CDHA Scholarship Program

CDHA is pleased to announce that five registered dental hygienists have been selected as recipients of a 2023 CDHA scholarship. These outstanding members, who have chosen to advance their education, have demonstrated excellence and commitment in keeping with CDHA’s mission to support its members in providing quality preventive and therapeutic oral health care and health promotion for all persons living in Canada.

Congratulations to the following 2023 recipients!

Taryn Kustra

Taryn is a Bachelor of Science in Dental Therapy (BScDT) student at the University of Saskatchewan. She graduated as a dental hygienist from the Canadian National Institute of Health in Ottawa, Ontario, in 2021 where she earned an Advanced Diploma in Dental Hygiene (Honours). Upon graduating, she received the Ottawa Dental Society Award for a student who has demonstrated proficiency in both academics and clinical care. Taryn has enjoyed working as a dental hygienist, especially treating periodontal disease, and working with children. She is passionate about oral health education and disease prevention and is excited to take what she is learning in dental therapy to continue providing for her patients.

Kaylene Philp

Kaylene is a registered dental hygienist practising in Surrey, British Columbia. She is also currently enrolled as a student in the Master of Health Studies program offered by Athabasca University. Her commitment to academic excellence and her determination to pursue higher education have led her to work towards bettering the overall health of Canadians. She believes that good oral hygiene is integral to good overall health. Kaylene’s education in dental hygiene, combined with additional education in health studies, has expanded her knowledge on the importance of health promotion and implementation. With her strong passion for helping others and her relentless pursuit of knowledge, Kaylene hopes to one day play an essential role in expanding the current universal health care program to include essential dental care for all people living in Canada.

Lindsay Van Dam

Lindsay is a registered dental hygienist from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in 2013 and her Diploma in Dental Hygiene in 2015 from Dalhousie University. While working in private practice, Lindsay became a clinical dental hygiene instructor and then faculty member at Dalhousie’s School of Dental Hygiene. Concurrently, Lindsay completed her Master of Health Studies (leadership) from Athabasca University (2022). Her thesis project explored equity, diversity, inclusivity, and access (EDIA) capacity of dental faculty members and dental education to inform strategies for improving learning settings and support for dental and dental hygiene students from underrepresented groups. Lindsay credits her inspiring professional and research mentors for her own passion for research and knowledge that advances oral health professions education, interprofessional collaboration, and integrated health systems in Canada. A commitment to leading change and to capacity building for her profession has led her to pursue further education as a PhD candidate at Dalhousie. Lindsay’s doctoral work centres on professional socialization, interprofessional education, and collaborative practice readiness of oral health students. She hopes to contribute to the development of collaborative health systems and health policy inclusive of the oral health professions.

Kyle Fraser

Kyle has been a registered dental hygienist for almost 17 years. During that time, he has worked in four different provinces, has worked in private practice and as a dental hygiene educator and professor, and has served on the board of directors for a provincial dental hygiene association. Currently, Kyle works for the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario as the manager of quality assurance resources. Kyle is committed to lifelong learning and to the profession of dental hygiene. To that end, he is pursuing a Doctor of Education (EdD) at Western University. His research and dissertation in practice are focused on the lack of formal education to support the progress of dental hygiene leadership among dental hygienists in one Canadian province. Kyle feels very fortunate to have chosen dental hygiene as a career and says the profession has provided him with many rewarding opportunities. Kyle is passionate about dental hygiene and is committed to giving back to the profession. He wants to help contribute to the advancement of the profession in any way he can.

Vanessa Johnson

Vanessa Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2020. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted two summer research projects and disseminated her findings at the 2019 Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry conference as well as in an online article on the Canadian Dental Association’s Oasis website. These experiences sparked her interests in public health research and advocacy to address oral health inequities, ultimately leading her to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in craniofacial science at UBC. Her dissertation focuses on teledentistry and enhancing access to care for underserved populations. This doctoral program will allow her to improve her research skills, become an expert in her primary research areas, and gain teaching experience. Vanessa also has over three years of clinical experience as a dental hygiene practitioner working in a private dental clinic and has provided dental hygiene services to diverse underserved groups including people with a history of incarceration and people with mental health conditions. Her aspirations include becoming an academic and producing research that supports oral health equity and, therefore, overall health equity for people living in Canada.