2024 Honours

Winter Honours

Lynda McKeown

Four influential Thunder Bay women were recently inducted into the City Archives Women’s History Exhibit, including the city’s first dental hygienist, CDHA member and past president Lynda McKeown. Lynda was recognized for the barriers she has pushed through and the challenges she has faced to become one of the leading champions of oral health in the city. Visit tbnewswatch.com/local-news/four-more-influentialwomen- inducted-into-city-archives-exhibit-9693787 to read more about the ceremony and cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1- 391-superior-morning/clip/16103239-lynda-mckeown-2024- womens-history-exhibit-inductees for a CBC radio interview featuring Lynda. Congratulations, Lynda, for your pioneering efforts on behalf of the profession and thank you for your continued passion to see it grow.

Cindy Isaak-Ploegman

Cindy received the 2024 Alumni of Distinction Award from the University of Manitoba School of Dental Hygiene Alumni Association for her distinguished career in dental hygiene at a gala on September 27 at the Fort Garry Hotel.

Joy Maderazo

Joy Maderazo was recently honoured by her member of Parliament, Peter Schiefke, with a Government of Canada Community Service Excellence award. The award recognized her significant contributions to the region of Montérégie-Ouest through the provision of free dental hygiene clinics and working with people with disabilities.

Annie St-Amand

Congratulations to Annie St-Amand, owner of independent dental hygiene practice Hygiene Dentaire Mobile Aniso. Annie was recently presented with a High Merit award for a small or medium-sized business from the Haut- Madawaska New Brunswick Chamber of Commerce.

Bev Woods and the team at Gift from the Heart

Bay of Quinte member of Parliament Ryan Williams recently presented Bev Woods and the team at Gift from the Heart in Belleville with a Community Champion Award, recognizing their dedication to providing dental hygiene services to nearly 400 people each year. MP Williams noted, “the passion and care they bring to our community makes a r eal difference, offering essential services to those who need it most. Thank you, Bev, for being a s hining example of kindness, compassion, and service in the Bay of Quinte. Together, we are building a h ealthier and stronger community!”

Danika Beaulieu

Congratulations to Danika Beaulieu, owner of Dental Hygiene of the Bay, for being named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Chaleur Chamber of Commerce (New Brunswick).

Summer Honours

Canadian authors 6th edition of Darby & Walsh Dental Hygiene: Theory & Practice

A strong contingent of CDHA members and other Canadian dental hygienists served as lead or co-authors of chapters 2, 4, 29, 52, and 53 of the 6th edition of Darby & Walsh Dental Hygiene: Theory & Practice. Congratulations Laura MacDonald, Kathy Yerex, Mary Bertone, Dani Botbyl, Lorraine Glassford, Lynda Mckeown, Ruth Busby, Sue Raynak, Carolyn Weiss, and Heather Woodbeck, and thank you all for your important contributions to dental hygiene education and the profession.

Algonquin College Student Changemaker Award winners

Five CDHA member dental hygiene graduates from Algonquin College in Ottawa received the school’s prestigious Student Changemaker Award, given by the Board of Governors. The award was presented to Sule Hamamcioglu, Priya Kumari, Lisa McLeod, Zeel Patel, and Tuli Chakma in recognition of their community project, Heart of the Matter, designed to provide complimentary oral health care to individuals who could not otherwise access such services. Read more in the Algonquin Times (https://algonquintimes.com/news/five-dental-hygiene-grads-receive-the-student-changemaker-award/).

Luminita Dica

Luminita, owner of Lumi's Dental Hygiene Care, was one of the 2024 Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction recipients in the full-time clinician category. These awards, now in their 23rd year, have recognized more than 143 dental hygienists, including several Canadians, who are influential change makers and leaders in their field. Lumi was honoured at RDH Under One Roof in July 2024.

Ilena Yim

The Network for Canadian Oral Health Research announced the Oral Health Research Externship Competition Winners for 2024–2025 which included CDHA member Ilena Yim, BSc, MSc, who was awarded a full-time research externship for fall 2024 to work with Statistics Canada. Ilena is a PhD candidate in craniofacial science and is supervised by Denise Laronde, DipDH, MSc (Dental Science), PhD, in the Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia.

The Filipino-Canadian Dental Hygienists' Society

This group, which is led by Noreen Ocampo, and includes a number of CDHA members, was the recipient of two awards in 2024. The organization received an award from National Filipino Heritage Canada for their advocacy efforts for health equity and providing oral health education and dental hygiene services for underserved populations in Canada and the Philippines. The society also placed second in the International Federation of Dental Hygienists’ Social Responsibility Program with their project, “Going Miles for Healthy Smiles.” Their project was showcased at ISDH 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, in July.

Shannon Maitland

Shannon, owner of Complete Oral Wellness, was the winner of the 2024 Faces Magazine award for Ottawa’s Dental Hygienist of the Year.

Jenna Smith Sage

Jenna, owner of Sage Dental Hygiene, won first place and the People’s Choice Award in the North Okanagan Community Futures Enterprize Challenge.

Spring Honours

Melissa Sedore

Melissa Sedore, owner of an independent dental hygiene clinic, Dental Hygiene On Demand, received the Individual Business Award at the Georgina Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards.

Katherine Canning-Peddle

Katherine received the Business Award for Independent Living, presented by The Honourable Joan Marie J. Aylward, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. This award is presented to a business (Oral Health Centre Mobile Smiles) that has displayed an innovative approach and achieved substantial outcomes in supporting the full inclusion of people with disabilities.

Marisa Mannarino

Marisa, owner of Dental Care in Motion was awarded a 2024 Canadian Choice Award in the mobile dental hygiene category (Hamilton, Ontario).