the Year. The winners of these awards educate oral health professionals across the globe. Many of this year’s winners were also women in leadership roles, signifying the continued advancements women have made in driving the future of dentistry and dental hygiene.